NOTE: This student essay is written by Lizette Aparicio. Lizette, the daughter of Frank and Terry Aparicio, is an eighth grade student at Pigeon Forge Middle School, Pigeon Forge. She is a first-generation American, the child of Cuban immigrant parents. From her parents, she has learned about freedom in America and obedient service to God. Lizette is strongly patriotic and has deep faith in and love for God. She worships at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Pigeon Forge.

We live in an era of technological advances and medical discoveries, but the world around us is surrounded by discrimination, abuse of power, lack of moral principles, crime, poverty, war and a lot more. We often hear the expression, "This world is coming to an end," or our parents' saying, "Things are not how they used to be." But what is different I will tell you: God, not the most of him, but the lack of him.

Lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace, with the fear of being not "politically correct."

People believe what the newspapers say but question what the Bible says.

We can use public facilities to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as "viable means of birth control." If someone is offended, no problem. However if anyone uses a school facility to ask God to bless a sports event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is violated.

If we are willing to give up freedom of conscience so easily at home, than what are we fighting for in other countries?

Many educators shy away from teaching religious facts in their curriculum, because they fear offending a person who is not included in this data.

Apparently we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except God and His commandments.

Since 1963 morning prayer and Scripture reading was legislated out of the classroom and it was replaced by a "moment of silence" (which is actually not enforced or respected in the majority of the schools). Statistics show the following results:

1. Divorce Rate Doubled
2. Murder Rate Tripled
3. Forty Million Fellow Americans aborted
4. The illegitimacy rate quintupled
5. The rate of serious child abuse increased twenty fold
6. SAT scores declined ninety eight points

It is beyond dispute that our Constitution guarantees that government may not coerce anyone to support or participate in a specific religion, but it clearly establishes "Freedom of Religion"... Freedom to pray and worship as our hearts desire.

It is my hope that the moment of silence in school should be replaced by prayer, in an open and universal way. Bring God into our day, ask God for His blessing. Thank God for His mercy. Just God. God is universal. He is the God of Christians (Protestants and Catholics), of the Jews, of the Muslims and of the Hindus. Prayer motivates everyone. We all need that big booster in the morning to start the day.

We could study the basics of each religion and agree that they all believe in Faith, Hope and in Love. We could teach children in school about understanding, compassion, tolerance, respect, obedience, moral principles and help bring our youth back to real values; to the values that should not change with time or technology.

It is about time that the people of this great and BLESSED nation take the stand and fight for OUR rights, for what we believe.

It does not matter that we are students, that we are underage. OUR VOTE COUNTS. We are one strong voice requesting our values back, our principles back, and God back where he belongs, with us, in our schools.