School Prayer
I was reading some blogs and a friend of mine was talking about school prayer. It got me thinking. Here are my thoughts.
Last year I had to write a research paper of school prayer (you can read it here). I had always assumed though, that all prayer was banned from schools. That's not the case. Manidated prayers, prayers people were forced to say, were banned. Not prayer in general.
But this got me thinking though. When we, as christians, say that we want prayer in school, are we saying we want prayer in general or just christian prayers to be allowed?
I say prayer in general.
I may not like it but if I want the right to pray to my God, then I must respect my Hindu friend's right to pray to her gods. I had never thought of it like that.
We as christians demand the right for us to pray, yet we condem other prayers. That's not love. To me, that's oppression.
You see, for me, it's all about choice. In John 3:16 it says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
It says whoever (or whosoever). It didn't say, "Allen Arrington will believe in me and have eternal life." I had to make that choice. Here's the kicker though... God loves everyone. Even those who do not choose him. I am supposed to be like God, so therefore I must love everyone even if I do not agree with their choices.
It's not tolerance I'm talking about, it's love.
So next time you get in a tizzy over school prayer, I just want you to think. Are you campeigning for prayer or christian prayer.
So when my friend is talking about, "why can we not pray over the loud speaker?" that's why. We can't expect the right for us, and not expect the right for them.
That's why I am personally against a planned public school prayer. But I am all for praying at school, whether it's on your own or in a group.
Pray on!
Last year I had to write a research paper of school prayer (you can read it here). I had always assumed though, that all prayer was banned from schools. That's not the case. Manidated prayers, prayers people were forced to say, were banned. Not prayer in general.
But this got me thinking though. When we, as christians, say that we want prayer in school, are we saying we want prayer in general or just christian prayers to be allowed?
I say prayer in general.
I may not like it but if I want the right to pray to my God, then I must respect my Hindu friend's right to pray to her gods. I had never thought of it like that.
We as christians demand the right for us to pray, yet we condem other prayers. That's not love. To me, that's oppression.
You see, for me, it's all about choice. In John 3:16 it says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
It says whoever (or whosoever). It didn't say, "Allen Arrington will believe in me and have eternal life." I had to make that choice. Here's the kicker though... God loves everyone. Even those who do not choose him. I am supposed to be like God, so therefore I must love everyone even if I do not agree with their choices.
It's not tolerance I'm talking about, it's love.
So next time you get in a tizzy over school prayer, I just want you to think. Are you campeigning for prayer or christian prayer.
So when my friend is talking about, "why can we not pray over the loud speaker?" that's why. We can't expect the right for us, and not expect the right for them.
That's why I am personally against a planned public school prayer. But I am all for praying at school, whether it's on your own or in a group.
Pray on!
posted by theboythatis at 3:46 PM
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