The United States of America was founded on the basis of freedom of religion, and it served as a land of refuge for those who were persecuted for their beliefs and religious practices. Even every government meeting was held with a prayer both before and after it. It is almost a certainty that America's founding fathers, with visions of free worship, ever imagined that this society would use its constitution to take God away from everyday lives. As time has passed, though, it is apparent that religious freedoms are being taken from American citizens, and some of people who are being affected are the children of the society. If the United States hopes to teach its children moral values and keep them safe, then having religion in public schools seems to be the answer. However, keeping religion in our public school system is getting more and more difficult.
On June 25, 1962, in the court case Engel v. Vitale, considered by many to be one of the most important cases in the history of the Supreme Court's church/state decisions, the Supreme Court ruled 7 to 1 that it was unconstitutional for a government agency like a school or government agents like public school employees to require students to recite prayers (about.com 1). This was the first case which effectively prohibited the government from sponsoring or endorsing official prayers in schools. Many people were outraged that prayer was no longer allowed in schools. Evangelist Billy Graham who still opposes the separation between church and state said, "This is another step toward the secularization of the United States. The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion." Many other Christians feel strongly about the subject.
Many Christians have written essays, prayers or poems about school prayer. They frequently contain assumptions about prayer in the public schools which conflict with actual legislation.
