[danek]

I think you have it backwards. Abolishing prayer in school is not authoritarianism and doesn’t reduce personal freedom. You’re still free to pray on your own at school. Having an official religion is authoritarian (unless it’s a religious school), and pressuring people to participate in a prayer is pressuring them to have less personal freedom (from your religion).

I guess authoritarians tend to view a policy which gives equal preference to everyone as an attack on their “special status” and a reduction of their freedoms.

[rayiner]

School prayer challenges have extended far beyond opposition to schools having an “official religion” or requiring students to participate in school prayer. For example, permitting student-led and student-initiated prayer in school-sponsored events has been held unconstitutional: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_Independent_School_....

If the majority of students in the school want to have a student-led prayer, in which individuals are not forced to participate, at a school event which happens to be a major life milestone, what is the “non-authoritarian” response? Allowing them to do so? Or preventing them from doing so?

[danek]

I’m no expert on this stuff but that Supreme Court judgement seems totally reasonable to me. Student-led optional prayer at an official school event doesn’t seem different from teacher-led prayer. I still have to sit around while a bunch of people around me participate in a sanctioned event to talk to some deity.

Note that you’re still not prevented from praying, you’re just not allowed to make it part of the agenda and shove it in everyone’s faces at an official event.

I really don’t see the problem, but as I mentioned before, authoritians likely view this as an infringement, while non-authoritarians see this as equalizing.

One way to think about it is would you want school prayer if you were in a minority religion?

[pattrn]

I completely agree with this, but the question didn't say "abolish forced prayer," or "abolish organized religion." It said to "abolish school prayer." I'm trying not to infer any context other than the literal interpretation of the words, which encompassed _all_ prayer. If the question used your phrasing, then it would not contain the bias that I mentioned.