Public School Students Recite Bible Verses, Pray, and Worship

[The Straight Story]

Public School Students Recite Bible Verses, Pray, and Worship


Three thousand public school students in 11 Pennsylvania counties are memorizing Bible verses, praying, and singing worship songs during school hours despite federal prohibitions.

Greencastle, PA (PRWEB) May 9, 2005 -- Three thousand public school students in 11 Pennsylvania counties are memorizing Bible verses, praying, and singing worship songs during school hours despite federal prohibitions. The number of students practicing religion during school hours is growing rapidly throughout the state, and the concept of freedom of religion for public school students is spreading nationwide.

Pennsylvania public school students are able to exercise freedom of religion because of a state law that allows students to receive up to 35 hours of religious instruction per year. A tiny ministry in central Pennsylvania has been taking advantage of this state statute since 1967, and has committed itself to expanding its program statewide.

Joy El Ministries, Greencastle, Pa., found a way around federal prohibitions when it discovered a dormant state law that permits students to be released from public school classrooms to receive religious instruction. Unbeknownst to many, other states have similar laws that circumvent the federal government’s decree that students may not pray or read the Bible in government-run schools.

Students who receive parental permission may be released from public school classrooms and receive religious instruction off-campus. Joy El Ministries, using a fleet of buses, picks up students at school and transports them to a nearby church. There the children spend an hour singing, praying and memorizing scripture in small groups. Volunteers teach Bible lessons, listen to the students recite, and offer an open ear to the youngsters. Then students are returned to campus.

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/5/emw237904.htm

[Kerrytravelers]

1. What happends when they return to campus? I wonder how many Bible tracts

are handed out daily.

[mongo]

2. My daughter's middle school had two religious assemblies

a year. We had just moved here and she begged us not to do anything about it.

[UncleSepp]

3. Fine in theory, but still seems like BS

It kinda sounds like a nice break from the day for the kids, too. Done right, it could be a good thing. From the tone of this press release, though, this sounds like it has less to do with meeting the existing religious needs of public school students than it has to do with using children as religious recruiters.

This comes off as more "heroic persecuted Christians win one against the Federal Goliath" garbage. Maybe I've missed something, but I'm not aware of any Federal prohibition that students can't pray or read the Bible in public schools in situations where they can otherwise speak or read a book that isn't a textbook. If a kid wants to read the Bible during lunch, or pray during recess, I don't think there's any laws or decrees against that. If a kid wants to read from his Bible when he's supposed to be reading from his English Lit book, that may be a problem, or if a kid wants to pray aloud when it's supposed to be a quiet time. I think the law says that students can't be led in prayer or worship or receive religious instruction in schools, as that would be coercive and would run afoul of generous interpretations of the establishment clause. What's being "circumvented" here, other than truancy laws?

My BS meter is pegged here...

[EC]

4. What about the kids of another faith?

Can they take the time to go to their faith oriented teachings? Or get an additional study time outside the school for the same amount of time? Or are they allowed to leave the campus?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. Yeah

if a Wiccan or a Native American shaman offered classes, would the school board allow students to go if they had their parent's permission?

[TheFarseer]

5. Religion should be taught in schools

but only because it is a large part of our world and they should know about ALL the major religions. They should NEVER be taught religious doctrine as fact. Only in a "This is what some people believe" way. If students want to use their study hall to pray or have a religion group after school I don't have a problem with that, but when they take a period and devote it to learning Christianity, that's just stupid. They could be learning about math or science instead during that time and that would be much more what a highschool is for. If people want to have Christianity taught to them, they should go to a private religious school. End of story

[onager]

6. Love this phrasing...

...and the concept of freedom of religion for public school students is spreading nationwide.

What they mean is: freedom of religion for Christ-o-philes only. They don't give a damn about anybody's "freedom of religion" except their own, and all they're doing here is finding a creative way to push their superstition into the public schools.

Sounds like Pennsylvania's trying to re-start its "Bible Wars" of the 1840's. Do a google on that for a quick lesson in mixing religion and politics in the U.S.

[GOPBasher]

7. This is okay, as long as no one is being FORCED to go off

campus and learn the bible.

[Dufaeth]

8. This is chock full of lies

circumvent the federal government’s decree that students may not pray or read the Bible in government-run schools.
Students can read and pray all they like, the school just can't teach it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. This is called "released time instruction"

Minnesota had it when I was growing up (I don't know about now).

At 2PM on Wednesdays, the Catholic and Missouri Synod Lutheran kids would leave school early and go to their respective churches for religion classes.

I never figured out why this was deemed necessary. My church (what was then the LCA Lutherans) held catechism classes in preparation for confirmation for eighth and ninth graders after school and didn't have anything outside Sunday School for the other grades.