Well, for a good 200 years in this country people didn't have that problem. The folks that wrote up the Constitution knew that teacher led Bible reading and prayer were going on in schools in the young country and didn't have an issue with it or they would have put a stop to it then and there. They would have certainly spoken up then if they thought that it was violating the intent of the First Amendment because they, of all people, knew what they meant when they wrote it up, and they didn't. So it looks like your interpretation is what's flawed here.
For Agnostics, Atheists, Hundus, Wiccans, Muslims, Zoroastrians and various other faiths, being forced to pray and read the religious book of a different faith is a violation of their 1st Amendment rights, especially when done with taxpayer money.
No it isn't. The First Amendment is only about Congress and what it is and isn't allowed to do to interfere with religious activity. But by using that argument, then my rights as a taxpaying Christian are being violated because secular humanism (basically the religion of atheism) is being forced on the kids in school and my taxes are being used to endorse a religion I don't agree with.
Congress outlawing prayer and Bible reading in school would be what's unconstitutional.
Besides, teacher led Bible reading and prayer is not forcing the kids who don't want to participate to do so. Another fallacy.... that hearing something is the same as being compelled to participate. It's not.
The 14th Amendment applies the limitations to the States. So, state and local governmental bodies can't mandate Bible reading or study in schools, either.
But by using that argument, then my rights as a taxpaying Christian are being violated because secular humanism (basically the religion of atheism) is being forced on the kids in school and my taxes are being used to endorse a religion I don't agree with.
Schools should be religion-neutral. They should not teach or promote any religion nor should they promote atheism (of course, there is nothing wrong with discussing the effects of religion in history, literature or other relevant subjects).
Besides, teacher led Bible reading and prayer is not forcing the kids who don't want to participate to do so. Another fallacy.... that hearing something is the same as being compelled to participate. It's not.
It's promotion of one faith over another through the use of taxpayer dollars, which is unconstitutional. You are compelling non-Christian taxpayers to pay for Christian proselytizing. Would you object to a school in a heavily Muslim area having teachers lead in Koran reading and prayer during school hours?