USA, September 8, 2001: A frequent proposal from the Christian Right in America is for a constitutional amendment to allow voluntary prayer in public schools. Proponents will cite results from the Gallup poll, such as at “source,” which show 78% of Americans support such an amendment. What they don’t usually cite is the response to this question Gallup also posed: “Suppose spoken prayers were allowed in the local public schools. Do you believe that the prayers should be basically Christian, reflecting Christian beliefs and values, or should the prayers reflect all major religions, including Christianity?” 76% say the prayers should “reflect all major religions” and only 18% say basically Christianity. So if the amendment ever does pass — a very unlikely scenario — Hindu and Buddhist prayers would be just as eligible for the classroom as anything from Christianity.
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