Hannah+Cox

How should the freedom of religion be handled and given to students at school and school sponsored events?
 * Guided Research Question **

**Summary ** The issue of religious activities in schools is controversial because many people see this as a disturbance or bother. According to the First Ammendment, students have the right to express their religion no matter where they are as long as it does not harm anyone. However, administrations do not always honnor this right and often stop students from participating in numerous activities. This has been brought before the Supreme Court, which ultimately determines whether the First Ammendment has been overlooked. I believe that students should be permitted to pray and religiously gather in public schools and at school sponsored events given that they are not physically harming other people. 

 **Good and Bad Aspects of Involving Prayer in Public Schools **
 * Pros || Cons ||
 * Students are able to express their views. || Other students could feel pressured into participating in another religion. ||
 * Prayer during non-instructional times is the same as any secular activity. || Religious affiliations could get in the way of schoolwork. ||
 * Religious clubs allow students to meet people with common interests and build relationships. || Teachers could use this freedom to “preach” to their students, and that could cause them to feel uncomfortable. ||
 * The Supreme Court gives the freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. || Public prayer at school could be seen as a private decision that is made public. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Schools should do more than prepare students academically, they should prepare them for social life in the real world. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students are already permitted to pray individually in schools, so a school publicly acknowledging prayer is almost unnecessary. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It would create a sense of morality in the students and steer them away from drugs, alcohol, etc. || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">School prayer could take away the bond that religious leaders and parents have with their children, and some parents may wish to personally explain beliefs to their kids. ||

**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Court Cases ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This source is a court case in which students in Westside, Nebraska wanted to start a Christian club in their high school but were denied permission by their administrators. The administrators believed that this violated the Constitution and that their need of a teacher to sponsor this club would be a display of the teacher promoting Christianity. However, when taken before the court, the Supreme Court decided that the students did have the right to begin this club. The court believed that high school students were smart enough to know that the teacher was not demeaning them in any way by joining this club and also the faculty sponsor has very little activity in the club, so they would rarely be participating in any large activities. Another reason this ruling was based on is that students are not required to join this club, so nothing is being forced upon them.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Engel v. Vitale: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> This is a court case in which a school created a Christian prayer that students could voluntarily say before the school day began. Parents found out about this and were outraged, so they took this before the Supreme Court because they felt like their children were having a religion forced upon them that they did not believe in. In the end, the court decided that it was unconstitutional for a school to construct a prayer for students to recite.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This source is a fundamental court case in which a prayer was given before a high school football game in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After people of other religions brought this to the court as a major issue, the school district decided that they would allow the students of the high school to vote on whether there should be an invocation before the game. Even though a logical solution was made on this issue, the Supreme Court still concluded that it was unconstitutional for this prayer to be said. It was stated that this was a private decision made public and that should not be allowed. **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What I Think ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Going into this research paper, I already knew that I had a very strong opinion that students should be allowed to freely express their religious beliefs on campus. However, I was unaware of the multitude of disagreeing opinions that I would encounter. Many court cases of the United States Supreme Court ruled against the side that was arguing for their right to testify their personal convictions. There are way more people out there that do not agree with free expression than I thought. This research opened my eyes to think of new opinions and consider the viewpoints of other people. For an example, in the court case of Santa Fe v. Doe, yes, the students did want to give the prayer and yes they did vote for it to happen, but what about the people who just wanted to come to a football game who are of a <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">different religion? On the contrary,the consent of religious expression in public schools is increasingly important to the morality and personal growth of students. It offers the chance for them to meet new people with common interests and allows them to engage in conversations that they would not have been able to if their religious beliefs had been restricted and hidden. These fresh starts and bonding experiences can kindle relationships that will last them for a lifetime bringing yet more opportunities for individual development. If no one person is being harmed or put down, then the school district, government, courts or any official being does not have legitimate evidence as to why the students should be denied the right to openly display their religious preference to their peers and teachers.

**Works Cited** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ballaro, Beverly and Simone Isadora. “School Prayer: An Overview.” Points of View.Discus, 2011.Web. 27 Nov. 2012.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Boston, Rob. "There Should Not Be Prayer and Bible Study in Public Schools." Atheism.Opposing Viewpoints, May-June 2007.Web. 27 Nov. 2012.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bush, Tom. "See You at the Pole 2012." Bayside Youth Group, 24 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421.US Supreme Court. Find Law. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Herblock. Wordpress.com. The Washington Post, 26 May 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2012

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mergens v Board of Education of Westside Community Schools. 497 US 226. Supreme Court Collection. Legal Information Inst., Cornell U Law School, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Pros and Cons of Praying in School." All About History. History, 2001. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe. 530 US 290. Supreme Court of the US. 2000. Supreme Court Collection. Legal Information Inst., Cornell U Law School, n.d.Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Staver, Mathew D. "Allowing Religious Expression in School Protects Students' Rights." Students' Rights. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Mar. 2003: 1-4. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.