Pray, or Not to Pray? That's Not the Question

There has been a lot of talk about prayer in public schools in the US for quite some time. Some say everything went sour once prayer ended in schools. But aren't they really saying everything went sour once schools were integrated? You see, the ending of teacher-led religious activities in schools (1962) coincides with the ending of segregation due to the Civil Rights Act (1964).

Since we are talking about prayer, what did Jesus have to say about all of this?

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt 6:5-6, NIV)

According to Jesus, public prayer wasn't the "fix-it-all" that is has been touted lately. We should pray in private instead of praying to be seen by others. But how does this relate to the obsession of public prayer in public school? It appears that those who advocate for public prayer in public schools are really saying that if school children were all Christians (of their kind, not the Jesus-kind), then life would be returned to the normal they once knew; if all school children were white WASPs, then life would be the way it always was.

But would Jesus agree with it? Not really.

If students would really begin to pray at school, what would happen? Segregation of schools? Not a chance. Humans who know they are of equal value do not segregate according to the color of one's skin. If students would pray the way Jesus prayed, we would get more integration, more "we are all human." But that's not what the advocates of prayer in public schools are talking about. They are trying to re-establish a world in which praying in public means you belong to the right group. Just like the Pharisees, they want to be seen by others, applauded for their piousness. Those who truly follow Jesus pray in private, for they are not looking for the rewards that are given by people, but the rewards given by God.