Religion In Public Schools
In the past Religion was confined to the state now with religious
freedom everything has changed or at least started to change. In order for
religion to be in a private school now it is again trying to be in Public
schools. People ask "why can't freedom to acknowledge god be enjoyed again
by children in every schoolroom across this land?" In the past, a long time
ago children always prayed before class started and before lunch. But
things h ave changed, "in 1791 the separation of church and state" started.
Although it was made clear about the separation of the two "as late as 1951
some twenty states permitted schools to begin the day by reading aloud a
passage of the bible." Bu t that had to stop. People didn't have the same
beliefs when it comes to religion, if a family absent even believe in god
why should their child be forced to pray? On many different occasions
questions similar to this one were brought up and complained about. That
is what started it all real big.
When complaining, arguing and fighting all started over the silent
moment. In 1978 a few lawyers got together and considered a constitutional
law. The original law said that public school teachers in gr ades 1-6
"shall announce that a period of silence, not to exceed one minute, shall
be observed for meditation." This law did not work for long, because it
still allowed oral prayer in public high schools. Later in 1981, the
Alabama State Senator D onald G. Holmes successfully passed a bill that
included all grades calling it "the moment of silence" this law said that
"the teacher (was) to announce that the silent momen ...