Some Thoughts On Mandated School Prayer
     I've been thinking about the concept of coerced school prayer that several presidential hopefuls have traditionally considered.  I've got questions for them:
     Kids go to school 180 days a year in the United States.  According to a Gallup poll, 50% of the parents of school-age children favor extending the school year: presumably because students need it, or parents need day care.  If it is the former, then can taxpayers afford to pay for them to pray for one minute per day if it means three hours per year?  And if prayer doesn't make all students abstinent, ethical, non-violent, drug-free, high academic achievers, will we extend it to five minutes per day, or 10?  I know a few students who will lobby long and hard to extend prayer time as long as possible-- especially on days when I have tests.  If a student has already prayed with their family at home, do they get to bring a note and use the time to get homework done?  And if I already prayed at home, could I bring a note and use the time to grade papers?
 Instead of having a prayer, maybe we could save the legislature time and squabbling, and have every  corner of every public school newsletter list prayer concerns.   Of course, that wouldn't make for a very nice re-election photo op.
     I want to know why we should stop with prayer in the public schools?  Let's legislate prayer into the workplace each morning!  Then if we find out it doesn't cure all of the ills of society, letís extend it there too.  I bet it would do wonders for American productivity.  Let's get prayer in the prisons.  And while we're at it, for heaven's sake, let's get more prayer in Congress.  Although it opens each morning with a prayer, I don't think they do it often enough, seeing the lying, cheating, and adultery that still takes place, not to mention the way it ignores the very "sheep" Jesus asked that we tend.
     If I have native American students in my class, are they allowed to use peyote during prayer time?  After all, the Supreme Court allows use of this hallucinogen as a part of their religious observance.  And what about those two Sikh children getting to wear those long, ceremonial sabers to school.  If some of my students like prayer time, will they lobby to wear swords on campus like the Sikhs?
     Do I open the prayer with "Father God?"  I have lots of Presbyterians and Methodists who, unlike some televangelists, have not seen a reproducible image of God and hence, are hesitant to worship a male-oriented deity.  If an evangelist student prays aloud, even in a whisper, and it goes over the one-minute limit, do I interrupt to begin my lesson, or will I be sued for violating their free speech?  And if an evangelical student interferes with the silent meditations of the New Ager sitting next to him, which student's prayer gets more priority?
     Once upon a time, parents told their children to be abstinent, but they got busy and forgot.  So the parents asked the schools to teach their kids to be abstinent instead.  And once upon a time, parents told their kids not to abuse alcohol and other drugs.  But they forgot, so they asked the schools to do it for them.  Not long ago, they also parents spent time praying with their children and taking them to church every Sunday, but they got busy and forgot to do this too, so the schools were asked to add non-violent argument mediation, Judeo-Christian ethics, self-esteem, character development and, well... you get the picture.  With public schools doing all of the praying, what would be the point of going to church?
     Here's my main question about going down that unconstitutional road:  What research has shown that having a prayer each morning instills morals, values, and faith in God in our children any more than having a flag salute each day has made them more patriotic and nationalistic?
     Teachers who continue to observe the Constitution of the Government of the United States of America, and its guarantee not to establish a national religion will understand why I'd ask for a prayer from every denomination of religion in the world to share during a soon-to-be adopted moment of prayer.  Who knows, we might even be able to squeeze in a Christian prayer once or twice a year.