Public schools are supported by taxpayers" money. What skeptic would want his taxes to support an institute that requires his child to partake in prayer? What supporter would want his taxes to support an institute that prohibits his child from praying? Fortunately the First Amendment to the Constitution supports both believers and nonbelievers from such a situation by mandating government neutrality between belief and non-belief (ACLU 2). The government may not lead children in prayer or force them to pray a certain way. However all children have the right to pray voluntarily before, during or after school, and nonreligious children have the right not to pray at all.
Problems Facing Children.
Children should not be put through the awful experiences that will come from religious prayers in a classroom environment. When school prayer invades the classroom, it singles out the lone Jewish child, the class Baptist or Muslim, the children in minority, who do not follow the religion that the government mandates in the classroom environment. Children would not be able to have their own religious rights protected, but be forced to listen to prayers selected by the government or the particular version that it must be said in (F.F.R.F. 2). Children of many various religions would sit through hymns that are not of their own; however, most importantly the children who do not participate in the prayers would be singled out and mistreated by their own peers. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (F.F.R.F) speaks to tell the reasons why there should be no religious prayer in school:.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation says, when speaking of young students of minority religions, that, those in minority would be compelled to conform to a religion or ritual which they disbelieve, to suffer the humiliation and imposition of submitting to a daily religious exercise against there will, or be singled out by orthodox classmates and teachers as "heretics" or "sinners" for not participating (F.
