Even though I try to live my life as a Christian, I disagree that religion should be interjected into the public school arena. I remember prayers being said during school events in my mainly, but not totally, Christian hometown. The prayers, which were always Christian in nature, had an alienating effect on kids of other faiths, who are the ones I'm most concerned about in these matters. Why should a Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist child HAVE to listen to Christian prayer in a school system that their parents have paid their taxes into? (And saying that they don't have to pray, but they can just be silent isn't a fair solution) How do school districts decide whose prayers get said? By vote? By simple majority?
Church and state need to be separated, by virtue of our Constitution. Period. However, I believe that God is not bound by legislation, and the silent prayers of the faithful are just as powerful as the ones loudly and publicly said.
If parents and kids want to weave their faith into their educational experience, then they should find a parochial school that suits their needs. Most offer generous scholarship/work study/tution plans that fit the budgets of even struggling families (I worked at an inner-city Catholic girls' high school for two years and saw impoverished families literally scrape together money so that their girls could go to a Christian school). If that's not an option, try enrolling the kids in good old Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, etc.
[This message has been edited by Discogoddess (edited June 19, 2000).]
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