Posted on 02/14/2011 12:04:23 PM PST by wmfights
Sixty five percent of American adults favor prayer in public schools, according to a new survey.
And only 24 percent of U.S. adults say they are opposed to prayer in schools, finds the Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday.
The national telephone survey conducted on 1,000 adults from Feb. 3 to 4 simply asked, “Do you favor or oppose prayer in public schools?”
Compared to last year’s findings, this year’s prayer in public school survey results are slightly higher. Last April, 61 percent of Americans said they favor prayer in public schools.
About the same proportion of Americans who say they pray at least once every day (61 percent) support prayer in public schools (65 percent).
But less American adults this year say religious faith is at least somewhat important in their daily life compared to last year (73 percent versus 80 percent, respectively). The new survey finds 54 percent of Americans say religious faith is very important in their lives, while 23 percent say faith is not very or not at all important in their everyday lives.
The issue of prayer in public schools has long been a point of contention for separation of church and state activists.
But despite activists’ efforts, every year millions of students gather at their schools’ flagpoles to pray. In 2010, more than 3 million students participated in the “See You At the Pole” grassroots prayer movement that allows students to intercede for their leaders, schools , and families.
This year, SYATP will take place on Sept. 28.
Polls on Free Republic are considered junk so I don’t know what to say about this poll. I was able to say prayers everyday at school....in fact the entire class did. It is called Catholic School....I went for 13 years and never was told not to pray. People have the option to send their children to Catholic School or Private School. It is called choices. I am sorry that the latest TV might be out of the question because of tuition but you sacrifice for your family and principles.
Be careful what you wish for. Do you have any idea how many schools in this country would be insisting on offering islamic, hindi and other pagan prayers?
At best the Christians would get a sprinkle of prayer in the morning and the rest of the day the government would establish the government religion of godless secularism. Oh wow! Why am I **not** impressed. ( sigh)
At the very best the government schools would be offering up a generic and lukewarm minute or two of prayer. We know what Christ does with the lukewarm. He spits them out of His mouth!
Solution: Begin the process of privatizing all K-12 education. Work to get our children into private conservative schools that thoroughly and completely integrate Judeo Christian belief and our nation's founding principles into every minute of the child's school day.
The democrats will NEVER allow prayer in the Government schools.
If people learn to depend on God the politicians lose power.
Government wants everyone dependent on them.
I’m kinda with you on this one. That any middle class American would send his or her children to a public school with the expectation that the government would inculcate Christian values into them is puzzling.
That’s fine, I’m not opposed to students gathering privately in public schools to pray during their free time. What I am against is schools forcing students to sit through prayers. Churches and private gatherings are for prayers. Public schools should not be places of government-organized worship.
People have the option to send their children to Catholic School or Private School. It is called choices.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
They have the option to **RANSOM** their children. They have the option ( still) to pay JIZYA.
All citizens are required ( under the threat of armed police action) to support government schools that **ESTABLISH** the godless government religion of secular humanism.
All parents are under police threat to send their children into the government temples of godlessness ( misnamed “schools”). If they can not afford JIZYA or RANSOM their children **WILL** be taught the government godless religion of secular humanism in the government godless temples ( misnamed “schools”).
All government schools in this nation are a First Amendment and freedom of conscience abomination!
What I am against is schools forcing students to sit through prayers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Then you should be equally outraged that government schools teach everything through the lens of a godless worldview. They teach ( in fact, FORCE) children to think godlessly. At best children are FORCED to compartmentalize their faith.
Government schools **establish** the godless religion of secular humanism. ALL of them do this ( the good, the bad, and the ugly!).
There is only one solution!
We must begin the process of privatizing all K-12 education.
ALL government schools in this nation are a religious First Amendment and freedom of conscience ABOMINATION!
I forgot about homeschooling too. I have three folks in my office that homeschool their children. I know a few years ago you and I got into it about homeschooling, but I now have a different outlook on it. I have watched them with the kids and also they are so well behaved. I support homeschooling 100 percent today.....In fact, I owe you a huge apology for years of my BS towards your supporting Homeschooling. I am sorry!!!!
too bad, becaus the getting porn and condoms
Government schools never were, are not now, and NEVER can be religiously neutral. Why?
Answer: Because it is IMPOSSIBLE to have a religiously neutral education! It is axiomatic.
At the moment all government schools in this nation are establishing the religion of godless secular humanism. ALL government schools in this nation teach ( FORCE) children to think godlessly.
They already allow Islamic-only prayers in some schools.
.....In fact, I owe you a huge apology for years of my BS towards your supporting Homeschooling. I am sorry!!!!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Well! Thank you! Seriously, you have made my whole day! :-)
Wintertime
I am glad, but I am serious about how horrible I feel about it.
Public schools are not supposed to teach any kind of theism. That is for parents and religious organizations. Put your kids in a private school then, but don’t start religion in public schools.
I never needed any government ruling telling me whether or not I could pray in school.
Like any other kid, come finals time, I quietly prayed that I would pass the damn exam.
From the very first minute a child walks into a government school he begins his dependence on government. Government schools are fundamentally collectivism and socialism.
The child learn (merely by attending) that government has the police power to FORCE his neighbor to pay for a service the his parents want for tuition=free. They learn that the voting mob comrade committees ( school boards) can control their very thoughts.
Well!... If government and comrade people's committees can force a neighbor to pay for tuition-free schooling, why not thousands of other socialist goods and services?
Woodrow Wilson, the IRS, the federal reserve, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal, the Great Society, Carter, Clinton, and Obama were not accidents. GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS MADE THEM INEVITABLE!!!
Government schooling definitely teaches children two things:
** how to think godlessly
** to be comfortable with collectivist socialism.
- The words "separation of church and state" do not appear in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.
- The 1st Amendment says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." {emphasis added}
- It wasn't until the early 1960's that prayer in public school was "outlawed" by a new interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
- The history of the U.S. includes prayer and Bible readings in all sorts of public places, including schools and Congress.
- In 1782, the United States Congress passed the following resolution: "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools."
William Holmes McGuffey, the author of the McGuffey Reader (used ofr over 100 years in U.S. public schools), declared: "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology."
- Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636.
- In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the Scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, (John 17:3); and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him (Proverbs 2:3)."
{Excerpts from AllAboutPopularIssues.org}
So?...It is Ok then for government to FORCE children to think godlessly? It is OK for government to FORCE childrern to compartmentalize their faith? Huh?
How can THAT be religiously neutral??? Huh?
Answer: It isn't!
It is axiomatic! A religiously neutral education is impossible. NO government school in this nation is religiously neutral. ALL government schools teach children to think godlessly. ALL government schools establish the atheistic religion of secular humanism.
And...Unlucky taxpayers get to pay for these government temples of godless worship ( misnamed “schools”).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.