Prayer in School: A Place Where Silence Is Golden

Prayer in School: A Place Where Silence Is Golden

Regarding the front-page articles "Dixie States Push Prayer as a Class Act" and " 'Religious Equity' Goes Far Beyond Classroom Prayer," June 12: Those who insist on a public display of piety might consider the words of Jesus: "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men ... But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6: 5, 6). We might ask ourselves if making demands for school prayer is truly religious. Perhaps we should all remain silent, each one speaking to God from the heart instead of letting others do the praying for us.

Peter Yff Muncie, Ind.

The Fed's pricey trade-off

Regarding the opinion-page article "Thanks for the Slowdown, but Did We Really Need It?" June 5: While the author is correct to take the Fed to task for holding interest rates too high and growth rates too low, he is completely off the mark in suggesting that a slightly higher inflation rate would be an acceptable trade-off.

Brazil's Finance Minister Pedro Milan recently said it is "the cruelest and most oppressive tax on the poor." The Fed wants to hold economic growth to the increase in population (1 percent) plus the increase in productivity (1.5 percent) to prevent inflation. With the fate of our $7 trillion economy hinging on how well the Fed understands productivity, we should make sure that this issue remains in the national dialogue.

David P. Tomell Geneva, Ill.