Prayer in the Classroom: A Bad Idea?
As I aimlessly browsed about my Facebook this afternoon, I couldn't help but notice a recurring topic listed upon many of my friends profiles. It read ; "I want to see how many people think prayer should be put back in public schools. if you agree repost as your status. GOD needs to be in everything we do." Refraining from becoming a conformist to popular agenda, I pondered whether or not prayer in public classrooms would truly be a good idea. First, make an accurate observation of the society we live in. Then take into consideration two key aspects of it that would pose a threat to the Christian definition of God and prayer; relativism and pluralism. Relativism would demand tolerance and thus would force the individual to forsake their moral and ethical absolutes. While Pluralism, in terms of religion, would command us to include all religions in the classroom and be given equal reverence. These two schools of thought are what incubate what is grown within the petri dish of our secular society. If we allow God and prayer in the public classroom, we in turn open the door for the evangelism of cults and opposing worldviews. Astonishingly prayer in public schools would be a detriment to the Christian worldview.
Before everybody picks up their pitchforks and torches, please do understand, that secularism in society isn't a bad thing. The idea of secularism is one of individuality. Which isn't a bad thing, in turn, it's essential! If we were to raise a society that was predominantly made up of Christians, the majority of which wouldn't even know whether or not they were truly saved! We know that salvation is an act of personal reception, of personal surrender, and of personal relationship. It is not something that we would choose to force upon anyone. In fact, the separation of church and state was enacted so that neither the government could interfere with the church and the church wouldn't corrupt itself by the powers of the government. Secularism stands as the protection of our freedom of religion. Without it, we have no freedom.
The byproduct of a secular society is then free thought. Free thought is not necessarily a detrimental issue, until it becomes radical by popular opinion. The issue that modern America faces is not secularism, but secularization. Secularization demands that a society move away from it's religious value and enter into an irreligious ethical standard. It condemns any religious mode of thought or morality in a social setting and replaces it with that of a materialistic or modernistic ideal. This is why prayer is no longer tolerable within our public schools. America, as a nation, has abandoned her freedoms and has allowed for a universal religion, secularization, to take over.
Relativism fuels the fire of what is socially and universally accepted. In today's society, cultural relativism forces the individual to abandon any absolute moral framework they may possess. Truth and any ethical standpoint then becomes relative to one's perspective. For example, given that prayer and God are reintroduced into the classroom, sin and judgment would not be. Condemning such things as fornication and homosexuality as sin would never be accepted. Paradoxically, tolerance thus becomes society's moral absolute.
Religious Pluralism in the classroom is dually as dangerous as it poses a real threat to orthodoxy. It states that God and truth are relative to an individuals worldview. As noted above, tolerance is the universal building block of which things are to be built upon. So if God and prayer, were introduced into the public arena, tolerance would command that the classroom equally represent all variations of Him in deity and design. For instance, children as a whole, would be led in prayer to the virgin Mary as well as to Allah, and one of three hundred and thirty million Hindu idols. Society is not a vacuum, and introducing God and prayer into the classroom, would result in it's transformation into a universalist congregation.
Upon the threshing floor of a secular society, it is the school of thought that becomes its final authority. Our aim should not be to infiltrate the society, but to influence the thinker who in turn becomes society. This is the essence of discipleship. It requires a personal effort to reach and then teach the individual. Please do not miss the points that I have presented. Secularism allows for religious freedom. Ironically, as an inevitable byproduct of freedom, we have been forced into tolerance by secularization. It is not that I believe a nation should not revere a Holy God, but it should be the grouping of individuals submitted to God which comprise the society. Allowing for prayer in the classroom not only forcefully evangelizes those who are unwilling to accept Christ, it also opens the door for other worldviews to evangelize our children. It should be our PRIORITY to pray with our children, their friends, and their families and to introduce them to the one and true God. Let us not assign this task to an organization that will do more harm than good to the cause of the great commission.
