The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s (FFRF) brochure below fights school prayer, citing coercion and church-state separation—fair points if schools were truly neutral. But by 2025, public schools push Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) and Trans ideology as gospel, mandating pronouns and “equity” policies over parental objections. If schools can peddle these secular doctrines, Christians have equal right to their beliefs—prayer included. As a Classical Deist, I’d rather see reason and nature’s laws taught, not any ideology, religious or woke. Fairness demands balance, not one-sided bans. —Lewis Loflin
This brochure, produced by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, aims to counter the Religious Right’s growing influence. Mailed to schools, districts, and state education secretaries nationwide, it defends a secular public education system.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
The original “godless” Pledge of Allegiance, recited by generations until Congress added “under God” in 1954 amid Cold War fervor.
Public schools exist to educate, not proselytize. Children are a captive audience—making prayer part of the day is coercive. Can a 5-, 8-, or 10-year-old see it as “voluntary” when it’s routine? Religion is private; schools are public. Mixing them builds walls between kids unaware of differences before.
Public schools serve all—Catholic, Baptist, Quaker, atheist, Buddhist, Jewish, agnostic—funded by all taxpayers. They should avoid religious observances. Parents and churches, not government, instill beliefs. School prayer usurps parental rights. Neutrality isn’t hostility; it’s why faith thrives here, per the Constitution.
Religion in schools isolates minorities—the lone Jew, Unitarian, or agnostic. Protesters face persecution; Supreme Court plaintiffs like Vashti McCollum and Ed Schempp endured beatings and threats. Pre-1962, non-conformists were detained during prayers. History shows religion in schools harms; non-compliant districts still persecute kids today.
Silent, personal prayer is legal—always has been. Courts ban government-fostered prayers: led, required, or suggested by officials. Calling them “voluntary” when encouraged by authority is dishonest—it’s endorsement. Scheduling worship for classes, sports, or graduations makes it mandatory, not optional.
Advocates admit the Constitution bars organized school prayer—why else seek an amendment? Are Newt Gingrich and Co. wiser than James Madison, who crafted our enduring secular framework? Such an amendment guts the First Amendment, sacrificing kids’ civil rights to majority tyranny.
The 1995 proposal: “Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to prohibit individual or group prayer in public schools or other public institutions. No person shall be required by the United States or any State to participate in prayer. Neither the United States nor any State shall compose the words of any prayer to be said in public schools.”
Individual prayer’s already free—this targets group prayer. It allows schools to pick prayers (e.g., to Jesus or Allah), blast them over intercoms, and spotlight non-joiners. It extends to public venues, risking state-backed religion everywhere.
By 1962, half of U.S. schools had no religious observances. Horace Mann purged sectarianism by the 1840s; most dropped prayers by 1900 after Catholic objections. Only Massachusetts mandated Bible reading (1850s); other states banned it. Presidents Grant and Roosevelt backed nonsectarian schools. Court rulings since 1948—McCollum, Engel, Schempp, Weisman—uphold this secular tradition.
Piety isn’t virtue—judge people by deeds, not prayers. Some laud prayer; others say it fails. A secular government can’t take sides. “The hands that help are better than lips that pray,” wrote Robert G. Ingersoll—who’d argue?
Ironic: anti-government types want state-mandated prayer. It’s a distraction from economic woes, as one governor noted: “Without fixing the economy, prayer won’t cut it.”
Blaming school prayer’s absence for societal ills is nonsense. Generations thrived without it; Japan’s prayer-free schools boast low crime. Prayer won’t raise SATs—study will. Progress since 1962—civil rights, tech, medicine—shows no need to rewind.
We vote for officials, not religion. The majority can pray at home or church—16 hours daily, plus weekends. Many don’t want school prayer. If Catholics dominate, will Protestants recite to Mary? If Muslims do, will Christians bow to Allah?
It’s a prayer dodge—Alabama’s 1985 law was struck down for it. Arkansas’ Clinton-era silence mandate flopped. Teachers would exploit it for prayers, sparking lawsuits at taxpayer expense.
Lee v. Weisman (1992) ruled them unconstitutional: “The State must guard inviolable conscience,” wrote Justice Kennedy. Forcing kids to skip graduation to avoid prayer is cruel.
A Christian legal ploy (Rutherford, Pat Robertson’s ACLJ), it’s worse—peer pressure turns kids into religious bullies. Voting on prayer breeds hostility, as Judge Bryan ruled in 1993: “Constitutional rights aren’t majority whims.”
Our secular Constitution, born of persecution’s lessons, cites no divine power—just “We, the People.” No prayers graced its convention. Religion in schools divides—history’s wars prove it. Thomas Paine nailed it: legal religion breeds persecution.
“Pray in secret, not like hypocrites on street corners,” Jesus said (Matt. 6:5-6). Wisconsin’s Supreme Court (1890) agreed: “Religion in schools destroys them.” Ulysses S. Grant (1875) and Jefferson (1802) echoed: keep it separate.
First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Order copies: $3.50 for 10, $20 for 100, postpaid (WI add 5.5% tax). Freedom From Religion Foundation, PO Box 750, Madison, WI 53701, (608) 256-8900. Reproduced with permission.
Acknowledgment: Produced by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, hosted and updated by Lewis Loflin with thanks to Grok (xAI) for assistance.
