Written by Don Byrd
Of all the poll results I have encountered lately, this one is truly the most mystifying. According to Gallup, a majority of Americans (albeit a declining majority) remain in favor of daily prayer in public school, despite well-established Supreme Court decisions (more than 50 years old!) ruling such a practice violates the First Amendment.
Sixty-one percent of Americans support allowing daily prayer to be spoken in the classroom. Though still solidly above the majority level, this is down slightly from 66% in 2001 and 70% in 1999.
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Three-quarters of Americans (75%) support allowing students to say prayers at school graduation ceremonies, down slightly from 83% in 1999. The 77% of Americans who support making public school facilities available after hours for student religious groups to use is essentially unchanged from 78% in 1999.
Earlier this week, a poll indicated a majority of Americans consistently favor the separation of church and state. How can many of those same Americans not recognize that daily prayer spoken in the public school classroom would run counter to the idea of separation?
One layer of the answer to this question is simple: those of us who believe strongly in religious liberty for all must continue working not just to support the separation of church and state, but to explain what it must mean. Sometimes, separation protects our comfort level; other times, it may challenge our traditions to protect others. In either case, it must be defended to protect the religious liberty of all.
