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On local issues like schools, individual or corporate prayers, Bible reading, etc. the U.S. Constitution is silent.
The establishment clause prevents the government from endorsing or preferring one religious faith over another or faith over no faith. It does not apply to private companies or individuals. It applies to government action and does apply to public schools and not private schools. Public schools are extensions of the government and the establishment clause does apply.
The only thing this will accomplish is allow for for christian conservatives to say, "Our country is a christian nation, ask the Bakersfield school district!" in an argument.
Other than, this won't make any difference to anyone.
Funny then, that they noted in the text itself "the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven..."
Oh wow, so in the remark field where they indicated the date they use the common term to denote the date and you feel it is implicit that we have a god-inclusive Constitution? Funny thing is in all the rules laid out in the Constitition, it excludes religion.
No, it's not the same. But it's hypocritical to argue that the government should deny religious content in our schools when its central organs (the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Presidency) regularly cite religious inspiration in their ceremonies.
I honestly don’t see it as hypocritical at all. Many politicians pray they make the right decisions that benefit all people or find an equal balance. But they also know that their faith is a personal faith and they should not legislate in a way to prefer their faith. However it is one thing for adults congregating together to make laws and putting matters of faith in a school with young children. Common sense tells me the adults are not as impressionable as the children, well for the most part.
I honestly don’t see it as hypocritical at all. Many politicians pray they make the right decisions that benefit all people or find an equal balance. But they also know that their faith is a personal faith and they should not legislate in a way to prefer their faith. However it is one thing for adults congregating together to make laws and putting matters of faith in a school with young children. Common sense tells me the adults are not as impressionable as the children, well for the most part.
Why can congressman pray to make wise decisions (prayers, which, by the way, go largely unaswered) but schoolchildren not be allowed to pray to do well in their studies and on tests?
Indeed, using your logic, why send children to school at all, if they're so impressionable? They might get the idea that being good-looking, socially popular and athletically powerful are the only ways to achieve success. Face it: most kids are smarter than that.
I attended public school when we not only prayed, we also read the Bible every day. It didn't make some kind of fundamentalist Christian out of me -- but it gave me some exposure to 17th century English prose (King James Bible), and an interest in the historical reasons for why we are the culture we are. Kids today are not getting that. I would argue that because of that, they are not being educated as well as they could be....
But, we don't have the freedom to use public funds to promote one particular religion.
With all due respect, the phrase is part of our "public funds" now - it is an intregral part of our nations currency - in circulation all over the world
Why do "christians" feel they have to push their religion and their "god" on everyone????
I see this on this board again and again. As others have said, how would they feel if islam or hinduism was pushed onto your children? I won't hold my breath for an honest answer on that one.
Why can religion not be a private matter and stay where it belongs, at home or in your private life, rather than a public school? Why should students that have other religious beliefs, such as buddhism, or those that are aetheists, feel out of place or excluded?
It is not the place of a public school to push religion on it's students. Reading the bible, praying, that would have a place in a private school.
It is one thing to talk about ALL religions and to give an overview, but why is it so offensive to want "religious neutrality" ?????????
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