Beginning of Essay
? Does prayer play an important role in our lives today? The minority would say no and that prayer shouldn't ever have played an important role in our society. But, the simple fact of the matter is that for hundreds of years, prayer in school has been encouraged ....

Middle of Essay
.... very First Amendment didn't separate God and government but actually encouraged religion. It reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibit the free exercise thereof,” (Encarta 96). The first part simply says that the federal government cannot establish one religion for all of the people. The simple idea of everyone in our nation being limited to one form of religion is inconceivable. The second section insists that the government should do nothing to discourage religion. But forbidding prayer in schools discourages religion, doesn't it? Early congressional actions encouraged religion ....