Has Banning Prayer in Schools Increased Student Behavior Problems?

Prayer is raising one's mind and heart to God. When the school day included prayer. there was an implicit acknowledgement that God existed, and that he was a loving Father who required a certain standard of behavior from his children.

Many of the problems adults are experiencing with today's youth are caused by the fact that young people have little fear or respect for anyone or any institution. Parents, educators, and the justice system no longer have effective means of disciplining youth.

Many parents are no longer comfortable applying strict disciplinary measures to wayward children. One complaint from a neighbor, the school. or even the child himself can bring social workers into the home to investigate every nook and cranny of the family's life.

In many cases, this hyper-sensitive vigilance is a valuable safeguard against children being mistreated, but it has also struck fear into the hearts of many parents and prevents them from enforcing strict discipline even in cases where the young person is sorely in need of it.

We live in a permissive, child-centred society. Heaven forbid that anything should damage a child's self-image, or stifle his effort to express himself, or curtail his creativity, even if it's expressed in graffiti on the side of a public mailbox.

These young people need to be reminded that there is an omniscient, all-powerful, and all-just Heavenly Parent who sees all and is quite capable of punishing wrong-doing.

The school also has had its hands tied with applying effective disciplinary measures. A child cannot be kept in at recess, (he needs the break and exercise), nor after school, (he'll miss the bus). If he's so much as patted on the shoulder, the offending party can be charged with assault.

At school, poorly-behaved children can no longer be effectively punished. They are well aware of the fact and take full advantage of it. However, when prayer was a factor of daily life, they were at least reminded that there was a Higher Power who was not subject to the restrictions of the local education authorities.

Police officers and the courts have little authority when it comes to young offenders. Trouble-makers can't be identified publicly by name even when they've committed murder. For lesser offences they proceed through the revolving doors of the justice system to be returned to their homes or into foster care, from which they often progress to more serious offences until they reach the age where they can legally be held accountable for their actions.

Parental, educational, and legal authority over young people has been eroded to the extent that it is practically non-existent. We all need the help of the One who stated:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Matt. 28:18

With street crime, domestic terrorism, gang wars, rape, home invasions, vandalism, drug use, and all kinds of delinquency and villainy on the rise, society in general must turn to the Source of all authority for guidance in reestablishing secure and righteous communities. What better place to start than by making prayer once again a daily practice in our schools ?