We blame the lack
of prayer in schools.
Ever hear
of prayer in school, making Christianity the official religion of the USA?
Not exact matches
It's the title
of a satirical video game
in which players are challenged to use «thoughts and
prayers» to stop
school shootings (spoiler alert: it doesn't work).
Does it really matter if
prayer is allowed
in school for those who want to take a second out
of the day to pray?
The answer is that the Christian right
in our country is constantly trying to force their religious beliefs into the public sphere (science education,
school prayer at public
schools, Decalogue displays at court houses, nativity scenes on city hall property, crosses
in all kinds
of public places, national days
of prayer, etc.)-- if these things stopped, the outcry from us non-believers would be greatly diminished.
Even when they had the White House (George W) and both Houses
of Congress the GOP never even introduced, much less voted on, any bill banning abortion, allowing
prayer in school, banning gay marriage or any other
of the wedge issues they use to attract a certain mentally deranged segment
of the population to their side by pretending to defend those things that are important to Christian conservatives.
The only way
prayer belongs
in school is as part
of a demonstration
of the ineffectiveness
of prayer, tribal mythologies and astrology.
Here's what actually happened... The liberal courts decided that
prayer and any mention
of God is not welcome
in public
schools.
The religious among us keep trying to chip away at the separation
of church and state by making people recite the pledge
of allegiance with the God clause, installing religious symbols and displays on public property, holding
prayer breakfasts for politicians, berating the removal
of prayer in public
schools, trying to pass laws limiting women's access to birth control, and trying to get an amendment passed outlawing abortion (since
in their view God creates a soul the moment a sperm enters an egg).
When Santorum or Rick Perry was the nominee it was all about social issues and bringing us back to being a «Christian nation»
in good standing with God for the Republicans, we heard a never ending drumbeat about abortion,
prayer in schools, teaching creationism, and trying to end funding for planned parenthood, even stopping the funding
of birth control.
It amazes me that many on the left cry out about separation
of church and state when arguing against
prayer in school or the words
in god we trust on money.
On the question
of secularism and the Supreme Court's decisions on
prayer and other religious activities
in the public
schools: No doubt these decisions, which repudiated both history and the wishes
of parents and state legislators alike, played a significant role
in the acceleration
of what Richard John Neuhaus later dubbed the «naked public square.»
Whether I was writing for
school, a fictional story for my personal entertainment, processing through my teenage years on my Xanga / Myspace blog, or even
in college
in my English classes, I found myself feeling an overwhelming sense
of urgency to spew every single occurrence, happening, decision,
prayer and thought onto paper or onto a digital document.
Before the 1970s, evangelicals voted as often for Democrats as for Republicans, but
in the wake
of the Civil Rights movement
in the 1960s, a Supreme Court decision ending
prayer in public
schools, and the legalisation
of abortion
in 1973, the Republican Party recognised an opportunity to build a new coalition
of Christian conservatives upset with the cultural changes sweeping the country.
If you were to utilize these tools
in order to research the court cases that took
prayer out
of schools, you would find that the major court cases were brought forth by Catholics, Mormons and Jews.
@SeanNJ, I would think the meetings would primarily be about educating the public on the separation
of church and state and opposing religious encroachment on the public / government arena, e.g. creationism / ID
in the science classroom, ten commandments displays
in government buildings,
school sanctioned
prayer or religious activities.
«During early adulthood, about half
of Boomers (51 %) and Gen Xers (54 %) said they approved
of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that banned the required reading
of the Lord's
Prayer or Bible verses
in public
schools; 56 %
of Millennials took this view
in 2008.»
To try and pair «no
prayer in school» to increases
in mass shootings is to ignore a number
of other, more relevant variables.
The results
of these and other Supreme Court decisions call to mind the warning issued by Justice Arthur I Goldberg (no Moral Majoritarian, he) some 25 years ago
in the
School Prayer Cases.
When her mother, the daughter and granddaughter
of Methodist ministers, died on May 9, 1905, Jarvis
in a series
of recollections penned for friends and family remembered her mother especially for her evangelical piety and practice: her conversion at age 12; her lifelong work
in a Methodist Sunday
school in Grafton, West Virginia; her habits
of secret
prayer, her graces at table; and her abiding affection for her favorite hymns.
