Parina+Patel

=Religious Freedom-Prayer in Public Schools=

Gorm. "Three Shouts on a Hilltop." Blogspot, 22 Jan. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. Jalsavec, John. "400 Students Defy ACLU and Stand to Recite Lord’s Prayer at Graduation." //Lifesitenews.com //. LifeSiteNews, 5 June 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.


 * Research Question: Should public schools allow students to pray during school? **
 * Summary: ** My topic discusses prayer and the debate over whether or not prayer should be allowed during school. This is a very controversial topic that attracts many people to agree or disagree. Prayer time during school can have a negative effect because not everyone believes in God while others may feel uncomfortable praying in front of others. However, others may feel that prayer during school is needed because some religions require it and parents may feel it is okay to do so. Whatever people may believe, prayer in public schools is a constant debate throughout the United States.

C**ons: argue for prayer in school** Source: "Pros and Cons of Prayer in School." //AllAboutHistory.org //. All About God, 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. //Engel v. Vitale- //New York board offered a prayer to public schools for recitation before school. The Union Free District made the local principal ask all teachers to have the students cite the prayer at the beginning of class. The parents of ten students believed the prayer violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and went against their beliefs. Supreme Court ruled that the prayer was unconstitutional and violated the separation between church and state. Source:"ENGEL v. VITALE, 370 U.S. 421 (1962)." //FindLaw | Cases and Codes //. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2012. ====Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. MergensA student at Westside High school requested to form a religious club. The school denied her request and Mergens filed a lawsuit. She stated that the Equal Access Law gave right to students to form religious clubs. The Supreme Court ruled that Mergens in fact had the right to form a religious club and that the Equal Access Law protected that right. ==== ====Source: "Board of Educ. v. Mergens - 496 U.S. 226 (1990)."//Justia US Supreme Court Center//. Justia.com, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. ====
 * Pros: Those against prayer in school **
 * Violates the Establishment clause of First Amendment
 * It would violate the separation of church and state.
 * Public prayer would make many religious differences visible. Those who would restrain from prayer may feel uncomfortable.
 * Since the public school system is supported by taxpayers and is for all students, it should remain neutral on the issue of religion since both students and taxpayers have different opinions.
 * There is no one prayer that can be said in school to honor all religions or denominations the United States
 * A voluntary prayer does mean it is a government established religion
 * Helps attack issues like teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, and other issues that many teens face
 * Allow religious students to observe their religion during the school day
 * Restricts the religious freedom of those who want to pray during school
 * Court Cases **

//<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">McCollum v. Board of Education- //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;"> In this groundbreaking Supreme Court Case the appellant Vashti McCollum state that religious instruction in public school violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In Illinois the state board agreed to give space in buildings for teachers to instruct prayer and religious teachings during school hours. Although, students did not have to attend the prayer services religious instruction is not allowed during public school hours. The Supreme Court affirmed that the separation between church and state should remain. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Source:"McCollum v. Board of Education - 333 U.S. 203 (1948)." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Justia.com US Supreme Court Center //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. Justia, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">What I Think: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Prayer in public schools is a very controversial issue. When I first decided prayer in school, I was no certain if I would want to include prayer in school or leave it out. Once I begin researching this topic I realized that if prayer was to be included in school, where would it come from? In other words, if a prayer was said which religious book would be used to find a prayer? Then I realized that the prayer would not be welcomed by everyone so it is best to keep the separation between church and state as stated in the First Amendment. Since there are so many religions and faiths at school, it is best to keep the one thing that tends to divide people. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;"> Works Cited

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">"Board of Educ. v. Mergens - 496 U.S. 226 (1990)."//Justia US Supreme Court Center//. Justia.com, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">"Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226 (1990)."//First Amendment Center//.First Amendment Schools, 2006.Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Charles, Haynes C. "God Goes Back to Public Schools." //First Amendment Center//. First Amendment Center, 7 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Eckholm, Erik. "Battling Anew Over the Place Of Religion in Public Schools." //The New York Times//. The New York Times, 28 Dec. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">"ENGEL v. VITALE, 370 U.S. 421 (1962)." //FindLaw | Cases and Codes//.FindLaw, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">"First Amendment."//Legal Information Institute//. Cornell University Law School, 19 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">"MCCOLLUM V. BOARD OF EDUCATION, 333 U.S. 203 (1948)." //FindLaw | Cases and Codes//.FindLaw, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Prothero, Stephen. "There Should Be Prayer and Bible Study in Public Schools."//Atheism//.Ed. Beth Rosenthal. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Should the Bible Be Taught in Public Schools? (Interview with Stephen Prothero)." //Beliefnet.com//. 2007. //Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context//. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.