Do yall remember back in the day when we used to pray in school? Oh yes, there was a day when a designated time was set aside to say “good morning Jesus” in school! Those days are long since gone now and are strictly enforced within the school environment. Yet, that doesn’t mean we’re gonna stop spreading the good news and that’s exactly what Edward Nathaniel III did…and then he was fired for it.
According to Newsone, Nathaniel is a a Minnesota pastor that drives a bus as a side job and he was “allegedly fired last week, after leading children in Christian prayer while driving”. Newsone reported that Nathaniel did not force any of the children to pray and asked openly if the kids prayed, liked to pray or wanted to pray on the bus but it was never forced. “[On] a couple of routes, I had children that chose not to pray and that was fine.”
As reported by Newsone:
Nathaniel’s spiritual routine would last about seven minutes after the last child boarded the bus, We start out with a song, he told Gawker. Then each person will pray if they want to pray. If they don’t want to pray, they don’t have to pray. Then I will pray and ask them if they want to join me in prayer. Just give them something constructive and positive to go to school with.
Now to be fair, Newsone reported that Nathaniel received written warning by the school district that praying on the bus was not allowed but never received an grief from the parents. Now maybe this wouldn’t have been a big deal down here in the south where Christianity is the dominant faith but up in Minnesota, the majority of Nathaniel’s bus riders belong to the Muslim religion according to Newsone.
I understand the whole First Amendment right violation but somehow I don’t think this would have been such a big issue if the shoe was on the other foot. I mean would the Muslim students been forbidden to ride the bus if they all joined in together on a Muslim prayer everyday?
Regardless of your religious affiliation, should pray be added back into schools? Is a 60 second moment of silence after the pledge of allegiance to pray or not pray really going to tear the school systems a part?
To pray of not to pray…let me hear from you.
Dr. O