On the other hand... If the student's «
prayer» or carrying
of a Bible is causing a disruption
in the classroom or disturbing the educational process unduly, then the
school is correct to reduce said disruptions.
The government should not be permitted to create incentives for religious practice or belief (like giving favored status to religious organizations, as compared to other nonprofits), to facilitate the religious practices
of some at the expense
of others (like offering vocal
prayers in public
schools), or to accommodate one religion but not others with similar needs or problems (like limiting draft exemptions to members
of traditional «peace churches») Within these guidelines, religious accommodations are fully
in keeping with the First Amendment — albeit
in conflict with strict separation.
As a result, a five-fold increase
in the number
of mass shootings has occurred, when comparing the 30 years
of impact
of school prayer (i.e. 1949 - 1981) against the impact
of no
school prayer (i.e. 1982 — 2012).
Live, you don't suppose that the sophisticated weaponry that has been designed
in the last 50 years may have more to do with it than your assertion that each and every one
of these shootings were caused by
prayer being taken
of schools?
The court ruled against
SCHOOL SPONSORED
PRAYER because it violated the rights
of children
in the classroom who believed differently than the
SCHOOL SPONSORED
PRAYER.
Bondi, who teaches at Candler
School of Theology at Emory University
in Atlanta, recently wrote Memories of God (Abingdon) and is now working on a book about prayer titled In Ordinary Tim
in Atlanta, recently wrote Memories
of God (Abingdon) and is now working on a book about
prayer titled
In Ordinary Tim
In Ordinary Time.
The Fifth Circuit Court
of Appeals reversed the ruling on Friday, saying the family had not persuaded the three - judge panel «that the individual
prayers or other remarks to be given by students at graduation are,
in fact,
school - sponsored.»
70 %
of Americans support public
prayer in schools... that alone makes people laugh
in the developed world.
I think you should have the right ot counter it with a statement criticizing the idea
of God and
prayer in public meetings or
schools or any gov» t led group meeting.
The scholar metaphor is useful for worship and Bible study, but books like Andrew Murray's With Christ
in the
School of Prayer don't have much to say about faithfulness
in the workplace.
And
of course there would be those on the right, advocating for Muslim
prayer in schools, not worrying about how the few Christian children might be impacted, and doing whatever they can to write bits
of Sharia into the law
of the land.
Or, most recently, you might have heard the rumor from Bryan Fischer, from Mike Hucakbee or a friend on Facebook, saying that God abandoned the children at Sandy Hook because, though children have every right to pray
in public
schools, those
schools can not sponsor
prayer events out
of deference to religious freedom.
Andrew Murray, a Scottish - trained missionary, named his devotional classic With Christ
in the
School of Prayer.
For Catholic
schools to be a worthwhile enterprise for the Church, they must survive and flourish as institutions where pupils grow
in a «personal relationship with Jesus» which includes following the teaching
of Jesus, through His Church, that we should attend Mass every Sunday, go to confession regularly, say our
prayers and be loyal to the magisterium - especially
in its moral teaching regarding the sanctity
of human life, and the meaning and purpose
of sex and marriage,
in accord with Humanae Vitae and Evangelium Vitae.
With the removal
of the Bible and
prayer from our
schools and homes, the Devil has gained much strength
in our land.
As everyone knows, there is a tremendous cultural struggle going on
in national politics, manifested
in disputes over abortion, capital punishment, gun control, crime, welfare, affirmative action, gay rights,
school prayer, and other kindred things, many
of which have a subtle racial dimension.
I would agree except other nationalities / religions try to strip me
of my beliefs... we can't say
prayer in school anymore, we can't say Merry Christmas, they don't want «In God We Trust» on anything, they want us to remove the 10 Commandments... if they want us to respect their beliefs... RESPECT OUR
in school anymore, we can't say Merry Christmas, they don't want «
In God We Trust» on anything, they want us to remove the 10 Commandments... if they want us to respect their beliefs... RESPECT OUR
In God We Trust» on anything, they want us to remove the 10 Commandments... if they want us to respect their beliefs... RESPECT OURS!
