Prayer Controversy In Schools

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Prayer Controversy in Schools
Prayer controversy has been a big and a serious issue for the past few years. Prayer being
banned from schools and being prohibited has many Americans disappointed and many Christian
families upset and many kids feeling bullied or pointed out by it. Not only kids but also teachers,
Christian teachers and coaches. Coaches that have been very used to praying before any game
about to be performed. Francis Julius Bellamy was the one that was very known by people in the
1949-1954 because of the United States pledge, in specific because of the “under God” being
added. Madalyn Murray became the next person to be well known among people and also hated
because of prayer being banned. In 1962, the United States supreme court in the case Engel V.
Vitale struck down state mandated public school prayer which lead to a political block which
also came to be known as a “Christian right” that composes both a political movement and social
movement. It is a term that is characterized by strong support of socially conservative policies. A
few of the issues that can be included under this right can be: Homosexuality, pornography,
abortion, and of course school prayer. Bruce Dierenfield, a historian states that the prayer
controversy is significant for various reasons such as: Showing the power that protestants have
long held over American political and educational institutions, prayer represents an issue that
unlike most controversies in American history, the political system did not resolve quickly and
the controversy inaugurated a radical new jurisprudence where schools that had been founded to
in still religious truths were now to be inoculated from religious instruction and worship
altogether. The prayer that was in question was the one that reads as follows: “Almighty God, we
acknowledge our dependence upon thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our
teachers and our country. Amen.” The reason behind wanting to prohibit prayer is in accordance
with the establishment clause of the first amendment to the United States constitution.
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The establishment clause was written by congress man named Fisher Ames, it was
written in the year of 1789. It is a limitation placed upon the United States congress which
prevents it from passing legislation respecting an establishment of religion. What it does not do
though is that it does not prohibit the government’s entry into the religious domain to make
accommodations for religious practices in order to achieve the purposes of the free exercise
clause. Many people did not agree with this prayer because it was against their religious beliefs
and were offended by the words “almighty God” which lead to problems and lead to the Engel V.
Vitale case.
Madalyn Murray O’Hair was one of the persons that was against prayer in school and not
only prayer in school but also bible study. Madalyn did not agree with students reading their own
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