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That school prayer should be prohibited

(PRO)
0 points
(CON)
WINNER!
4 points
MinorichieMinorichie (CON)
Before I begin this argument, I'd like to thank whoever made this topic, my opponent Hanna Bekele, and all of the readers.

I believe that prayer should be allowed in schools. Now, there is the separation of church and state, preventing public school teachers from praying or openly discussing religion outside of the lesson plan, but children should be allowed to pray in schools. First off, there is the First Amendment, which states, and I quote, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution)

That, therefore, protects the children's right to pray.

Prayer also benefits to the child and school in a positive way, allowing the child to feel more free and bringing the child together with more people with their faith. Many faiths in the world also encourage positive messages, such as the Beatitudes in the Christian faith and the Five Pillars of Islam in Islam. That can create an environment where the children feel safer and more respected.

That's about all I've got for this round. Thank you for reading and listening!
                                                                                      -Minorichie

Return To Top | Posted:
2018-03-26 12:52:38
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Penrose stairsPenrose stairs
I think school prayer means the compulsory prayers that all students and teachers must join in a religious school, rather than the students and teachers pray themselves when they want to. Of course students and teacher should be allowed to pray, but I think this topic is about whether the students and teachers should be forced to pray, because having a school prayer means that all non-believers and people who have other religious beliefs should also pray in the same way as the religion of the school.
Posted 2018-03-30 20:50:00
The judging period on this debate is over

Previous Judgments

2018-04-08 23:35:01
Penrose stairsJudge: Penrose stairs
Win awarded to: Minorichie
Reasoning:
Minorichie is the only one who said something on this debate, so he/she is definitely the winner.

Feedback:
Hanna should have participated in this debate. I can understand that online debates are quite different from real ones. Some people are quite busy and they only go online when they have free time. Therefore it is very easy to miss the deadline of submitting your argument. However, even if you missed one round, you can still catch up the next round to present your ideas. This debate would have been wonderful if pro has said something.
Con did present his/her ideas even though pro said nothing in the first round, which is a good thing. However, the topic is that school prayer should be prohibited, rather than whether people are allowed to pray at school. Con misunderstand the topic a bit. School prayer is the schools which has religious background ask the students and teachers to pray together, and the teachers and students must do it.
Pro should point out that con has misunderstand the topic. Pro may say that different students may have different religious background, and it is not appropriate to force all of them to pray in the way that the school religion does. Praying is a way to communicate with God, and there is no point of praying if one does not believe in that religion. Having school prayers means students has less time for study and relax as well, so it is not beneficial to the students. Having school prayers means that teachers with other religion are less likely to work in that school. As education is a way to border the horizon of students, students should be exposed to teachers of different backgrounds, including different religions. Students should learn to communicate with people of different religion.
Con should point out that having school prayers is not about forcing students to believe in a religion, but students can learn how to respect religion by praying. Even if they are not believers, they still need to pray, as part of the school rules, so students will understand that we should respect other religion when they grow up. Con may say that there are many good messages in religious teacher, for example, Jesus taught us to be kind and do good deeds. These messages is a good example for students to learn from and follow. In prayers, we often ask God to teach us to forgive others. Praying is a good time for students to reflect on their behavior, which is beneficial to them.
0 comments on this judgement
2018-04-09 21:43:30
Natasha17Judge: Natasha17
Win awarded to: Minorichie
2018-04-10 23:07:17
nzlockieJudge: nzlockie    TOP JUDGE
Win awarded to: Minorichie
2018-04-11 10:58:07
EmalekJudge: Emalek
Win awarded to: Minorichie
Reasoning:
Oponent never responded
0 comments on this judgement

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