Praying It Forward

Praying It Forward in Schools

Prayer is such a powerful tool. Prayer can bring a nation in need closer together or it can tear a nation apart by debating over its use as such is our case in America. Secular Humanists, argue that prayer in school is a bad idea because it can be viewed as coercive and invasive. Religion is private, and schools are public, so the only appropriate situation is that these two do not mix. I believe differently. Prayer is a form of individual expression and forms a personal relationship with God. It becomes evasive when self-imposed on others. Prayers carry the message about God’s love for his children and the faithful believers. Everyone should have freedom of religion. It is our constitutional right. Despite what the Supreme Court’s ban on school-sponsored prayers, here are reasons why prayer is still needed in school.

Prayer in school can influence a child’s behavior. It can teach them to be more respectful of faculty and others. There is so much hatred and violence transpiring within our school system and the recent proof of shootings occurring all over America can be evidence or testimony as to why such tragedies are occurring. Following a Tuesday's shooting at an, Oregon high school, many media outlets, including CNN, reported that there have been 74 school shootings in the past 18 months. The reason for such tragedies within our schools is because we took God out of school. If Columbine wasn’t enough, if Virginia Tech was not enough, can the Newtown school shooting finally be enough? If not, when is enough enough? If a child is taught about God in school then the child has a better chance of having good morals and would not want to be violent toward others. If the child grew up in violence, they will display violence.

Secondly, prayer laid a foundation for good decision making skills. It is my belief that praying makes you feel positive internally. It creates a moral compass for children. How does a child know...