I can’t tell
you how many times I’ve heard fellow Christians say “Our country started going
downhill when they took prayer out of school” or “We would be better off if we
put prayer back in school.” I’m an
American patriot and an evangelical Christian.
But I don’t agree with the idea that we need to put prayer “back” in our
public schools. Before you grab the
pitchfork, let me explain.
Yes, at one point we did have prayer in government-run schools. In fact, we had official prayers before lunch in my elementary school. And yes, the Supreme Court decided that mandatory, teacher-led prayers in public schools are unconstitutional. And finally, I agree that our public schools have taken a turn for the worse over the last few decades.
Yet none of that convinces me that prayer in public schools is necessary, or even beneficial. First, there’s no evidence of cause and effect; no one has any proof that the decline of our schools was caused by banning mandatory prayers. Second, who decides the prayers to be recited? For instance, if a Roman Catholic parent wants their child to say a Hail Mary, that’s their free choice, but I don’t necessarily want my child to be forced to pray that particular prayer. Finally, there’s the theological issue: prayer is a deeply personal communication with God which, in a mandatory school setting, would become either offensive to those who disagree with the standardized prayer (both Christians and non-Christians) or be so generic that it serves no purpose.
Let me be clear: I’m simply saying that mandatory prayer in government-run schools is not the answer to turning people back to God. Instead of prayer in schools, we need God in schools. Not mandatory religious classes or daily devotionals at the start of school (where we run into the same problems as mandatory prayer). How do we get God in school? We take Christ with us when we go to school. Christian students, teachers, administrators, and staff can—and should—take Christ (who lives within them) to school each day. We can model Christ. We can speak about Christ to others (with gentleness and respect). We can pray together or alone. We can identify others who are lost and hurting, and show them the love of Christ.
Our school-age children need the Good News of Jesus Christ. But we can’t trust that to the government, a mandatory teacher-led prayer, or some generic religious class. It takes a lot more work than that. In short, it takes all of us Christians doing a lot more than we’ve been doing the last 50 years.
Yes, at one point we did have prayer in government-run schools. In fact, we had official prayers before lunch in my elementary school. And yes, the Supreme Court decided that mandatory, teacher-led prayers in public schools are unconstitutional. And finally, I agree that our public schools have taken a turn for the worse over the last few decades.
Yet none of that convinces me that prayer in public schools is necessary, or even beneficial. First, there’s no evidence of cause and effect; no one has any proof that the decline of our schools was caused by banning mandatory prayers. Second, who decides the prayers to be recited? For instance, if a Roman Catholic parent wants their child to say a Hail Mary, that’s their free choice, but I don’t necessarily want my child to be forced to pray that particular prayer. Finally, there’s the theological issue: prayer is a deeply personal communication with God which, in a mandatory school setting, would become either offensive to those who disagree with the standardized prayer (both Christians and non-Christians) or be so generic that it serves no purpose.
Let me be clear: I’m simply saying that mandatory prayer in government-run schools is not the answer to turning people back to God. Instead of prayer in schools, we need God in schools. Not mandatory religious classes or daily devotionals at the start of school (where we run into the same problems as mandatory prayer). How do we get God in school? We take Christ with us when we go to school. Christian students, teachers, administrators, and staff can—and should—take Christ (who lives within them) to school each day. We can model Christ. We can speak about Christ to others (with gentleness and respect). We can pray together or alone. We can identify others who are lost and hurting, and show them the love of Christ.
Our school-age children need the Good News of Jesus Christ. But we can’t trust that to the government, a mandatory teacher-led prayer, or some generic religious class. It takes a lot more work than that. In short, it takes all of us Christians doing a lot more than we’ve been doing the last 50 years.
Timendous, many good points. Thanks for putting this together.
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