Prayer in School

"And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper..." Romans 1:28

The real issue of prayer in the public schools is not whether one can or cannot pray at school. If the true nature of prayer is correctly understood, then it would be obvious that one can pray whether or not there is a so-called "moment of silence."

The real issue has to do with the fact that non-Christians do not want to be reminded of God. They prefer to live their life without ever being forced to be God-conscious. The same mentality that would do away with prayers at school, would also seek to remove "In God we trust" from our money as well as remove the Ten Commandments from public buildings. This is the same crowd that recently proposed legislation that would prohibit what they would consider to be "religious harassment" caused by such things as placing a Bible on one's desk in the work place. Such thinking carried to its logical conclusion would make it unlawful for Bibles to be displayed in bookstores and for churches to have any outward religious symbols. God's Word describes such people in the following words: (Ps. 10:4) The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, "There is no God."

According to the infallible word of God, there are certain inevitable consequences that result from a deliberate refusal to acknowledge God. Those who want to deliberately avoid all thoughts of God are given over by Him to a mindset that is described as being depraved. To state it differently, as an act of judgment, God gives them the very thing that they desire; a mind that is destitute of any thought of God. But it doesn't end there. A depraved mind is characterized by a certain kind of behavior. That, too, is described for us in the word of God. "Being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful...." (Romans 1:29-31).

Such attitudes and conduct are prevalent in every area of society. The people who founded this nation were a God-conscious people. As society takes the position of no longer wanting to acknowledge God, God has to that same degree give men over to a depraved mind to do what is not proper. May God in His mercy hasten the day when men will awaken to the truth that there is an inseparable link between the due acknowledgement of God and godly behavior.