As I was reading though I was struck by a thought, make that 2 thoughts; err, 2 thoughts that are related (does that make it only one thought then?). First, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matt 6:5-6, KJV)
And second, why would they want prayer in schools in the first place? Now mind you I am not referring to student led "clubs" that may meet prior to classes or praying before a meal or an after school Bible study club. I am talking full ,on morning announcement type prayer. Or prayer at an assembly of some type, like a pre-game situation. Seriously do they get up in the morning thinking I have to get to school so I can pray?
My only caveat in regards to Peterson's Op, atheists are not trying to take away Christians’ right to pray. We just want to stop the overreach of religion, like when teachers or administrators attempt to proselytize to students. Or worse, what is transpiring in Louisiana.
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Interesting to note is that it is not only atheists or religious minorities who oppose school-sponsored prayer. Rather, many Christians actually oppose prayer in the public schools as well, usually because they do not desire that their children be led in prayers which might contradict the doctrinal position of their church…
In the wake of the school prayer prohibitions, there then occurred an overcorrection of sorts. Many citizens who were uninformed about the legal reasoning involved began to mistakenly conclude that all religious speech and action are forbidden in public schools. On the contrary, courts have consistently held that it is acceptable to read various scriptures as world literature or to describe religion in the context of history and the social sciences.
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Of course, in such an emotionally-charged topic as religion, there will be occasions where the rules are abused, manipulated, or ignored, but Christians should resist the temptation to engage in such tactics. Instead, the Christian is called to defend their rights as a religious citizen, while at the same time doing so in a legal, ethical, and non-malicious manner.
The first step should always be to seek to work with the school and its officials to ensure students’ rights are protected, and even if such efforts fail, to pursue the defense of their rights without spitefulness or a desire for revenge, but instead in the interest of protecting the liberty of their neighbors and community.
Algona Upper Des Moines > Archives > Opinion > Editorials & Columns > Ask the pastor: What about prayer in schools?
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