A question about school prayer

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marciosmg said:

Jackson50 said:

marciosmg said:I hear about this issue a lot on american shows and movies, but I don't fully grasp it yet.

So, who can tell me what is it exactly? Or better yet, here's a question:

I know that a principal can't force his students to come to an auditorium and make them pray a specific prayer, but if a few students, using their free will, decide to use an empty room in school to pray, can they? If some players of the footbal team want to pray together before the match, can they?

Thanks in advance to whomever answers this.

School prayer is acceptable so long as it passes the "endorsement test" which is simply a section of the "lemon test." If the prayer in question appears to be endorsed by the school, then it violates the establishment clause. This was the case in "Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe." In SFISD v. Doe, the SC ruled that student led prayers before a football game violated the establishment clause because they were delivered over the school's public address system. If students desire to pray by themselves in a classroom or before a football game, that does not violate the establishment clause.

 

Thanks for the reply. Now, couldn't someone say that if students wanted to pray together in a classroom, that they are doing in the property of the school and that would be the school endorsing something religious?

So, where is the line drawn?

Like the case of the girl with the song Amazing grace. Is that too far?

 

"Lead prayers" is different from "pray by themselves", there is the line.