Some of what has grown out of the idea of keeping religion out of the public schools seems perverse. Like textbooks that ignore the role of religious belief in shaping America. Like public institutions of higher education that accommodate all forms of student expression save those that are religious in nature. It's no wonder there's now a backlash from Christian conservatives. Freedom of religion shouldn't be twisted into freedom from religion, they say. They understandably don't want their children attending schools that are hostile to the creed that stands at the core of their own lives. But now, with these conservatives in ascendance, I'm afraid they're going to push the pendulum back too far. "Put prayer back in the schools" is the cry. For many, the fill-in-the-blank moment of silence isn't enough. They want to return to a collective voicing of religious sentiments of the kind that stirs their hearts. Like the good old days when Bible verses were read by teachers in America's public schools. This is, they declare, a Christian nation. What I'd like to ask these people is this: is your pushing for prayer in the public schools consistent with the Golden Rule? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is the central ethical tenet of the Christian faith. You are asked to place yourself in the other guy's position and ask: how would I feel? Yours is the majority religion in this country. You know if we "put God back into the schools," it will be your God. But how would that feel for people with a different religious world view? Put yourself in their place. How would you feel about "prayer in the schools" if this were a majority Hindu country? Or Muslim? Or Buddhist? Is having your children exposed to religious exercises, led by people the children are supposed to respect as teachers, and reflecting an alien religion-- is this what you would have others do unto you? I agree: the schools have no business squelching the kids' giving voice to their religious thinking. But the public schools themselves should stay entirely neutral among various beliefs, and between belief and disbelief. Our nation's founders understood the potential pain of religious minorities. When they separated church and state to protect such religious minotiries, far from betraying the religious heritage of our civilization, I'd suggest, our founders exemplified Christianity's highest moral commandment. ??