THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 7, 1994 TAG: 9409070450
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DeGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
More than 30 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that public school-sponsored religious activities are unconstitutional.
But Dare County's Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to bring prayer back to public schools.
The seven-member board unanimously passed a resolution ``strongly urging'' North Carolina's General Assembly to return prayer to classrooms across the state.
``There's nothing wrong with prayer in school. We're kidding ourselves if we think this country is not in trouble,'' said Board of Commissioners Chairman Robert V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr.
``The worst thing that ever happened to this nation is the American Civil Liberties Union - all those lawyers who fight for others' freedoms. Too much freedom is what got this country to the place it is in the first place,'' Owens said.
``The people who took nativity displays off courthouse lawns, to me, they are the devil worshipers.''
Although the elected board approved the prayer plan unanimously, Commissioner Doug Langford questioned whether the board should be determining school policy. Board of Education member David Daniels, who also is pastor of the Outer Banks Worship Center, was at the meeting and said later that Dare County's school board has never formally discussed classroom prayer. But he heartily supports it.
``I'm certain this action on the commissioners' part will inspire a discussion among the school board,'' Daniels said. ``I agree with them: Students have the right to pray. They should not lose their freedom of speech once they walk onto campus.''
Dare County commissioners did not initiate the resolution, Owens said. The plan to bring prayer back to public schools came from elected leaders in Moore and Yancey counties, who passed similar requests earlier this summer.
``They asked us to put it on ouragenda. There's kind of a grassroots campaign right now going through North Carolina's 100 counties,'' Owens said. ``So far, 10 have adopted the resolution. It's small. But it's a beginning.
During the public comment portion of Tuesday's Board of Commissioners meeting, Daniels was one of 13 people who spoke in favor of returning prayer to schools. Most speakers talked about the moral decay of America's youth, which they attributed to a decline in religious activity. Some lauded morning prayers as a panacea for all problems.
``I do not see any help for our schools or our children apart from the word of the Lord,'' a mother and substitute teacher Belinda Hanbury told commissioners. ``In the classrooms, its obvious they have no basis of right or wrong.''
Commissioner Samuel O. ``Sammy'' Smith agreed. ``We prayed every morning when I was in school - along with pledging the flag and singing the state song. Didn't take more than five minutes,'' Smith said.
The Rev. Tom Murphy did not. During the 25-minute public comment session, the Rodanthe resident - pastor at Roanoke Island Presbyterian Church - was the only person who spoke against prayer in public schools.
``Prayer is not now - nor has it ever been - prohibited in our schools,'' Murphy said. ``Students pray silently for help on tests every day. Teachers pray for guidance or more patience for their students. Principals pray for patience with their staff. Those can never be prohibited in our schools.
``But government-sponsored prayers, I am opposed to those on a number of grounds,'' Murphy said. ``Freedom of religion demands and requires freedom from religion. Prescribed prayer is coercive and devisive. Participation is forced on people who don't believe - or else they are made to feel left out.
``Prayer I'm forced to participate in is not genuine prayer,'' the minister said. ``Prayer cannot be mandated. When I grew up with prayer in school, it was rote, automatic and trivial.
``The students would be much better off reading Chaucer or history or something else at the start of their day.''
``I thought religion in school was the way it should be,'' Owens countered from the dais. ``It was a way of life when I was growing up.
``It might not help many. But I'm sure it didn't hurt any.''
``Amen,'' shouted the two dozen spectators. by CNB