Sorry in advance to everyone if this has already been debated- now to the real post!
with the anniversary of columbine coming up, many have wondered if something can be done to stop similar events. One of the most proposed ones is school prayer. What are your views on this? Please don’t interperet this as “is it constitutionally allowed?”, but more of “can it have an actual effect?” I believe that in long term, it cannot. For those who listen every morning, great. But for those already hell-bent on society, I think this would do little. Does the prayer have to be christian? I have heard students on NPR say that they would NOT like to hear muslim prayers or otherwise. So I ask- What do you think?
It may indeed have an effect – exactly opposite the one intended by most proponents.
Think about it – how many high school kids LIKE to do things they are forced to do? And how many rebel?
If you force prayer on them, I think it’s more likely they will rebel against it than say, “Oh, yes, God’s the answer to everything. Now I’ll just go turn in my shotgun.”
I mean, take Columbine. These kids were already outcasts. Focusing on that fact more by having many of their classmates pray while they didn’t want to certainly wouldn’t have helped. Now look at other situations where the kids in question aren’t as far gone as the Columbiners. Could this lead to further ostracism? I think so. And that certainly won’t help the situations.
I cannot imagine how it would help and I tend to agree with David. I have already had a friend come up to me three times this year in tears over religion. This friend is Jewish but all of her friends are into youth Christiandom (Young Life etc.) and constantly take the liberty of trying to save her from eternal damnation for her sins, Jesus, blah, blah, blah.
You know, doing what is right is easy. The problem is knowing what is right.
Anyone who thinks that having school prayer will make schools safer is hopelessly naïve. Most likely they are using it as an excuse to push their agenda through. Shoving religion down people’s throats does not make them more passive. Observe the Branch Davidians, Northern Ireland, Israel, etc.
“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” - Adam Smith
DavidB and other anti-school prayer people are wrong Wrong WRONG! How can you say that when I sacrifice a chicken and dance around in a drunken frenzy with a group of half-clad cheerleaders in a prayer to Dionysus that it won’t be a good thing??
I say let every possible religion have a club allowed to meet on school grounds. Doesn’t matter if its cabbage worshippers or whatever. Prayer? It can be done silently.
During the period in which we had prayer in schools, we also had World War II, the McCarthy “Red Scare”, the Korean War, the Suez Crisis, Fidel Castro, the hula hoop, the invention of Silly Putty, Walt Disney, Elvis Presley, and television.
When we removed prayer from schools, we had the Cold War, Watergate, Vietnam, Bosnia, Saddam Hussein, video games, the invention of Pokemon, Walt Disney, Elvis Presley, and television.
So what’s the difference?
(Did you realize that the technology behind personal computers and the Internet wasn’t really developed until we removed prayer from schools? Does this mean Bill Gates really is the Antichrist? :eek: )
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen
Having come from a country with school prayer (England) to this country without any , I can say that mindlessly repeating a prayer every morning made absolutely no difference in my behavior. I don’t agree with school prayer because our society is way too diversified. How would you ever pick one prayer for the christians, jews, muslims, buddists, hindus, shintos, wiccans, etc., not to mention the atheists/agnostics. Plus whole whole idea of making my kids say something thay don’t believe makes my skin crawl.
Any way we already have a school prayer, the pledge of allegiance (but that is a different thread all together.)
I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR:
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At the root of advocacy for school prayer is the belief that faith in jesus instills high ethical and moral standards. In practice I don’t see how though.
Thank you, Esprix.
To all those exhibitionist whiners who say they have to “live their faith” ;
Your “faith” does not include stomping on my toes. I have read the Bible from cover to cover, and there is nothing about “Thou shalt be obnoxious and in-thine-face as thou wilt.”
Not another “cabbage worshippers vs. sauerkraut cultists” thread! Aren’t there enough of these in the Archives? Guys, loosen up–it’s the same damn vegetable! Why must you always quibble over the epistemology of pickling?
