Roger Simon

Students do not need a constitutional amendment to be allowed to pray in schools, argues Roger Simon in the following viewpoint. If school prayer is allowed, he contends, the government will dictate what prayers should be said in schools, violating the rights of those whose beliefs are different from the majority. Furthermore, Simon asserts, praying in school will not improve the character of the students who pray. Simon is a syndicated columnist.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Who does Simon hold up as proof that public prayers do not improve a person’s morals?
2. What is the author’s philosophy on how to become a better person?
3. If public prayers were permitted in schools, how would schools decide which prayers to recite, according to Simon?

School prayer goes on every day in...