No Prayer in the Public Schools Essays -- Argumentative Persuasive Re

Over the past three decades, the issue of the role of prayer in the public school system has become increasingly controversial. The current contention juggles the opposing interpretations of the exact intentions of Americas Fo downstairss, who came from an other country, England, in pursuite of expanded freedoms. The first colonists in the 17th century especially desired apparitional freedom, because their former British government forced them all to learn and charge a centralized religion. Consequently, A mericas first legislators made certain that their religiously pluralistic race would not be the victim of government intervention in religious matters. Therefore, religious freedom was guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the Unite d States. The writers included as the very first sentence the words, Congress shall open no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . (Alley 13). This statement a lows Americans to freely express and practice or chose not to practice a religion. The two distinct terms of the religious freedom witness in the First Amendment to the Constitution became known as the Free custom Clause, which ensures religious expression, and the Establishment Clause, which protects citizens from state im posed religion. The two clauses are loosely interpreted as being contradictory to each other. For instance, a redress guaranteed to a particular group by one clause business leader directly violate the right of another group maintained by the other clause. Becau se of the conflicting religious expression clauses stated under the First Amendment, the role of prayer in public schools is controversial and must(prenominal) be interpreted in... ...Buffalo, unfermented York Prometheus Books, 1994. Barker, Dan. The Case Against School Prayer. Internet Infidels. Online. Internet. 21 October 2002. Available http//www.infidels.org/org/ffrf/issues/pray.h tml Farmer, Rod. The School Prayer Issue. Education 104 (1984) 248-49. Gaffney, Edward McGlynn. A Church in Texas. Commonweal 124 (April 25, 1997) 9-10. OConnor, Sandra. Forward the Establishment Clause and Endorsement of Religion. Journal of rightfulness and Religion 8 (1990) 1-4. Sikorski, Robert. Prayer in Public Schools and the Constitution 1961-1992. New York Garland Publishing Inc., 1993. Thomas, Oliver. Prayer and Speech. Finding Common Ground 12 (1996) 29 pars. Online. Internetr. 1 October 2002. Whitehead, John W. The Rights of Religious Persons in Public Education. Wheaton, Illinois product Books, 1994 33,49-50.