According to the First Amendment of the Constitution, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise there of..."(Patterson A-11). The writers of the constitution made it an important point in protecting freedom of religion. The writers then even stressed the importance of being able to be any religion that suited a person. "The First Amendment removes government from the realm of religious belief and practice so that the state can neither subvert nor manipulate religion to serve secular, public ends"(Keynes and Miller 177). It is pure ignorance for someone to think that one religion is accepted throughout the world. This very reason is why prayer should not be in school. When saying a prayer in an organized group at school, it is impossible to not discriminate against a person's religion. Allowing prayer in school is like losing a precious jewel that can never be found again. Prayer in school results in students losing their rights, losing their sense of unity, and losing their strong beliefs of their faith. These are all things that once lost are difficult to find again.

Students lose their religious rights when prayer is introduced in public schools. Many people don't understand the complexity of this issue and that it is not just about taking God out of school. As U.S. citizens, the First Amendment gives the freedom to believe in what people choose to believe in without being punished for their belief. The First Amendment was proposed to keep such occurrences such as prayer in school from happening. The Supreme Court has declared that the states can either compose a prayer or require school children to recite passages from the Bible or the Lord's Prayer during the regular school day. Why should a Jewish child feel uncomfortable and humiliated in

a school environment because of prayer? On June 20, 2000 the Supreme Court reaffirmed its long-held position that prayer does not belong in public school. The government is trying to protect citizens with their religious beliefs and many don't realize it. "If school authorities sanction such devotional activities, teachers and students may have a valid basis to secure damages for the impairment of their clearly established rights"(McCarthy 22). What right does the education system have at introducing prayer into schools? The education system does not have the permission of guardians to introduce these prayers to their children. "The right question to be asking ourselves is, should public school children, grades K-12, be made a captive audience to official organized prayer, whether their parents like it or not"(Gaylor 1). When making a child a captive audience to official organized prayer, the school strips the child of its rights of being a U.S. citizen. In the state of Texas it is a law that minors until the age of 18 must go to school. Does a child have a choice to leave school if the prayers at school inflict on their religious beliefs? The answer is obviously no. If law makes it mandatory for children to go to school, then it is mandatory to listen to organized prayer. The rights of our children are being stripped away with prayer in school. When prayer is allowed in school, it opens many controversial gates. It gives the right for an Atheist, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu and other beliefs to have prayers over the announcements or at football g

The Issue on Prayer in School. (1969, December 31). In DirectEssays.com. Retrieved 01:58, May 22, 2013, from http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/76422.html

Direct Essays. "The Issue on Prayer in School." DirectEssays.com. DirectEssays.com, (December 31, 1969). Web. 22 May. 2013.

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