It is this reporter's opinion that the battle to expel school prayer forever from our public schools has raged for more than 40 years with no end in sight.
The culture war on school prayer began with a landmark Supreme Court case of Engel v. Vitale in 1962 and has continued as a battleground between religious liberty and public education ever since.
Many believe man’s “ban on prayer” in schools is solely responsible for America’s rapidly accelerating moral decline.
At the center of the controversy is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU uses the following quote from the First Amendment to substantiate their stand: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Most recently, the state of Illinois picked up the gauntlet when state lawmakers voted to turn a “moment of silence” from an option to a requirement at the start of school classes.
“This doesn’t mandate school prayer, but let’s face it — that’s what this is about,” said Rep. Lou Lang, D-Ill., who voted against the legislation.
We need to instill in America’s youth traditional values . . . the love of country, family, and God. Maybe what America needs now is a new compulsory school prayer that students could recite without fear of recrimination.
A new school prayer has been written by unknown student:
A New School Prayer
Author Unknown
Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of him very odd.
If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the "unwed daddy," our Senior King.
It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen
This poem covers the spectrum of all that is politically and morally reprehensible in our schools.
Let’s hope that we will be triumphant in this major battle and that eventually all schools will send the right message to the youth of America by making a moment of silence the norm.
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