Prayer and Religion in School Essay - 1055 Words

Religion and prayer can benefit students in educational settings by positively contributing to better grades and behavior. Personal faith and prayer are important to people in many walks of life. Some individuals believe that this need for religious stimulation includes the youth in our school systems. There are different reasons why knowledge of religion and prayer can be important to students. For example, if students do not know about diverse faiths, it can be difficult for them to have a well-rounded knowledge and understanding of other cultures. There are oppositional sides to this issue as well. Some people believe that prayer in educational settings could be used as a way to persuade students into believing certain things that they†¦show more content†¦Some teachers may have a personal bias against certain faiths or religion in general. These problems can be dealt with. According to this article, â€Å"To address the challenge of teaching about religion without pros elytizing, we must explore the assumptions and causes underlying each set of factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Passe, J., Willox, L. 2009). We should ask ourselves what lies beneath the problems of teaching religion. We should look to see if prejudice and impartiality are factors motivating against religious teachings. Achieving high grades and doing well in school has previously been attributed to knowledge of Biblical learning. In his article â€Å"The relationship between Biblical literacy, academic achievement, and school behavior†¦,† William Jeynes talks about how a study was completed by 160 students who were grades 7th through 12th. The student’s Biblical knowledge was tested. The end results proved to be that the students with the highest level of Biblical knowledge also had the highest grade point averages and portrayed the best behavior of students from both public and Christian schools (p. 102-106). Learning courses specializing in religion can foster open-mindedness, cultural appreciation and improve behavior among students. Students may be more apt to accept differences in people around them, and portray a positive attitude when they have access to learning about diverse religions. In the article â€Å"How teaching world religionsShow MoreRelated No Religion or School Prayer in Public Schools Essay3018 Words   |  13 PagesConstitution was adopted, the separation of church and state issue focused on preventing a government mandated religion (Davis 245). The framers of the Constitution knew first hand the harmful consequences of a government that has complete control over religion. 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The issue of school prayer began in the late sixteenth century when people in England did not approve of the way one religion was forced upon them, so the Puritans, known as the Pilgrims decided to come to the colonies. Even in the colonies theRead MoreThe Argument Of The First Amendment878 Words   |  4 Pagesfreedoms such as freedom of religion, freedom of the press, free expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly (Michigan State University)†. So with the first amendment preventing against government intrusions on religion could a football coach at a public high school lead the players in prayer before a game? Well the answer is no, it is against the law for schools to sponsor or endorse speech. Therefore a coach is not allowed to engage in a ny activity that the school itself is forbidden from