Well, It's been quite a while since I have posted on my blog, but I have something weighing on me that I must write about.
I haven't really said this before, but I am against publicly led prayer. For example, prayers in school, prayers over the loud speaker at sporting events, city council meetings, etc. I'm sure this comes as a surprise to many, because I do believe in the power of prayer. Whether that power is truly from the higher power or just something that makes us feel better, prayer is a comforting/powerful thing. Here are some of my reasons for my being against these publicly led prayers.
In the vast majority of circumstances, prayer refers to Christian prayer. There are many people in this country who are not Christian. We have many religions represented here...Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, Jewish, Islam, Hindu, Buddhism, Pagan, Wiccan, Atheism, and yes, even Satanism, as well as many others. By only including the Christian prayer, we are excluding these other religions. If we are going to have prayer, we should be welcome to prayer from all religions. And bow respectfully or participate as required by that religion as we would a Christian prayer.
Another reason I am against publicly led prayer is that prayer and religion are very personal to each person. My prayer and the way I pray may be different from the leader of the prayer. I may not believe the same way that person does. My relationship with God/Goddess/Higher Power may be different that that of the leader. We all pray differently, so why have one single person lead EVERYBODY in the same prayer?? This goes back to my other main reason, would a Christian welcome a prayer to Satan? Would a Jew welcome casting a Wiccan circle, etc? Even different sects of Christianity may differ in their view of prayer.
However, I am totally for the "moment of silence" that schools have nowadays. This way, each person can silently think their own special prayer or ritual or none at all if they so choose. I think this is a wonderful compromise for everybody.
