Prayer in Public Schools

There are three other things I should be doing tonight, and I already made my post for this half of the week, but I just had to write this. Someone I know from my parents' church did a Facebook poll that asks whether prayer should be allowed back in public schools. Of course, she answered yes. And who wouldn't want prayer allowed in school? This is America, not France or Turkey. Shouldn't students and teachers be free to exercise their religion?

Thing is, prayer already is allowed in America's public schools. Sure, Engel v. Vitale and Abington School District v. Schempp prohibit public school-sponsored prayer and Bible reading. But that's school-sponsored prayer. Students and teachers are perfectly free to pray at school on their own time. When I was at Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, I regularly organized and attended lunch-time meetings where Christians sang, prayed, discussed their relationships with God, and even heard preaching. It was perfectly legal. And it'll stay legal until China invades to collect its due.

What isn't legal is when someone gets somebody else's religion shoved down their throat. You aren't allowed to teach from the Bible or lead prayer during class time. If a public school teacher were to teach life lessons from the Bible or lead prayer in class, she would be making an "establishment of religion" - basically, forcing someone to practice a religion that he or she doesn't subscribe to. The government's role (if it has one) is to protect your body and your property, not promote your religion.

An early school prayer case was the Edgerton Bible Case. Catholic parents didn't want their kids being led in devotions from a King James Version Bible, because the KJV is a Protestant translation.

What would happen if prayer were "allowed" back in public schools? Might children be taught passages from the Qur'an? Would children be led in Hail Marys? Would lecturers be invited to teach Hinduism from the Bhagvad Gita? Given the religious make-up of the Silicon Valley today, I wouldn't be surprised if that were to happen.

Remember, no one goes to public school becase they want to. They go because they have to. If they don't, their parents get in trouble. Public school students are a captive audience in the most literal sense. So when students are led to do something in class, they're really forced to do it. If you don't want to be forced to pray the Muslim way, then it only makes sense that other people not be forced to pray your way.

As it is, the law on school prayer might be the best way (short of repealing all truancy laws) to respect all public school students' and teachers' liberties. I hate to defend the government, but on this issue you have to be content.