Prayer in school is a hotly debated issue. Some are for scheduled prayer time, some think it should be voluntary, some think it should be private - but allowed. Some think it should be banned completely. There are miriad sides to this issue as with any other.
But I have a more specific issue. When I was a freshman in high school, I had a very Christian friend. She was nice about it - she knew I was a theist, didn't try to force her religion on me, she'd always pray silently when I was around. She only teased me about being a religious malcontent when I teased her about worshipping a 2,000 year old Zombie (No offense, to you Christians out there
) Very polite, if you ask me. And she also brought her Bible to school, just to read between classes.
One day a teacher saw it, took it and her down to the principles office. She was almost expelled for reading, in my opinion, a book of fiction. The same type of books we're required to reading in Creative literature and in some cases philosophy. She was almost expelled, in her opinion, for reading a book of fact. The same thing we're required to do to pass any of our classes. In the end, she was suspended - for reading a book.
Is the supression of religion itself an act by the government of establishment of religion?
By disallowing expression of religion in schools, be it Christian or not, are we effectively instituting an...I dont' know -
anti-theistic regime?
Are we as a society and a government sticking our noses where they don't belong - into the lives of students?