Recently in South Carolina, Lawmakers began to push for new legislation that would mandate...ready for this?...Prayer sessions in public schools. According to the article printed on the website "The Raw Story"
The bill in question? H. 3526 which directly states:
"All schools shall provide for a minute of mandatory silence at the beginning of each school day, during which time the teacher may deliver a prayer, provided the school allows a student to leave the classroom if the student does not want to listen to or participate in the prayer."
Now whenever the public school system started here in the United states, one truth holds true: the Public School system is a governmental institution. It's run by the government, funded by the government and the government sets the academic standard for students to strive for. But the key here is that its a government, not a private, institution.
Now when I look at what South Carolina lawmakers are trying to do, there seems to be a glaring defect in their plan that they seem to have glossed over as they try and stomp though all this. The first amendment, instructing future lawmakers that there would be NO LAW that would establish any kind of state religion. Over the years that amendment has been scrutinized by courts and, in part, has been found to include the use of religion in the public school system. As we've seen this evolve in the public education venue, we've also seen it reduced to not being an official part of the academic curriculum.
Now is it really wise to make such a move? After all many of the GOP and some Democratic lawmakers firmly believe that the reason things have gone so astray in this country is because there is a tragic gaping hole left by leaving out religion in that venue. So the question is should it be filled by governmental decree?
Absolutely...NOT! The public school system has evolved to be a place for secular education, to prepare students for the workforce and give them a taste of different areas of expertise so they can A: get basic reasoning and living skills and B: narrow down what they want to do to make a living in their lives. Its not there to provide a religious education. There are plenty of religious based schools out there now, that are private, that have been instituted for those who want their children to have an education that include a religious environment.
The implications are disturbing, as South Carolina lawmakers contemplate this change in policy. Its a direct attack on what the Supreme Court has ruled on over and over again first of all. Second of all, what kind of prayer are we talking about? Hindu, Buddhist, Shamanistic, Wiccan, Taoism, Shintoism, Christian? And what about the growing number of students that dont believe in a god, Atheists and Agnostics? We need to remember that the America that exists now is not the same one that existed two hundred years ago! This is no longer a Christian country now, if it ever was at all. The public School system has become a diverse hodgepodge of different religious belief systems. Simply stating that a student can pray to the God of their specific belief system or even leave the room during a time of silence is a simple whitewash of whats really going on.
This is a very cloak and dagger way of trying to establish a state religion that's more comfortable for the religious right and for the so called democrats that are like them. It cant be allowed.
Original Story on "The Raw Story":
The Young Turk Story
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