A dear friend of mine gave this to me at church today. I have edited it a bit (removed one paragraph), but I think it is telling. Just this week, I was reading information about today’s teens gathered by a famous polling group. The poll was, I think, taken within the last 10 years and found that only 9% of American teens believe in absolute truth. And we wonder why things are falling apart.
By the way, I don’t blame teens for these sad numbers.
The prayer is not attributed to a person. It only says that it was written by a teen in Bagdad, Arizona. I don’t know if this is true, but the “prayer” is true in many places in our country.
CR
The New School Prayer:
Now I sit me down in school where praying is against the rule.
For this great nation under God finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites, it violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow, becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange, or green, that’s no offense; it’s a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise; prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall, might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate, God’s name is prohibited by the state.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, and the “unwed daddy” our Senior King.
It’s “inappropriate” to teach right from wrong, we’re taught that such “judgments” do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls, study witchcraft, vampires, and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No Word of God must reach this crowd.
It’s scary here I must confess, when chaos reigns school is a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make: should I be shot my soul to take.
Wings of the Wind 
A very sad truth about teens leaving the church. Those that stick face tremendous peer pressure to conform.
As an transplanted Arizonian i know about Bagdad Arizona. It is a mining town located well off the beaten path of Hiway 93. From Phoenix about 1 1/2 hour drive north on the main road to Vegas. The point is the place is remote so for this teen to write a prayer is something if it is indeed from a teen.
A lot of wisdom is in the prayer. A teen or anyone else should not have to live in the fear of being shot.
Hi Manny.
I did verify that Bagdad existed before I noted it in the post. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I don’t know if a teen actually wrote the prayer as it states, but it wouldn’t surprise me. An eighth grade student of mine wrote something much more complex.
I also thought the prayer summed things up pretty well. How many kids go to school each day fearing that they will be harmed? I bet it’s more than we can imagine.
God’s blessings…