Prayer And Public Schools
(Editor's note: For some weeks we have planned to write something anent the recent decision of the Supreme Court concerning a prescribed prayer in the state schools of New York. Brother Lovett, in the August issue of The Preceptor, has said what we felt should be said and has said it well. We publish herewith his editorial.)
Nationwide violent adverse reaction have followed in the wake of the recent ruling of the Supreme Court concerning prayer in public schools. The High Court has been charged with about everything from ruling God out of the schools to striking the first blow in the complete destruction of the nation.
This ruling challenges a long and respected custom of religious exercise thought to be beneficial both to teachers and students as well as the cause of religion. Both good and harm to the participants as well as to the advancement of true religion has been done through the years. It depends entirely upon the person in whose hands the exercise was performed. Without controversy a room full of eager and plastic minds with unlimited confidence in the teacher provides a very advantageous circumstance in which to propagate religion. This was the reason for its utilization in the first place. Through the years both Christians and denominationalists have accepted and approved because we have thought it was to our advantage.
If the whole constituency were Christians or recognized the divine authority of the Bible, possibly, a program of religious exercises based solely upon the Bible could be worked out that would be acceptable by all. But unfortunately, the present divided state of religion forbids such a thing. Not only is there a severe lack of unity among professed friends of the bible, but the anti-religious and heathen have citizen rights in the schools as well.
Had the anti-religious or even Roman Catholicism been able to thus disseminate their propaganda generally through the public school devotionals, long before now there would have arisen a great hue and cry. But should one religious group be favored over others in this way by a governmental agency? The Constitution indicates otherwise.
It is this writer's view the recent Court decision has greatly strengthened the historic position of the separation of church and state of this nation. The determined attempts of Romanism as well as other religious entities to get their hands into tax coffers to support their parochial schools will be measurably hindered if the decision stands. The single advantage of maintaining separation of church and state far outweighs the uncertain measure of good that now accrues to the cause of true religion by class room devotionals.
We do not hold that God, by the Court's decision, has been ruled out of the classrooms any more than he is ruled out of other governmental agencies because governmental prayer is not prescribed for them. Because local Post Offices do not raise their windows with a prescribed prayer or the Agriculture Department (and it is apparently in serious need of such) does not begin its day with an imposed prayer, we have never felt this represents an attempt to rule God out of those departments.
The recent decision declared unconstitutional only the practice of a New York State school board to prescribe and impose upon class rooms in the public schools a prayer of the board's own devising. (However, there are many implications from this action otherwise.) No governmental agency has the right to prescribe and enforce religion of any kind for any one. Suppose the prayer had been addressed, to "Allah" or had been offered through Mary?
The ruling denies no one the right to pray anywhere and anytime he desires.
We agree (as we so seldom can) with President Kennedy in that this ruling should stimulate us all to more prayer both individually, privately, and in the church.