Hey GM,

A few points. First of all, prayer has never left the schools; I imagine many children pray before exams, and teachers pray to just make it through the day (I do). The beauty of prayer is that it can be done anywhere, anytime.  I pray, but to me, it is a private act that has no place in a public school. Private schools may establish whatever rules they wish, but the State should not endorse prayer, period. Secondly, the following passage from the Bible does not seem to endorse your way of thinking.

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father in secret shall reward thee openly."

Courses in World Religions certainly should be available in the public schools, but please, there are plenty of other venues available for young people to pray aloud in.

Peter T.