One definition of an education can be described as an “enlightening experience.” Enlightenment, or understanding does not necessarily just include school subjects such as arithmetic, reading, etc. It can also mean a spiritual enlightenment or understanding thereof. The utilization of prayer and teaching of religious doctrines in educational institutions can have positive affects on many aspects of everyday life. Prayer and such teachings help to provide a well-rounded education, return freedom of religion, and build morality among students and faculty members.
One example of why prayer and teaching of religious doctrines should be reinstated in educational institutions is to return religious freedom to all people. Prayer was originally taken
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In 1963, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, an atheist with ties to the American Communist Party, took the school board of Baltimore to court for allowing prayer in school. The local court judge J. Gilbert Pendergast dismissed the petition stating, "It is abundantly clear that the petitioners' real objective is to drive every concept of religion out of the public school system." The case went to the Maryland Court of Appeals, and the court ruled, "Neither the First nor the Fourteenth Amendment was intended to stifle all rapport between religion and government." The case was then presented to the U.S. Supreme Court where they ruled 8 to 1 in favor of abolishing school prayer and Bible reading in the public schools. Justice Tom Clark wrote, "religious freedom, it has long been recognized that government must be neutral and, while protecting all, must prefer none and disparage none." At the time of this ruling, things seemed to be fair. Instead of one religion practiced in school, there would be no religion in schools. But, did anyone think of what would happen to future generations without moral guidance? According to education expert, William Jeynes, there is a correlation between the decline of U.S. public schools and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1962 and 1963 decision that school-sponsored Bible reading was unconstitutional. Since 1963, Jeynes says there have been five negative developments in the nation’s public schools: Academic achievement has plummeted, including SAT scores, an Increased rate of out-of-wedlock births, an Increase in illegal drug use, an Increase in juvenile crime, and Deterioration of school behavior. He says of this, ““When we remove that moral fiber -- that moral emphasis – this is what can result.” And he was right. For example, since 1963 violent crimes have increased at a horrifying