In his State of the Union Address, JANUARY 25, 1984, President Ronald Reagan stated: "Each day your members observe a 200-year-old tradition meant to signify America is one nation under God. I must ask: If you can begin your day with a member of the clergy standing right here leading you in prayer, then why can't freedom to acknowledge God be enjoyed again by children in every school room across this land?"
A month later in a radio address, February 25, 1984, President Reagan stated: "The First Amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people from religion; that amendment was written to protect religion from government tyranny... But now we're told our children have no right to pray in school. Nonsense. The pendulum has swung too far toward intolerance against genuine religious freedom. It is time to redress the balance." President Reagan continued: "Former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart noted if religious exercises are held to be impermissible activity in schools, religion is placed at an artificial and state-created disadvantage... Refusal to permit religious exercises is seen not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism."
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Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
"The Regent's School Prayer" (Engel v. Vitale, 1962)
The New York education system adopted a school prayer to be said before the start of each day's classes. This prayer promoted good moral character, provided spiritual training, and helped combat juvenile delinquency. The regents wrote a school prayer that was non-sectarian or denominational. In fact, it was so bland that it became known as the "to whom it may concern prayer." Here it is: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country."
Justice Hugo Black wrote the following for the majority, "It is no part of the business of government to compose official prayers"¦ the Regent's prayer are inconsistent both with the purposes of the Establishment Clause and the Establishment Clause itself." This ruling did not stop school prayer completely, only those schools that had a regent style prayer. Voluntary prayer was still permitted.
Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina said, "I should like to ask whether we would be far wrong in saying that in this decision the Supreme Court has held that God is unconstitutional and for that reason the public school must be segregated against Him?" John Bennett, Dean of Union Theological Seminary continued, "If the Court in the name of religious liberty tries to keep a lid on religious expression and teaching both in the public schools and also in connection with experiments that involve cooperation with public schools, it will drive all religious communities to the establishment of parochial schools, much against the will of many, and to the great detriment of public schools and probably of the quality of education." At the time there were just a handful of Protestant schools in the country. Today, they number in the thousands. "School Prayer" (Murray v. Curlett, 1963)
School prayer was the focus of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, a militant left wing atheist with close ties to the American Communist Party, when she filed a lawsuit against the school board of Baltimore. The local court judge, J. Gilbert Pendergast, dismissed the petition stating, "It is abundantly clear that petitioners' real objective is to drive every concept of religion out of the public school system." The case went to the Maryland Court of Appeals, and the court ruled, "Neither the First nor the Fourteenth Amendment was intended to stifle all rapport between religion and government."
The "School Prayer" case then made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Leonard Kerpelman addressed the court saying prayer in the public schools had been tolerated for so long that it had become traditional and that anything that is unconstitutional does not become constitutional through tradition. He went on to say the Constitution had erected a "wall of separation" between church and state, at which point Justice Potter Steward interrupted, asking where this wording appears. Kerpelman was stumped and an embarrassing silence followed. When he regained his composure, he stated that the text was not explicit on the point but that it had been interpreted to mean so.
Remarkably, the National Council of Churches and several Jewish organizations favored Madalyn O'Hair's case! Not a single Christian organization filed a brief in support of school prayer. The Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 in favor of abolishing school prayer and Bible reading in the public schools. Justice Tom Clark wrote, "Religious freedom, it has long been recognized that government must be neutral and, while protecting all, must prefer none and disparage none." The federal government considers atheism to be a religion, and this Supreme Court ruling favored atheism, at the expense of the Christian majority. "School Prayer & Bible Reading" (Abington Township School District v. Schempp, 1963)
The Pennsylvania school system complied with a state law requiring that ten verses of scripture be read every day. The readings were without comment and any student could request to be excused. This case came to the Supreme Court at the same time as the Murray v. Curlett case, and the court ruled on them together. In a nutshell, the court's ruling stated that School Prayer and Bible reading were violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In ironic fashion, the court established a secular religion for our school system, thus violating the "establishment clause" of the First Amendment
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If you as a parents bring up your children in your religious beliefs and with your moral compass, why is then so important to you that a goverment run institution mandate others to say a prayer?
Funny thing about Reagan iswas guided in his decsions with the help of what many of you consider a tool of Satan.
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If your kid were to bow his head and say a quick prayer at any time during the day, nothing will happen correct? Charlie P
This is correct..I had a girl yesterday bring an annointed prayer mat to my classroom so that others could pray..I did not stop here..My cassroom feels more like a private Christian school. Since I've opened the door ..my kids are always talking about Jesus..It's incredible..AND behavior has gone down incredibly..There i sno law against kids preaching , or praying .There is a law against teacherstryingto convert kids..or preaching. I share Christ daily but it is more in my actions than a 3 point sermon..I do mention Christ..Ex. a good paper.."Praise God! This is awesome Johnny.
or "Jesse , you know better than to do that.you know how Jesus wants you to act." Then Jesse says,"Yes sir." That I do all the time.Also,,during the many holidays there is opportunities to share..We also are studying Fables, Fairy tales and Proverbs..got a lot of Proverbs..
The First Amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people from religion; that amendment was written to protect religion from government tyranny..
I don't think Mr Reagan was right on that one.And I have been a conservative long before Mr Reagan came along. 59 years in fact.It was written to give power to states to keep certain religions out of their states,primarily in new England. Now you can look at that two different ways depending on your stomach for government interference.Me I have none.
Whole bunch of reads and no one has asnwered this one yet.
If you as a parents bring up your children in your religious beliefs and with your moral compass, why is then so important to you that a goverment run institution mandate others to say a prayer?
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You're only one post away from a federal watch list.
Whole bunch of reads and no one has asnwered this one yet.
If you as a parents bring up your children in your religious beliefs and with your moral compass, why is then so important to you that a goverment run institution mandate others to say a prayer?
I'll answer it. I think we can do an adequate job of raising our daughter in our faith without help from the school system or the government.
We do intend, though, to send her, (them?), to a Catholic school. I think folks who want their kids to be exposed to religion in school should send them to a religious school.
Just to be clear though, I am not opposed to prayer, Christmas carols, Christmas trees, etc. in schools either. I don't think it's harmful.
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Proud parents of our own "Daddy's Little Girls"
I heard Jesus He drank wine and I bet we'd get along just fine.
President Ronald Reagan and Prayer
Also,,during the many holidays there is opportunities to share..We also are studying Fables, Fairy tales and Proverbs..
got a lot of Proverbs..
