Keep Religion Out of Public Schools

I find it ironic and incredibly sad that on the Dec. 2 front page there are two articles about war. On the left side of the page is an article on the suicide bombers in Jerusalem. On the right side of the page is an article about the war in Afghanistan. Both wars are based on religion and religious differences. Then, right in the middle, between these two articles, is one about bringing prayer into public schools (“Terrorism Spurs Push for Prayers in Schools”). Doesn’t anybody see the problem here? The wars that are raging around the world are all the more reason to keep religion out of public schools!

When will people learn from the past? I “pray” that it will happen soon. It is time to wake up and smell the blood.

Matthew Norris

Laguna Beach

Your article on the trend toward prayer in schools was extremely troubling. Have we already conveniently forgotten that religious devotion and governmentally mandated religion were at the very root of the Sept. 11 tragedy?

It’s not unconstitutional to pray in schools. If a student wants to pray, he or she can just shut up and pray. In fact, more “moments of silence” from religious zealots would be a welcome relief. There is another alternative--those who want to pray in schools can always move to Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia or any number of theocracies, leaving those of us who actually understand the concept of religious freedom here to guard civil liberties.

Moreover, anyone who wants to blame Islam specifically would do well to remember that Christianity has been used throughout history to justify acts of terrorism--from the Inquisition, to lynchings in the South, to the bombing of abortion clinics and beyond. I’d prefer that America and its institutions remain religion-free, just as it says in the Bill of Rights.

Grady Hall

Los Angeles