**Disclaimer: If prayer and God were uniform in public schools, there would be no such thing as private schools. Unfortunately, these are necessary as the issue lies within the hearts of men. There will always be rebellion and disbelief, thus advocating the secular society. It is my personal desire to see "God in everything I do", and so I will begin with me and make disciples... I know that opposing prayer in public schools sounds heretical, but Instead of growing weary swimming against the the current of society, I wish to anticipate the tide and conform the mission accordingly. Through Christ, I can, and will, change this world. One person at a time.
Before everybody picks up their pitchforks and torches, please do understand, that secularism in society isn't a bad thing. The idea of secularism is one of individuality. Which isn't a bad thing, in turn, it's essential! If we were to raise a society that was predominantly made up of Christians, the majority of which wouldn't even know whether or not they were truly saved! We know that salvation is an act of personal reception, of personal surrender, and of personal relationship. It is not something that we would choose to force upon anyone. In fact, the separation of church and state was enacted so that neither the government could interfere with the church and the church wouldn't corrupt itself by the powers of the government. Secularism stands as the protection of our freedom of religion. Without it, we have no freedom.
The byproduct of a secular society is then free thought. Free thought is not necessarily a detrimental issue, until it becomes radical by popular opinion. The issue that modern America faces is not secularism, but secularization. Secularization demands that a society move away from it's religious value and enter into an irreligious ethical standard. It condemns any religious mode of thought or morality in a social setting and replaces it with that of a materialistic or modernistic ideal. This is why prayer is no longer tolerable within our public schools. America, as a nation, has abandoned her freedoms and has allowed for a universal religion, secularization, to take over.
Relativism fuels the fire of what is socially and universally accepted. In today's society, cultural relativism forces the individual to abandon any absolute moral framework they may possess. Truth and any ethical standpoint then becomes relative to one's perspective. For example, given that prayer and God are reintroduced into the classroom, sin and judgment would not be. Condemning such things as fornication and homosexuality as sin would never be accepted. Paradoxically, tolerance thus becomes society's moral absolute.
Religious Pluralism in the classroom is dually as dangerous as it poses a real threat to orthodoxy. It states that God and truth are relative to an individuals worldview. As noted above, tolerance is the universal building block of which things are to be built upon. So if God and prayer, were introduced into the public arena, tolerance would command that the classroom equally represent all variations of Him in deity and design. For instance, children as a whole, would be led in prayer to the virgin Mary as well as to Allah, and one of three hundred and thirty million Hindu idols. Society is not a vacuum, and introducing God and prayer into the classroom, would result in it's transformation into a universalist congregation.
Upon the threshing floor of a secular society, it is the school of thought that becomes its final authority. Our aim should not be to infiltrate the society, but to influence the thinker who in turn becomes society. This is the essence of discipleship. It requires a personal effort to reach and then teach the individual. Please do not miss the points that I have presented. Secularism allows for religious freedom. Ironically, as an inevitable byproduct of freedom, we have been forced into tolerance by secularization. It is not that I believe a nation should not revere a Holy God, but it should be the grouping of individuals submitted to God which comprise the society. Allowing for prayer in the classroom not only forcefully evangelizes those who are unwilling to accept Christ, it also opens the door for other worldviews to evangelize our children. It should be our PRIORITY to pray with our children, their friends, and their families and to introduce them to the one and true God. Let us not assign this task to an organization that will do more harm than good to the cause of the great commission.
**Disclaimer: If prayer and God were uniform in public schools, there would be no such thing as private schools. Unfortunately, these are necessary as the issue lies within the hearts of men. There will always be rebellion and disbelief, thus advocating the secular society. It is my personal desire to see "God in everything I do", and so I will begin with me and make disciples... I know that opposing prayer in public schools sounds heretical, but Instead of growing weary swimming against the the current of society, I wish to anticipate the tide and conform the mission accordingly. Through Christ, I can, and will, change this world. One person at a time.
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