Prayer Illegal in Illinois

Last week a judge declared the moment of silence many public schools observe as unconstitutional:

Judge Robert W. Gettleman released a document Wednesday (Jan. 21) with
his final decision on a lawsuit regarding the Silent Reflection and
Student Prayer Act. He found the statute unconstitutional and entered a
permanent injunction banning school districts across the state from
enforcement of the law.

This article says:

Dawn Sherman, along with her father, Rob Sherman, sued Township High
School District 214 and the Illinois Superintendent of Education,
Christopher Koch, last fall.

Rob Sherman, an atheist activist, felt the law was unconstitutional
because of its religious undertones. He said schools should remain
secular in all aspects. 

I heard Rob on a radio interview and he said that this time is a waste and is better spent learning. Plus, saying the word “prayer” is a direct reference to the idea of God. By using this word, the state (through the public school) is forcing the idea of religion on the kids. This is illegal.

Some say this is the continued hyper-secularization of our country. That school should be a place to learn all ideas, even religious ones. That the constitution promises separation “of” church and state (btw-this phrase is not even in the Constitution), but not necessarily “from” religious ideas at all times. They wonder if a moment of silence (at worst) might be a good educational experience. At best, it might be a time to focus for the day ahead.

Others are like Rob Sherman. There is no place for any religious inferences in anything linked to gov’t.

Just thought you should know…