To pray or not to pray — By Tommy Purser

Another high school football season is within weeks of coming to an end. This year, as in years past, I’ve noticed the different ways that communities choose to begin pre-game activities. In all cases, the National Anthem is played but from there the activities are many times different.
Some communities have a moment of silence, others have pastors to pray, others have students to pray, some recite the Pledge of Allegiance, still others have nothing more than the National Anthem.
It used to be that prayer was a standard practice at virtually all schools. Then things began to change.
The topic or pre-fame prayer can be a sensitive subject in some communities, not so much in other communities.
In an 1989 column I wrote my opinion, for whatever it was worth. Here is that opinion again — for whatever it is worth:
“This isn’t meantto be a “religious” column. I’ve never felt qualified to present myself as an authority on questions of religious implications.
But I have long thought of myself as an authority on my personal opinion and this column is about my personal opinion – period.
My personal opinion is that all this hullabaloo about public prayer at public football games is much ado about nothing.
The court hasn’t banned prayer at football games. It can’t. The court, as powerful as it may be, isn’t THAT powerful.
As I grew up, I was taught that God hears all prayer. Not some prayer, but all prayer. And I was also taught that God answers all prayer. He doesn’t necessarily answer the prayer the way the prayer wants it answered. Nor does He necessarily answer it right away. But I believe today, as I was taught as a youngster, that God hears and answers all prayer.
That belief leads me to surmise that God is as much concerned with the private, sincere prayer of a loving mother of a football player as He is with the public, sincere prayer broadcast over a public address system. I like to believe that both are important to God and the fact that the court has banned the latter does nothing to tarnish the former.
In fact, the court’s action has served to strengthen the resolve of those who believe in the power of prayer. The ruling has served as a rallying point for believers everywhere, much as the
now-infamous flag ruling served to stir the patriotic passions of people across this great nation.
And, just as the flag ruling has brought disrepute to the young, ill advised Texas protestor whose court case prompted the court action, the public prayer ruling has served to bring dishonor to the young, ill-advised Douglas County protestor whose court case prompted that action.
I don’t agree with the contention that any great harm is caused by the broadcasting of prayer prior to a high school football game. No one is forced to participate. If anyone chooses not
to listen, they don’t have to listen. And many don’t.
If there is any danger in the practice, it lies in the possibility that the board of education – ANY board of education – may, at some point in time, decide to establish rules about what can and cannot be said in those pre-game prayers ….. that the board, i.e. government, would dictate what we should hear in a conversation with God. That danger, I think, is what led to the court’s action more-so than the protestations of a single, agnostic malcontent.
But that’s not the point of my opinion as presented here. My intent is merely to state my opinion about the power of individual prayer which the court has no power to prevent.
I read in a daily newspaper where one young student, when asked her opinion on the pre-game prayer issue, said she thought the practice of broadcasting prayer over the public address system should be allowed because at least the players would then know that God was watching over them.
I believe that prayer is more powerful than that. I don’t think God needs a public address system to hear prayer. I believe that if that young student lifts up a private prayer to God prior to the football game, God will put just as much importance on her request as he would on a broadcast request. And that, in effect, would render the court’s decision meaningless. nWhich, in my opinion, it is. Because a court dealing in God’s realm is dealing in an area in which it is powerless.