Putting Prayer Back In School

Putting Prayer Back In School

This petition calls for the reinstatement of prayer being put back in schools. On June 17th, 1963 school prayer was taken out of public schools and it is time for it to be reinstated. America have compromised with other countries for to long.

If someone comes and live with you they have to abide by your rules you set in your home (am I right.) not you going by their rules so why are we still compromising with others?

As the time ages so do the children and they are interested more in guns instead of praying for friends, family and the country in which we live. The number of school shootings that has occurred since February 1996 to November 2005 is very disturbing. On February 2, 1996, Barry Loukaltis age 14 fired upon his algebra class killing two classmates and one teacher in Moses Lake, Wash.

The shooting deaths of 16 children, one teacher and wounding 10 others before killing himself at Dunblane Primary School on March 13, 1996 in Dunblane, Scotland. A principal along with a student was killed was killed and two were wounded by Evan Ramsey, 16 on February 19, 1997. The little kindergarten girl, Kalya Roland her classmate also six shot a six year old to death on February 29, 2000.

These shootings had a huge impact on America, the most unsettling shootings that happened were the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo. on April 20, 1999. Two students, Eric Harris 18, and Dylan Klebold 17, killed 12 students, one teacher and wounding 23 others. After an hour-long killing spree they than killed themselves. Darrell Scot the farther of Rachel Scott one of the victims of Columbine High School give a moving speech at the House Judiciary sub-committee on May 27, 1999 that should have hit home with every politician, sociologist, psychologist, parent, teacher, and all professed experts pertaining to prayer in our schools. The reading of the transcript was a really emotional reading. If I were the President after this tragedy and reading of the transcript I would have order prayer back in school in a hurry. The most moving part of the whole speech is the poem he wrote:

Your laws ignore our deepest needs
Your words are empty air
You've stripped away our heritage
You've outlawed simple prayer
Now gunshots fill our classrooms
And precious children die
You seek for answers everywhere
And ask the question `Why?'
You regulate restrictive laws
Though legislative creed
And yet you fail to understand
That God is what we need (Scott, Darrell. May, 1999).

Since all the school shootings the people has ask the community to have more gun control, school counselors, and more government programs to reduce the youth violence. These proposals have failed to acknowledge the real cause is the absence of God from our public schools and our culture. If we adopt spiritual beliefs and not violent beliefs school violence will come to an end (Kendall, 2004).

Permitting the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools is another way to combat teen violence in our schools. By posting the Ten Commandments in schools could provoke a discussion among teachers and students about moral issues and self-discipline. (Teti, 2005)

There is a breakdown in the family in family and increase in sexually active children and teachers having sex with our children. In my day of going to school such a thing was unheard of. Children under the age of sixteen are having sex and babies which has gone up since my days of school and the girls was not so young having babies, I have saw one in all my years of school and that was when I was in senior high. The first case I ever heard of a teacher having sex with a student was when I heard about the well published affair between Mary Kay Letourneau then 34 and her student who was twelve at the time, Vili Fualaau. There needs to be a stand taken.

Children need to believe in something besides the sex and violence they see on TV as a standard of conduct. While prayer in school did not force anyone to believe in God, it certainly brought God to their attention. There at that time of a moment of silence, `reflection', meditation, prayer, whatever it may have been called it brought students, teachers, and staff in schools to acknowledge God. There is a distinct difference in the conduct of not only students but teachers as well. When there was prayer in schools you never heard of so many teachers being accused of sexual misconduct with students. To tell someone they cannot pray in groups is like telling people they cannot say what they want to. Everyone has the freedom of speech unless it is disrupting the class. The bottom line is no law can stop you from praying in school privately, at your desk, before a test, locker, or wherever you choose as it all can be done within. Also in saying, whenever and wherever God is there is a difference.

Daily Almanac. (March 16,2006).
"A Time Line of Recent Worldwide School Shootings."
Retrieved: March 16, 2006

"Restoring God to American
Culture Is the Only Way to Prevent School Violence".

Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press.
Scott, Darrell (May 27, 1999). Darrell Scott
Testimony. Retrieved: March 16, 2006 URL:Google.com
Wed site: http://wwww.ks-ra.org/darrellscott.htm

Teti, Dennis, (2005). "The Ten commandment Should Be
Posted in Public Schools" Education. Mary E.
Williams, Ed. Opposing Viewpoints Series. Green haven
Press