Weekly Poll: Should Schools Have a Moment of Silence?
Courts have firmly established that public schools cannot mandate or even recommend that students pray. In place of prayer, some try to have schools enforce a "moment of silence" at the beginning of the day. Is this just a way to get around official prayers and should it be banned? It certainly seems like a dishonest way of introducing prayer. Sometimes the language of the law explicitly mentions prayer as something for students to do during their quiet time. Sometimes prayer is referred to repeatedly in discussion among legislators while they are working on the law.
And, sometimes, it's simply the case that the biggest supporters of this law are also the ones who keep trying to push school prayer itself. How fair is this, though? The mere fact that a supporter of school prayer ends up supporting a moment of silence doesn't mean that the moment of silence is necessarily or automatically as wrong as school prayer. Still, it's hard to shake the impression that a moment of silence is only being supported because it's perceived and treated as a way around court rulings that strike down school prayer time. Why else are these same people pushing it so hard?
Comments
“Courts have firmly established that public schools cannot mandate or even recommend that students pray.”
And anyone being honest about the situation knows that a moment of silence is nothing more than the school recommending that you pray.
Like the bumper sticker says, “What our schools really need is a moment of science.”
I believe that a moment of silence, however motivated by the religious, is fundamentally inclusive and fair. Anyone of any religious denomination, and anyone who is non-theistic can equally find a “space” within a moment of silence to dwell on whatever they wish. Because there is no directive as to what the silence means, or what people should be doing during that time, they can use it to daydream or to pray as they wish. Parents could encourage their kids to use the time in whatever way they want, or they could give them ideas for how to use it (for example, atheistic parents who want to teach their children concern for those less fortunate could encourage them to use it to reflect on that).
I’ve long been of the opinion that the “moment of silence” is a good middle-ground for public or government ceremonies (such as Remembrance Day) and even mixed-guest funerals and so forth, because it gives everyone room to approach things in their own way.
It may be tempting to go against the moment of silence just because religious people are pushing for it, but really - it seems a fair compromise, and it really is only a “moment”.
Normally, I find this sort of thing despicable (replacing something Christian with something “Secular” that underneath is still Christian), but for some reason I appreciate moments of silence. I stand, with my eyes open, and I think and ponder over the situation at hand. I find it much more respectful, and people that want to pray can pray. I much prefer that to outright “moments of prayer.”
I never minded the “moment of silence” in my (New York) schools as I was growing up. I am reminded by a letter in our newspaper from a public school teacher who liked it for the simple reason that he knew “all the kids would be quiet for a few seconds each day”.
I don’t think it is insulting or intrusive to simply ask all the kids in the school to just “shut up” for a few seconds as long as that is the extent of the request.
I don’t see any problem with a MoS, even if it is a way to allow kids a moment to pray. I always used to take moments of quiet myself just before tests to concentrate and become more focused; it had nothing to do with religion. The MoS is nothing compared to the coerced recitation of “Under God” daily. In fact, I’d happily take a school mentioning that the MoS was for prayer “if you want to” if we struck UG from the Pledge.
Can we all be real here, please, and call this what it is? This is how our constitutional rights have eroded, one “just a moment” at a time. This is how personal freedom and separation of church and state have eroded. It always seems innocuous in tiny increments, but ANY erosion is just that, erosion! Fundamentalists DON”T compromise, why should you? Keep your eyes wide open!
Not all slopes are slippery, Marc.
i’m cool with a MoS.
At school it would be a good time to check out the quater back’s girlfriend w/o getting beat up.
“Can we all be real here, please, and call this what it is? This is how our constitutional rights have eroded, one ‘just a moment’ at a time. This is how personal freedom and separation of church and state have eroded.”
Since you’re not being forced or even advised to pray, I don’t see how it errodes your constitutional rights or personal freedom or the seperation of church and state.
“Fundamentalists DON”T compromise, why should you?”
Why should we try to be more like fundamentalists? I think they’re a great example of what NOT to be like. Unfortunately, you’re emulating their obnoxious self-righteousness and condecension towards those who disagree.
“And anyone being honest about the situation knows that a moment of silence is nothing more than the school recommending that you pray.”
This idea that anyone who disagrees with you just isn’t “being honest about the situation” is a serious accusation. Can you support it with facts?
I’m a athiest and I do not have any problem with a moment of silence. A moment of silence can be anything you want like a moment of reflection. Besides no one is saying anything at all during a moment of silence, so therefore no one is enforcing god on students against there will. In highschool, whenever we had a moment of silence for a deceased student, I just used it as a moment to reflect on that student’s memory without any refernce to god or prayer.
I too do not have a problem with a moment of silence. Only, when I was in school, my teacher had a different name for it. It was: SHUT UP!!!
i think if a student wants to pray, they should show up 2 minutes early and they can sit in their seat and pray before the school day begins.