Prayer In School Essay Research Paper IntroductionThe

Prayer In School Essay, Research Paper

Introduction

The issue of separation between church and state has invoked great controversy in American society. When asked the question, should schools be allowed to start the day off with a prayer, seventy-two percent polled responded yes (The American National Election Study of 1980). Yet the Supreme Court has continually denied allowing prayer to seep into the public school system. The Supreme Court has repetitively ruled that the infiltration of religion, via prayer, in the public school system is contradictory to the principles this country represents and is in violation of the Establishment Clause located within the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Amidst this controversy two succinct theories have become prevalent, accommodationists and separationists. Accommodationists feel that religion is part of our political, historical and cultural heritage. And thus, prayer in school is in harmony with the values this country represents, hence the name accommodationists, who construe (accommodate) the First Amendment to allow prayer in school. Separationists, on the other hand, believe that there is no law respecting the mixture of religion. Separationists feel that there is a clear wall of separation between church and state. This paper will elaborate upon both theories, eventually proving the separationists correct and further discuss the Supreme Court decisions concerning prayer in school.

Critiquing Establishment Clause

The debate over the Establishment Clause must begin by looking at how the Establishment Clause is worded in the constitution. In the First Amendment of the United States Constitution it reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Because of the numerous revisions before an acceptable Establishment Clause phrase was agreed upon it is safe to assume that the framers were very specific as to how they wanted this Clause worded. First, the accommodationist theory (that will be discussed later on) that the framers merely meant the connotations of this Clause to prevent an established national religion is incorrect. If the framers had meant for this it seems logical that it would have been worded, no law respecting an establishment of a church. It seems doubtful that the framers meant for religion and church to be used synonymously (Lardner 1951, p. 112). Thus, it is safe to say that the framers meant for the Establishment Clause to mean more than merely the prevention of an establishment of a national religion.

Intentions of the Framers

If it is then agreed upon that the framers were specific in choosing the word religion what are the connotations. Since it is decided that the framers meant much than just prohibiting the establishment of a national religion the next question to answer is how far did the framers intend this prohibition to go in society. By looking at the attitudes of the framers during the time of the writing of the constitution this question can be answered with a certain amount of confidence. During the period of the writing of the constitution religious reform was starting to take place. The ecclesiastical domination meant to control the lower classes was starting to lose its power. The belief that the message of God was in the hands of the elite was starting to lose form and religious individuality was on the rise. Individuals started to believe that they could receive the message of God without an intermediary.

Among the early Deistic thinkers included Jefferson, Franklin and John Adams, all who had a significant impact on the writing of the constitution. As well, Washington and Adams, who were not deistic, were classified as free-thinkers, men who entertained a more than average degree of skepticism on such matters as the divinity of Christ and the Bible as the revelation of God s word. (Lardner, p. 113) What does this mean. That if many of the framers believed in individual, religious liberty then the Establishment Clause, written by the framers, was meant to include the separation of prayer with school. The school system in today s society is vastly different then the educational system in place during that time, but by knowing that many of the framers believed in religious freedom it can be assumed that they would have frowned upon the idea of a prayer been forced upon a student who did not want it.

Knowing the intentions of the framers and the implied meaning behind the Establishment Clause this paper will next discuss the two theories in interpreting the Establishment Clause.

Accommodationists

To understand the accommodationist perspective it is necessary to look at the culture that this society lives in. When looking at the front side of a coin the words, In God We Trust appears. On the back of a bill the eye of God hovers above the pyramid. When secondary children around the country pledge allegiance to the flag they say, under God. During Christmas season the white house puts up a Christmas tree. If there was meant to be a strict wall of separation between church and state how can In God We Trust appear on currency. How can the white house, one of the most recognizable symbols of this government support a Christmas tree. To an accommodationist, the answer is simple, religion has been apart of this culture, religion is a part of this culture and religion will