Alabama bill could bring ‘Judeo-Christian' prayer to the classroom
ALABAMA (WHNT) — A bill in the Alabama House would require students to start their school day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and then saying a prayer.
Alabama House Bill 231 defines the type of prayer as needing to be 'consistent with Judeo-Christian values.' The bill's sponsor Rep. Reed Ingram said he believes the U.S. was founded on Christian principles.
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'We've got to get back to the basics of who we are in this country,' Ingram said. 'This country was built on God. This country was built on the flag.'
State lawmakers have taken steps to bring religion into schools before, and Alabama voters have been supportive in the past. In 2018, more than a million people voted to allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed at state-owned properties, including public schools.
Rev. Julie Conrady, a minister of the Unitarian Universalist Churches of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, said Alabama students represent a wide variety of religious values.
'None of these religious groups have one way to pray,' Conrady said.
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Conrady pointed out that even Christian sects disagree about how best to pray.
Conrady also serves as the president of the Interfaith Alliance of Central Alabama. The organization unites leaders from different faiths, supporting religious freedom and democracy. Interfaith Alliance leaders spoke in Montgomery this month, concerned that HB 231 would violate the freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment.
'Certainly mandating a prayer for students in a captive situation, in a public school setting, is placing legislators, teachers and principals in the place of clergy leaders making the best decisions for their communities, as well as parents getting to make the decision,' Conrady said. 'You know, how and if and when their children pray and learn how to pray.'
According to the bill, a school could lose 25% of its funding from the state if students are not saying the pledge and a prayer.
Ingram said he is considering amending the bill, loosening some of the language that would strictly require students to pray. However, he said he believes it is good to expose students to Christian prayer.
'At least they'll have that option to where they can pray or not pray,' Ingram said. 'It'll help on people's ethics. It will help on people's crime. It'll help on patriotism as far as this country.'
The legislation proposes an amendment to the state constitution, so if it passes the legislature, Alabamians will have the opportunity to vote on it. The bill has passed a House committee, and Ingram said he hopes it will be voted on by the full House soon.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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