The constitution is a set of laws set by the government to protect the nation’s rights. One of those rights is the First Amendment which discusses the prohibition of an established religion and allows the free exercise of religion. Thomas Jefferson had written a letter discussing the separation of church and state, which has resulted in many debates over the limitations of religion in the public schools (Hamburger). There is research that supports both the arguments that students can benefit academically from the influence of religion and from keeping religious teachings separate from public schools.
Early in America's history, when it first became a country, public schools were administrated by Protestants. As a result, Protestant prayers and services became incorporated into the curriculum. Even though this was a long time ago there was a conflict with this issue because Catholic students in the schools were being taught that Catholic teachings were not true. This caused many Catholic parents to sue public schools, but no change came of it. This is one of the reasons that there are many private Catholic schools today (Irvine 187). Years later, the theory of Creationism (founded on the Christian belief that God created man), which was being taught in schools, was challenged by Darwin’s theory of Evolution. Scopes v. Tennessee is a court case that came out of this dispute between Creationism and Evolution. A teacher, John Scopes, was accused by the Tennessee State for teaching Evolution as part of the science class curriculum (Settle 121).
Today religious ideals and practices are not taught by teachers in public schools, although there are after-school activities and clubs based on religion. Regardless, there are many people who...
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...he constitutional law separating religion from public schools should ensure that.
Works Cited
Dworkin, Roberts. “Bad Arguments: The Roberts Court & Religious Schools.” New York Review of Books. 12 March 2010: eBook.
Hamburger, Philip. Separation of church and state. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2002. eBook.
Irvine, Jacqueline, and Michele Foster. Growing Up in Catholic Schools. New York: Teachers College Press, 1996. 187.
King, Pamela. "Religion and Identity: The Role of Ideological, Social, and Spiritual Contexts" Applied Developmental Science 7.3 (2003): 197-204. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
< http://www.informaworld.com/10.1207/S1532480XADS0703_11 >
Marzilli, Alan. Religion in Public Schools. Chelsea: Chelsea House Publishers, 2004. eBook.
Settle, Mary Lee. The Scopes trial: The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes. New York: F. Watt, 1972. 121.
In cases having to do with constitutionality, the issue of the separation of church and state arises with marked frequency. This battle, which has raged since the nation?s founding, touches the very heart of the United States public, and pits two of the country's most important influences of public opinion against one another. Although some material containing religious content has found its way into many of the nation's public schools, its inclusion stems from its contextual and historical importance, which is heavily supported by material evidence and documentation. It often results from a teacher?s own decision, rather than from a decision handed down from above by a higher power. The proposal of the Dover Area School District to include instruction of intelligent design in biology classes violates the United States Constitution by promoting an excessive religious presence in public schools.
Mueller, Arnold C. "Religion in the Public Schools." In Church and State Under God, ed. Albert G. Huegli. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004.
Chapter three of Civil Liberties: Opposing Viewpoints inspired me to research today’s issues of school prayer. To understand how we got to where we are today, I first delved into our countries history of court cases pertaining to rulings on prayer in schools. Lastly, to update my audience on how our lives are being affected today, I directed my efforts toward finding current situations. By analyzing these situations, I gained knowledge for a better understanding of why society needs to be aware of these controversies. I don’t think there should be any form of organized prayer in today’s public schools.
Brandt, Anthony. "Do Kids Need Religion." The Presence of others: Voices and Images that Call for Response. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin’s 2000. 191-198.
Until the early 1960s, religion was accepted in most public school systems across our nation. One of the main purposes for school in early America was for religious purposes (Prothero). Benjamin Franklin stated, "It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand." Thomas Jefferson stated, "The question isn't what religion is true. The question is what religious traditions do we need to know something about in order to be an effective citizen." Something that can be beneficial to our nation should not be taken away. Even though religion offends some people, it should be allowed in public schools because of its influence on America and western civilizations, and its ability to help form closer relationships.
