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Examples Of High School Graduation Prayers
Certain moments in life are special as they occur only once. There are no retakes of such events and are therefore cherished for the entire life. Graduation ceremony is one such extremely important event in the life of a student and the parents. At a time like this, it was a common practice for years to offer prayers of gratification to the Almighty and seek his guidance for the future course of life. |
Therefore, in accordance to the policy of the Providence (Rhode Island) School Committee and the Superintendent of Schools, principals were allowed to have members of the clergy taking part in graduation ceremonies for middle school as well as high school students.
However, the practice of including prayers during graduation ceremonies came under scrutiny after the objection from one student and her father. After much argument between the school board and the opposing party, the latter sought the intervention of the court. The outcome went in the favor of the rebelling party and the court ordered the prohibition of prayers at public high school ceremonies. The judgment passed by the US Supreme Court further added that such practices dishonored the First Amendment's "non-establishment of religion" clause.
Many argue that prayers held daily in the classroom cannot be equated with prayers at graduation ceremonies since the latter is indeed a special occasion that comes only once in the student’s life. Certain alternatives have been put forth to ease the issue. Some suggest the substitution of prayers with a moment of silence. This time can be utilized by the audience as they please; be it to offer prayers, remember days spent in the institution or analyze the future career possibilities. Another alternative is to segregate the religious service from the graduation ceremony so that the attendance of the former is optional. Lastly, one could have multiple prayers of all religions during the ceremony and also have a non-believer express his or her views.
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