SCHOOL PRAYER . . . SOME CLERGY SAY NO

A group of religious leaders -- most longtime supporters of church-state separation -- banded together today to lobby against the GOP's proposed constitutional amendment forschool prayer, saying that children can already pray in school if they wish and that tinkering with the First Amendment would encroach on people's right to worship as they chose. "I appeal to (incoming GOP House Speaker) Newt Gingrich: This is a wrongheaded, misguided, divisive agenda," said Rabbi David Saperstein of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Joining him were representatives of American Baptist Churches USA, Evangelical Lutherans, Seventh-Day Adventists, Presbyterians, United Methodists and Interfaith Impact, a coalition of 35 religious groups. TIME religion writer Richard Ostling notes the group includes few truly high-profile figures, but he says the move will likely establish a debate on school prayer within religious circles. "It isn't the religious folks against the non-religious infidels now," says Ostling. "I think they felt they had to move fast, because they lost (President Clinton) on the issue."Post your opinion on theWashingtonbulletin board.