In recent years, teaching religion, or the individual practice of religion in school, has become a very controversial topic. There are many different views on this matter and even more opinions on how it should be handled. There are people on both sides of the spectrum; there are those who believe that it should be taught and allowed in school, and those who believe it should not be taught or practiced in school. If the practice of religion were an option in public schools, students may become more tolerant, as well as knowledgeable, of religions and cultures beyond their own. Secondly, a time interval during the day may be implemented into the school schedule to allow the practice of student’s personal beliefs. Finally, since prayer was eliminated from public school systems, the nation has seen a decrease in education and the increase in crime rate. Even though public schools today are without school prayer, most schools have replaced prayer with a "silent moment of reflection." Prayer should be established into schools, because it generates the exposure to other cultures, allows a calming period for students, and creates well-rounded individuals in society.
Amundson, Kristen J. Religion in the Public Schools. Arlington: American Association of School Administrators, c1986
The removal of prayer from public schools is a very controversial and misunderstood debate. This paper will address the history of the debate, common myths and misunderstandings, and the current trends.
Since the Age of the Enlightenment, the institution of religion has had to contend with the opposition of science regarding the issues of the origins of the world and of the human species. Up until around the end of the 17th century, the church was the authority on how the world and everything in it had come to be. However, with the great intellectual revolution came thinkers such as Galileo, Copernicus, Bacon, Descartes, and many others who challenged the biblical assumptions with empirically deduced scientific theories. The Catholic Church had a nasty habit of persecuting such ideological dissent toward creationism, calling it heresy and thereby somewhat suppressing a complete upheaval of the Scriptures. For many centuries to come, the scientific research grew and developed into theories like the Big Bang and evolution, though primarily in places where such progress was tolerated. The state of Tennessee in 1925 was not such a place. In the town of Dayton in Tennessee, a high school biology teacher was found to be in violation of a recently passed law, the Butler Act, because he taught the theory of evolution in his classroom. The debate that ensued has yet to be resolved, what with the modification of creationism into the theory of intelligent design. The argument in favor of creationism was solely based in scripture, though it had to be changed in light of its revamping, whereas the argument for evolution has only been strengthened by continued scientific discoveries.
Through many Supreme Court cases, decisions, and official statements, the United States Government has made it clear that study about religion is constitutional (Haynes 2). 3 main cases have explicitly shown the acceptability of religion in school. There have been many statements made Supreme Court Justices and the current president himself stating the permissibility of having religion taught in school. Guidelines have also been written and carried out for the use of religion in the public school system (Guidelines: U.S. Department of Education, 2)
The Constitution protects us, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. ” This also goes for the school system, people have the right to religious references. When America was founded, the religious freedom was what brought the pilgrims here in the first place. America was founded on the Christian religion and freedom. The persicution of the protestants in Europe had become so bad people left their homes and family to come to America so they could practice their religion however and whenever they chose. For example, the school did not let a student display a religious flag or hand out Bibles or tracs and public events the school would be going against the law of the land. Our Constitution was not drafted to be interpreted however nonreligious people want to interpret it. It was a guideline to show them how to run a country that provides freedom of religion and not to pick one religion over another they are all equal under the law.
The “establishment” or “religion” clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (Education Week, 2003, para. 2). It is from this clause that the idea of separation of church and state comes. It is also the basis for much of the debate regarding the practice of religion in public schools (Education Week, 2003). One of the big questions regarding the religion issue is where to draw the line between separation of church and state and religious freedom. The practice of religion in public schools can balance these two ends by allowing students to individually exercise their religious freedom, so long as they do not interfere with that of other students.
The argument over the separation of church and state has been an ongoing debate without a conclusion, and has always been a topic to speak on. Many people have strong opinions for or against the separation. While some believe that prayer in school is beneficial to the development of children and of their faith, others believe that it could completely criticize their faith by not giving the student the option to explore their beliefs. In the “Resistance to Civil Government” by Henry David Thoreau, the author is passionate about allowing people to beli...
To have prayer in the public school system is against the idea of separation of church and state. The state should not institute school prayer because the public schools are for education, not a place where religion should be taught (Gaylor, 1995, p. 1). The state should not force every child to say a prayer in the classroom because not everyone believes...
University of Michigan. “Religion in Schools: A look at how religious practices influence education.” .