From: tas@pegasus.com (Len Howard)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Prayer and Religious Activities in the Public Schools
Keywords: religious activities in the Public Schools
Date: 8 Apr 92 23:33:57 GMT
Followup-To: talk.religion.misc
Distribution: na
Organization: Pegasus,  Honolulu

My, we do get onto some interesting projections, don't we.  I wrote a
post suggesting some ideas to be used in a paper on Prayer and
Religious Activities in the Public School for a young person to use in
writing an English paper, and all of a sudden I am held to be
expousing manditory prayer in the Public School.

I will make my stance on the whole matter public, and you can comment
on the WHOLE person, not just suggestions for a paper for an English
Class.

1.  I am NOT in favor of any form of mandate in any form of religion.
Religion is a personal thing, and each of us may decide in what way we
will worship.  Free Will is extant, and the core of most theology.

2.  I DO think we are going overboard by forbidding ANY form of
religious expression in the schools, as that gives the student the
idea that there is something WRONG about religion, and implants an
anti-religiou bias in our students. 

3.  I think ALL religions should celbrate in schools.  Any commorative
holiday in any religion that would like to put on some kind of program
in the school is, IMO, beneficial.  I would LOVE my kids to be exposed
to religions other than Christianity.  And if there is a Druid, or
Pagan, or Satanist holiday that people wish to present, then present
it.  Attendance at ANY of these presentations should be voluntary for
all.

4.  Christians are in this world but not of it.  Each day we must deal
with our fellow humans in our job, social events or casual encounters.
It is silly to think we can go thru life without running into Pagans,
Satanists, or other forms of religious beliefs.  We should be educated
about other forms of belief.  Our children are not going to be in some
way contaminated by hearing about another form of religious
expression.  After all, we have them at home every day as they grow
up, and if I cannot indoctrinate my own child in my religious beliefs,
then I certainly have not paid attention to this.  I don't expect
children to be taught religion at school.  BUT, I also do not expect
children to be taught that there is something WRONG with believing in
God, or practicing your religion either.  And by prohibiting ANY
expression of religion, that is the bias that is taught.

5.  Religion is a part of our daily life, not just something we do on
Saturday or Sunday.  Prayer is a 24 hour a day function, not a
pro-forma ritual that is led in fixed form at a certain time every
day.  I believe we "pray in the closet" and do NOT make a public
spectacle when we pray.  But I see nothing amiss with having joyous
epressions of praise to God, with music and celebration in the public
school.  My own opinion is that our country would be better off if
more people paid more attention to their relgion, but it is not
something that should be mandated.

I hope I have made my stance perfectly clear, as one person so often
put it a couple of decades ago  \\ * //

And the next time I contribute ideas to a young person for an English
paper or a debate I will CLEARLY LABEL them as "DANGEROUS IDEAS,
INTENDED TO PROVOKE DISCUSSIONS!!" so they will not be construed as a
position paper.

Shalom,                                 Len Howard
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc