Will morning announcements over the loudspeakers at Texas public schools include a student’s prayer next school year? Will some deity be invoked by a student at the start of every football game? Or during a student’s speech at graduation?
Maybe.
A bill passed last week by the Texas Legislature and now on Gov. Rick Perry’s desk would define all of those events ”“ and other public-school assemblies at which a student speaks ”“ as venues explicitly open to the expression of a student’s religious viewpoints.
Supporters say the bill protects the rights of all students who choose to talk about their faith. Opponents say it may unfairly privilege the religion held by the majority of students or permit hate speech in the name of religion.
Supporters and opponents of the bill assume that Mr. Perry will sign it into law. Representatives for several North Texas school districts said that this would be one of many new laws that apply to public schools and that they haven’t figured out how to implement it.
If the bill becomes law, local school districts would have until Sept. 1 to approve a policy that meets the guidelines.
Supporters say the bill merely codifies case law from several Supreme Court rulings.
“This bill protects every religious viewpoint,” said Kelly Coghlan, a Houston lawyer who crafted the bill and whose professional Web site is www.christianattorney .com. “I was just trying to take my cues from the Supreme Court justices.”
I think they should read from the sixth chapter of Matthew.
Having made a presentation on Religion and the Public Schools to two Baptist youth groups, I’m somewhat familiar with the context of this bill. It is likely to be challenged on certain aspects, but even if a court strikes them down for going beyond case law, other provisions are likely to pass the test. A judge will also look at the intent of the law: is it for the benign purpose the supporters claim, or is this a foot-in-the-door for other religious purposes? I hope it passes the test.
There are so many ways in which students may freely express religious views, and be exposed in the classroom to religiously neutral instruction about religion. The public needs to learn more about them and support their schools in permitting them.
Having grown up in Texas schools when the morning announcements included a devotional with bible reading and prayer, let me assure non-Christians that their kids are safe. The vast majority of public religion in the schools when I was a child was generic pablum of definitely limited spiritual value. Possibly a generation of rejection has sharpened the evangelical edge on prayers at school events, but I sort of doubt it.
Arguments over school prayer, it seems to me, are surrogates for larger issues of power and control. Various groups are intent on using the schools for their agenda – Christian or anti-Christian in this case, but really for anything. One of Texas most conservative state senators sponsored a bill to have the schools monitor weight and fight obesity. That’s a GOOD thing, of course which I would NEVER argue against. But I pay a lot of school taxes (anti-obesity programs aren’t cheap, you know), and wouldn’t mind more effective READING programs. Wouldn’t it be nice if all kids came out of high school knowing the presidents of the United States, something about World War II, something about the Civil War (besides the slavery issue).
Argue the matter of school prayer all you want. There has certainly been some instances of oppression of Christians that need redress. But at the end of the day, evangelism is a matter of friends sharing Christ with friends. Public, corporate prayer is certainly not a bad thing, but I fear we load it up with more power and spiritual importance than it really has. And consider this: would you, evangelical parent, want an Episcopalian minister saying the prayers? 😉
Another point of view:
If you lived in Utah, would you like your children to be exposed to daily readings from the “Pearl of Great Price”, Mormon led prayers, and a word for the day from “the prophet”?
Or in San Francisco — readings from the Bhagavad Gita? or the daily quote from the Maharisi of the day?