Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxq.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!ihnp4!ihuxq!ken From: ken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: prayer in public schools Message-ID: <726@ihuxq.UUCP> Date: Thu, 1-Mar-84 12:11:35 EST Article-I.D.: ihuxq.726 Posted: Thu Mar 1 12:11:35 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 3-Mar-84 00:18:31 EST References: <1379@mit-eddie.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 31 -- >>> I'd like to get the net's response to Reagan's proposal to put prayer in >>> public schools. My personal opinion is that it is probably not a good >>> idea, due to the non-Christians in the classroom. This reminds me of >>> when I had to say the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school. Some >>> kids who were Baptists couldn't say it, presumably it was against their >>> religion. Yes, horribly inconvenient. All that heathen rabble lousing things up. YOU SILLY PERSON!!! Prayer MUST be kept out of public schools because (1) The practice of religion is not consistent with the goals of secular education, and (2) Even if it were, educators are so inept that they could not do it right. American public schools are already a dismal failure because, among other things, they have concentrated on "values education" at the expense of skills in language and math. You can't teach kids to be virtuous persons if they don't know how to think. I say make them literate, not devout. That's dangerous, of course--literate people sometimes figure out that there is no god, and then (oh, no!) some even write a book about it. But then, for every Bertrand Russell there's a Martin Buber. It's a pity so many public school graduates do not have the skills to understand them. Maybe if those kids prayed hard enough... -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 01 Mar 84 [11 Ventose An CXCII] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7261 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken *** ***