When I grew up we did things like pray
in school, said the pledge
of allegiance and after
prayer was banned, we had our fellowship groups.
getting all bent out
of shape when a student carries a Bible to
school, or a group
of students having
prayer around the flag pole
in the morning at
school.
CNN: Lutheran pastor apologizes for praying
in Newtown vigil A Lutheran pastor has apologized after being chastised by his denomination's leader for offering a
prayer at an interfaith vigil for the victims
of the
school shooting
in Newtown, Connecticut.
In the early 1960s, Madalyn O'Hair, an atheist communist filed a lawsuit against prayer in public schools that made it's way all the way to the Supreme Court of the U.S
In the early 1960s, Madalyn O'Hair, an atheist communist filed a lawsuit against
prayer in public schools that made it's way all the way to the Supreme Court of the U.S
in public
schools that made it's way all the way to the Supreme Court
of the U.S..
Conservatives say: «Not only will I shout my
prayers from the rooftops to be seen and heard by EVERYBODY, but I will demand that forced
prayer be reinstated
in the
schools, and that any child, regardless
of their religion, who doesn't say Christian
prayers will be severely punished!
Bibles
in every motel room God on our money
Prayer before public events Christian cable networks 24/7 Discounts on insurance for being christian Churches every 6 blocks in every city over 100,000 Laws that prevent non-christians from holding public office Christian bookstores in every town over 12,000 God in the Pledge of Allegiance Televangelists 24/7 Christian billboards along the highway advertising Vacation Bible School and «Repent or go to He.ll» Federally recognized christian holiday Radioevangelists 24/7 Religious organizations are tax free 75 % of the population claims to be christian National day of prayer God in the National Anthem Weekday christian education for elementary stu
Prayer before public events Christian cable networks 24/7 Discounts on insurance for being christian Churches every 6 blocks
in every city over 100,000 Laws that prevent non-christians from holding public office Christian bookstores
in every town over 12,000 God
in the Pledge
of Allegiance Televangelists 24/7 Christian billboards along the highway advertising Vacation Bible
School and «Repent or go to He.ll» Federally recognized christian holiday Radioevangelists 24/7 Religious organizations are tax free 75 %
of the population claims to be christian National day
of prayer God in the National Anthem Weekday christian education for elementary stu
prayer God
in the National Anthem Weekday christian education for elementary students.
And only about one
in three know that a public
school teacher is allowed to teach a comparative religion class - although nine out
of 10 know that teacher isn't allowed by the Supreme Court to lead a class
in prayer.
Prayer changes things
Prayer takes many Biblical forms
Prayer is talking with God
Prayer can be private
Prayer can be corporate
Prayer can be public
Prayer can be political
Prayer can be formal
Prayer can be casual
Prayer can be
in public
schools Prayer is not curtailed by the words
of a man
Prayer is never stopped by an unbeliever
Prayer changes things
One
of his first political actions was to make christian
prayer mandatory
in public
schools.
Seeking to cloak their fear
of reprisals for naming real root causes, progressives trumpet phony diversions depicted as earth shattering crises (namely, global warming), missile defense, homophobia, protecting our borders, the religious right, abstinence education,
prayer in schools, animal rights, biblical creation, etc..
No... instead, any sort
of public
prayer is not permitted
in schools.
Ellery Schempp, at 16 years
of age
in 1956, stayed
in his seat while the rest
of his high
school class stood to recite the Lord's
prayer; he flipped through the Koran while his homeroom teacher recited ten verses from the Bible.
Bibles
in every motel room God on our money Moments
of silence (
prayer) before public events Christian cable networks 24/7 Discounts on insurance for being christian Churches every 6 blocks
in every city over 100,000 Christian bookstores
in every town over 12,000 God
in The Pledge
of Allegiance Televangelists 24/7 Christian billboards along the highway advertising Vacation Brainwashing
School (VBS) for your children Federally recognized Christian holiday Radioeveangelists 24/7 Religious organizations are tax free 75 %
of the population claims to be Christian National day
of prayer God
in the National Anthem