Word: prayers
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Paul A. Freund, one of Harvard's most distinguished constitutional lawyers, yesterday strongly urged the rejection of the proposed constitutional amendment that would permit voluntary prayer in public schools...
...amendment, recognizing in part recent Supreme Court decisions restricting public authorities from authorizing school prayers, puts all prayer on a voluntary basis. But Freund foresaw the possibility that this would lead to more active participation by church groups in classroom affairs...
...Some form of collective action will a necessary if the pupils are to know what it is that they are to participate in from day to day. It is unrealistic to expect young children to organize this exercise [of prayer] and select or compose prayers without some guidance," he said. "With forced abstention, of the teacher, there is an open invitation for church groups to assume this function...
...There is a feeling, no doubt reflected the resolution [for the amendment], at our public schools must not be goodness Freuad said. Public prayer, he considered, does not respond to this feeling. "A brief ritual of prayer in unison in the Sharon is at beat a seeable and believe a easy way to avoid the real and pressing problems of moral education in the schools...
Instead, he suggested that a short moment of undirected affect meditation would be more appropriate. "If a period of brief prayer is wanted, there is a simple way to have it: a moment of silent meditation, during which each pupil may commune either in prayer or either form of solemn thought, as his upbringing and his spirit may prompt...