September 24 is the national See You at the Pole day (SYATP). It began in 1990 in Texas, and has turned into a national and international event. Students gather around the flagpole in the morning before school to pray at the beginning of every school year. SYATP is led by students for other students, and is not affiliated with the actual schools. Administration and faculty, however, are encouraged to join the prayer. According to their website, http://www.syatp.com/home/, “See You at the Pole™ is a great place to connect with God, connect with other believers, and connect with your campus in the name of Christ.” The idea is that SYATP will allow Christians to meet others with similar beliefs and support one another during the year. The article also emphasizes that students can make a difference in their schools and the ‘Kingdom.’ There was a rally in Milton, PA to get area teens excited for SYATP. “We want to raise the need for kids to pray for their schools,” said Audrey Metzler, of Community Mennonite Fellowship. “It's a mixture between rallying kids and showing them what it's all about.” SYATP encourages students to pray for their schools, the government, and other institutions; essentially, they want to integrate prayer into these traditionally secular realms.
See You at the Pole brings several issues to the forefront. They have a clear agenda to bring the Christian faith and God into public schools. This is a fine line the students are flirting with; they have the freedom of religion and of speech, but public schools are to remain secular. Public schools cannot give preference to any religious group, and this is happening with the Christian faith.
The intentions of SYATP seem harmless enough. It is a chance for Christian students to unite within their school and pray for the school and other students. I think in practice it goes beyond its original intent. Many students used SYATP to advocate religion for other students in the school. If the prayer does not interfere with the actual school day, the students have a right to practice their religion at the flagpole. The event should be curtailed if it grew so large that other students were pressured into joining or could not go about their school day in a normal manner. Also, it seems to me this would be significantly more controversial if students were of a non-Christian religion. If an Islamic group met on school grounds, the community, parents, and faculty would be outraged. SYATP is organized by students, but faculty often participates in the event. In positions of authority, they should not be involved in religious practices within the school. SYATP is a religious event that takes place on school grounds yearly, hoping to promote Christian belief within the schools. It is their right to practice religion as they see fit, but once that hinders anyone else’s education it is no longer an acceptable practice.
Posts
2 comments:
SYATP was done at my high school every once in a while. My school was pretty large and there weren't very many students who participated, so it really wasn't a big deal at the time. Or at least I didn't think so. I agree with the original post in that it could cause a problem with teachers participating as they are to appear secular and participating in such a christian event could influence students. I also found it interesting that if this were another religion it may cause a problem, I can see how that could be true. We may not see it a 'no big deal' if it were the Muslims or the Jehovah's Witness groups. We seem to make exceptions for those religions we feel comfortable with.
I agree with the notion that teachers, administrators, or those in positions of authority should not be involved; it gives the impression that the school is endorsing the practice and the faith in general. It could also make students who did not participate feel uncomfortable around those teachers during class. I agree that this is walking a very fine line between offering a meeting place for students of the same faith, and bringing religion into a public realm. What happens when SYATP groups begin to pray for the outcome of school board decisions, or for specific classmates?
Post a Comment