Jason Aldean thinks "prayer back in school would be huge." During an interview with Hook & Barrel Magazine, the country singer, 47, reflected on whether or not the United States "now more than ever, needs Jesus." Jason admitted that it's hard to say. "I don’t think things were better with our parents’ generation," he revealed when speaking to the publication. He does believe, however, that "it certainly was a simpler time."
The country singer believes that "taking prayer out of school was the beginning of the snowball."
A series of Supreme Court decisions starting in 1962 banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools. It was ruled that school prayer violated students' First Amendment rights. Students and educators have the right to pray privately if it is voluntary and not disruptive, notes the Anti-Defamation League. However, employees at public schools cannot "compel, coerce, persuade, or encourage students to join in the employee's prayer or other religious activity," reports NPR.
Oral prayer and Bible reading are prohibited in classrooms in public schools.
Jason believes that changes that he views as unfavorable started with "taking prayer out of school."
"They were like, 'We got that, now let’s go for something else,'" he said during the interview with Hook & Barrel.
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"I think prayer back in school would be huge," he continued. "I mean, do they even do the Pledge of Allegiance anymore? That was something I did every day."
While it's true that students are not required to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, that has been true since 1943, when the Supreme Court ruled that requiring public school students to recite or stand for the Pledge of Allegiance would violate their First Amendment rights.
Other men from the "Buck Commander" group of celebrities, including Tyler Farr, decided that maybe people do "need Jesus" more now.
"We need a lot of things, but that would be a good start," Jason commented.
