by Logan Ferrell (’ 11)
As the school moves away from yet another Constitution Day commemoration, complete with lessons and discussions, we are faced with an issue that continually reemerges with new vigor and riled emotions.
It is certainly an issue that touches on some of the most sensitive of beliefs, and opens the door for many more inflammatory arguments. However, it appears to me, that the American tradition of secular government can be preserved without intruding on the religious beliefs of any one group.
Any school, but even more so our own, should be a place of openness, an environment in which knowledge and curiosity may be pursued (naturally to an extent) without hindrance. Therefore, I see the institution of school sponsored prayer (banned by the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale) and the ban of any religious expression as equally destructive.
How can one determine the lesser of the two evils, when neither option seems to encroach less on the liberty of the student body than the other?
Instead, I believe religion should remain exactly as it was enumerated in the nation’s founding document, a freedom. Students should always be free to pray (of their own accord), expand their knowledge through religious debate, or even engage in consensual theological group discussion.
The power of faith over individuals and even societies has been shown consistently throughout history; and if a person has powerful feelings of faith they simply do not require a determined time or area. No matter the deity, if one believes strongly enough, faith may be shown anywhere and does not need specific regulation.
The degree of religious freedom allowed in this nation is comparable to few others, and must be remembered as such. To squabble over the preservation or banning of religion in schools, is to blatantly ignore what religion in this country means, freedom and a personal choice.
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