SCHOOL PRAYER - A PROBLEM, OR NOT?
An old
preacher-friend of
mine from days past,
sent me a letter not
long ago, from
Nevada. Allow me to
share it with you!
Dear John,
As you know, we've
been working real
hard in our town to
get prayer back in
the schools.
Finally, the school
board approved a
plan of teacher-led
prayer with the
children
participating at
their own option.
Children not wishing
to participate were
to be allowed to
stand out in the
hallway during the
prayer time. We
hoped someone would
sue us so we could
go all the way to
the Supreme Court
and get that old
devil-inspired
ruling reversed.
Naturally, we were
all excited by the
school board's
action. As you know,
our own little Billy
is now in the second
grade. Of course,
Margaret and I
explained to him no
matter what the
other kids did, he
was going to stay in
the classroom and
participate.
After the first day
of school, I asked
him. "How did the
prayer time go?"
"Fine”. "Did many
kids go out into the
hallway?" “Two”.
"Excellent. How did
you like your
teacher's prayer?"
"It was different,
Dad. Real different
from the way you
pray." "Oh? Like
how."
'She said, “Hail,
Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us
sinners..."'
I talked with the
principal and
politely explained I
wasn't prejudice,
but I would
appreciate Billy
being transferred to
a non-Catholic
teacher. The
principal said,
“Okay”.
At supper that
evening I asked
Billy to say the
blessings. He
slipped out of his
chair, sat
cross-legged on the
floor, closed his
eyes, raised his
hands palms up and
began to hum.
You'd better believe
I was at the
principal's office
at eight o'clock the
next morning.
"Look," I said. "I
don't really know
much about these
Transcendental
Meditationists, but
I would feel a lot
more comfortable if
you could move Billy
to a room where the
teacher practices an
older, more
established
religion."'
That afternoon I met
Billy as soon as he
walked in the door
after school. "I
don't think your
going to like Mrs.
Nakasone's prayer,
either, Dad."
"Out with it." "She
kept calling God “0
Great Budda..."'
(Continued)
2
The following
morning I was
waiting for the
principal in the
school parking lot.
"Look, I don't want
my son praying to
the Eternal Spirit
of whatever or to
Buddha. I want him
to have a teacher
who prays “In Jesus‘
Name”.
"What about Bertha
Smith?" "Excellent."
I could hardly wait
to hear about Mrs.
Smith's prayer. I
was standing on the
front steps of the
school when the
final bell rang.
"Well?" I asked
Billy as we walked
towards the car.
“Okay." "Okay,
what?”.
"Mrs. Smith asked
God to bless us and
ended her prayer in
Jesus name, amen -
just like you." I
breathed a sigh of
relief. "Now we are
getting some place."
"She even taught us
a verse of scripture
about prayer, said
Billy. I beamed.
"Wonderful. What was
the verse?"
"Let's see ... he
mused for a moment".
“And behold, they
began to pray and
they did pray unto
Jesus, calling him
their Lord and their
God.'"
We had reached the
car. "fantastic," I
said, reaching for
the door handle.
Then I paused. I
couldn't place the
scripture. "Billy,
did Mrs. Smith say
what book that verse
was from?"
“Third Nephi,
chapter 19, verse
18." "Third what?"
"Nephi, In the Book
of Mormon."
The school board
doesn't meet for a
month. I've given
Billy very definite
instructions that at
prayer time each day
he's to go out into
the hallway. I plan
to be at that board
meeting. If they
don't do something
about this
situation, I'll sue.
I'll take it all the
way to the Supreme
Court if I have to.
I don't need the
schools or anybody
else teaching my son
about religion. We
can take care of
that ourselves at
home and at church,
thank you very much.
Give my love to
Sandi and the boys.
Your Buddy, Juan
KYOWVA Evangelistic
Association * 1541
S. 7th Street *
Ironton, OH 45638