1. Do you feel prayer should be allowed back in schools?
It was never forbidden, and I'm SURE lots of prayers are offered up to God as test papers are handed out. What was disallowed was STATE prepared public prayer lead by STATE employees (students may still lead prayer, it's often done by sports teams and in Christian clubs).
I support the change. It's not the secular state's role to teach about God or to teach theology. If I were a parent (and I'm not - yet anyway), I would not want the DMV or Hilary Clinton teaching their "religion" to my kids. I'll do that, thank you very much.
2. How do you feel the school system has progressed without prayer in schools?
Public elementary schools in the USA do poorly.... in spite of massage spending (it's NOT a money problem). My wife teaches second grade in a public school and I've learned powerfully where the "problem" lies - not with teachers (although there are some bad ones), not with administration (although it's far too "top heavy" and way too much regulation), certainly not with money (the USA is near the top in education spending). It's parents. It use to be our American culture almost universally valued education and took an active role in the education process. That's still true among SOME aspects of our very diverse society (people of Asian heritage, for example) but is severely lacking in some others. Kids aren't getting support or encouragement.... too many families just don't care, and yes (not to be racist) it IS very cultural. A distant second is language. In California, a large percentage of students are either non-English speaking or weak English speakers. Public education has at times done well and at times poorly in addressing this, but truth is - a lot of these kids never do catch up. In the school my wife teaches in, the non-hispanic students actually score above the national average, but the Hispanic kids (some are second language) score far below so the whole school looks pretty bad on paper. That issue alone (in addition to the cultural one that impacts most schools) impacts public education in the USA. Some of this is just unavoidable; in some school distrincts in California, MOST of the students are Spanish speakers primarily (and perhaps their parents exclusively). My wife speaks Spanish - which helps her (including with parents) but there is only one other teacher at her school that is.
3. What are your thoughts on the increase of violent crimes since the removal of prayer in schools?
Both are the result of cultural issues. But these two issues are not in a cause/effect relationship. Religion (not just prayer in school) has been in decline as violance has been in increase.
4.What impact do you think placing prayer back into schools would do?
What LITTLE religious up-bringing that the FEW Christian parents do will decrease even more. Liberal, Democrat - Appointed Judges will teach religion to our kids - probably Agnosticism.
5. In maintaining an equal playing field with prayer back in schools, would there be any restrictions on prayer?
Of course. Liberals, Democrats, Atheists will DEMAND that the prayer not be Christian (and maybe not even theistic) and be equally "tolerant" toward Atheists, Hindus, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Agnostics. "We thank what cannot be mentioned for what cannot be mentioned and cannot mention that the cannot be mentioned do we can't say." Not sure that accomplishes much.
6. How could prayer back in schools be a negative effect?
Yes. Paganism/Agnosticism/Atheism will be taught as the Secular State strives to teach something tolerant of all beliefs/faiths/thoughts and that will be favored by liberal judges and politicians.
Parents will be even MORE inactive in teaching faith to their children. Handing what little they do to the secular, agnostic, liberal State as it develops a pagan secular religion to promote.
- Josiah
