The Removal of Prayer

In 1962, the morning prayer was removed from the public school system. Since then there has been an increase in crime, divorce, teenage suicide and teenage pregnancies.

For the last 62 years, many Christians have desired for prayer to be put back into our schools' system. They believe the removal of it, has greatly contributed to the moral decline of our nation.

Prayer absolutely matters, and it is vital to the Christian life. But, is the removal of prayer from school, the real problem? Consider the following:

First, we must draw the distinction, and remember that it wasn't prayer that was removed from the public schools in 1962. Rather, it was STATE-mandated prayer that was removed.

In other words, Christians still have the freedom and the right to pray in the public schools. They are free to pray before they start school, before they eat lunch at school, and with their friends at recess during school hours. What was removed in 1962, was the requirement for STATE-hired teachers, who worked in GOVERNMENT-owned schools, to force everyone to pray to the God of the Bible.

Remember, our nation was built on FREEDOM of religion, not a forced, state-mandated religion. That is called Romanism! It's what people who came to our country wanted to escape. We now live in a nation that allows us freedom to "choose you this day whom ye will serve".

I have chosen to serve the God of the Bible. And although I would want, and would support, putting prayer back into the public school system, I don't think this is our real problem.

Here's why. The reality is that the least attended service at Christian churches in America is the weekly prayer meeting.

It's hypocritical for Christians to complain about the public school system's removal of prayer, when only 21% of professing Christians faithfully attend their own church's weekly prayer meeting.

So let me get this straight...

Christian's want the public school to open up with a short prayer meeting every day, but most Christians have no intention of attending a once a week prayer meeting at their very own local church?

Something is strangely wrong with this type of thinking.

It's just easier to create a common-enemy, to use an excuse, to avoid doing the things that God has called us to do. As His children, hasn't commanded us to fix the public school system, but he has commanded us to "pray without ceasing."

The early-church was faithful to congregational prayer. Acts 2:42 says:

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The tough questions are:

• Do we need to get prayer back into public schools?
• Or, do we really need to get prayers back into the church-house?
  
• Should our focus be on getting prayers into a wordly, government owned school system?
• Or, should we focus on getting prayers back into our everyday, personal and home life?

You see, the bigger part of the problem is, a lot of Christians are trying to fix the wrong things.

God expects us to fix our own personal prayer life. He also expects us to faithfully attend our own local-church's prayer meeting, rather than pointing the finger at the public schools. God never commanded the lost, public school system, to gather together and pray to Him. But He did command His church to gather and pray to Him.

Our country, as well as our public schools, offer the freedom for Christians to gather and pray publically. Let's take advantage of those freedoms while we still have them.

Let's obey God and pray one for another.

Remember, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.