Saturday, November 3, 2001

Perry's stand on prayer sends a bad message

AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry re-ignited a debate recently when he attended a public school assembly in East Texas where the meeting ended with a prayer that included the phrase "in Jesus' name.''
   Perry, a Republican, said he saw no problem with ignoring the U.S. Supreme Court ban on organized school prayer ''at this very crisis moment in our history.''
   There's one small problem with Perry's actions. The Supreme Court has outlawed organized school prayer since 1963. And last year, the court ruled in a Texas case that organized prayers before high school football games were unconstitutional.
   ''Why can't we say a prayer at a football game or a patriotic event like we held at Palestine Middle School?" Perry asked. "I don't understand the logic of that. I happen to think it was appropriate.''
   Well, you can't say a prayer at a football game or patriotic event at public schools because the highest court in our land has said it's unconstitutional. That makes it against the law. And even the governor of Texas has to obey the law.
   Although Perry was well intentioned, his disregard for the law sends a bad message to Texans. What other laws should we ignore?
   Perry said he is ready to make school prayer a campaign issue as he seeks election next year to a full four-year term as governor. But what's the issue and what can he do about it? Perry can't overrule the U.S. Supreme Court, and school prayer isn't an issue that belongs in the gubernatorial election.
   Instead, Perry and his Democratic opponent, Tony Sanchez, should focus on proposals to solve the major issues facing the state. For example, where do they stand on school finance, and how do they plan to solve a potential budget crisis?
   Perry is right about one thing: America has seen a renewed emphasis on prayer since the Sept. 11 attacks. And many of us would agree that more prayer is needed in this country - and children benefit from saying daily prayers.
   But organized prayer in public schools brings up a whole host of problems and questions. For example, which prayer do you allow students to say? Should it be a Christian prayer one day and an Islamic one the next? What about students who don't pray at all?
   The United States is a melting pot of different ethnic and religious beliefs. There are many different faiths represented in public schools, which would mean a logistic nightmare for school administrators.
   Let each student pray in silence
   If you allow one group to say ''In Jesus' name we pray,'' don't you have to allow another group to say, ''Praise Mohammad?'' And then administrators would have to deal with students who don't believe in prayer at all - and are castigated by their peers.
   The best approach is for Texas public schools to observe a daily moment of silence in which students could silently pray to whatever deity they choose. That allows students to pray without infringing on anyone's religious beliefs.
   Supporters of school prayer often erroneously say that public schools prohibit students from praying. Public school students can already pray voluntarily at any point during school hours.
   They can even hold Bible studies before or after school, but they can't force others to pray or attend such a class.
   Perhaps Perry has accomplished his objective of re-igniting the school-prayer debate. But he would better serve Texans if he focused on his specific proposals to solve the major issues facing the state.
   Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau and can be reached at 512-334-6640 or meighant@scripps.com
  
  

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Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau. You can reach him by phone at (512) 334-6640 or by email at meighant@scripps.com.

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