Religion In Public Schools

The issue of the Separation of Church and state has been a frequent topic that has been discussed by the Supreme Court for over 150 years. Is the separation of church and state still essential in general, legal, and social aspects of a modern society such as the United States? Research and history have shown that keeping the church separate from the government is important for the ongoing success of a free and well functioning society. We all have our religious freedoms and the overall decision has been debated by both sides with understanding arguments. The members of our federal government have established a series of rules for the idea of a free and prosperous society. The most controversial clause in the First Amendment of our Constitution states that no law will ever support a religion or forbid those who exercise their religious beliefs has been nationally debated ever since the First Congress began meeting.

Our constitution has been changed and altered because of the effects of the modern controversy. When the founding fathers set up our nations guidelines they never intended to create a Christian nation. The citizens used to display crosses and the American flag and they

barely disagreed with it “Our founding fathers were believers who saw the need to keep neighbors from turning on neighbors because of their own personal beliefs” (Welton, Lynn, Barry).One of the founding fathers Thomas Jefferson felt like he didn’t need have the constitutional authority to guide people in their religious beliefs. Having been strongly influenced by Virginia, the states in the south had decided to revise the constitution and annul all of the Churches. They then rewrote the constitution and they removed God’s name. From the beginning Christians would have differentiated church and state, Jesus declared “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18.36) the church fathers and the catholic church distinguished the church from civil government.
Whether or not church and state should be divided didn’t begin until around the 19th century as for today it is a serious topic among both the separationists and accommodationists alike. The people who push for the separation of church feel that either the state or the federal government can set up churches or support religion; there shouldn’t be any governmental funding into religious displays such as praying in schools. The other sides oppose the separation between church and state, they go on exactly as it stated in the first amendment. Where in the text of the First Amendment it doesn’t say anything about the separation of church and state. This side supports the governmental funding of the religious schools and associations, and the support of the religious displays. Some would argue that church and state must have different personnel “If we seek the authority of Christ in this matter, there is no doubt that he wished to bar the ministers of his word from civil rule and earthly authority”. (Hamburger)
The First Amendment holds great meaning for the American people because it gives us our freedom to be able to express whatever religion you choose.

Within our public schools this is a mail political issue because of this Amendment. The conflict in the public schools about the separation of church and state and people feel that the First Amendment is being violated by allowing direct prayer “The U.S. Supreme Court has been vigilant in forbidding public schools and other agencies of the government to interfere with Americans' constitutional right to follow their own consciences when it comes to religion” (Baker). They feel that this is a breach because, in the public schools you can not have prayer, bible readings, or moments of silence they are all banned according to the First

Amendment.
The Separation of church and state is a political and legal document which states that the government and institutions are trying to be kept divided and independent from each other. The church should not decide the decisions made by the rule of the law and how the government functions. This idea refers to secular state which is understood as the combination of two principles, secularity of government and freedom of religious beliefs and practices. There are many beliefs on the proper relationship between the religion and government and they cover a wide range. One idea of complete secularization of government, and the other being a theocracy, the government and church are unified underneath one central leadership. Numerous issues and differences are raised along this path. The most important is the division between the two unique ideas of government secularization and the church independence. The early settlers to the American colonies were driven mainly by the desire to worship freely in their own way. These ideas included a mass number of nonconformists like the Puritans and the Pilgrims, as well as Catholics.
An example of this come from The Americans United for the Separation of Church and State foundation or the AU, this organization believes that our modern day societies are to be as successful as possible and that the religion and government should not be directly related. Such as the use of ‘In God We Trust’ in the national motto and ‘under God’ in our Pledge of Allegiance, they may be kind and unimportant to many people. However others are offended by these statements and that government should avoid endorsing either religion even if it is an unbiased manner. The state uses religion for ceremonial purposes to have the effect of absolving religion of its power and meaning. This is a difference between religion and government to protect people that want to practice their religion in public rather than. A clear distinction between religion and government may better protect people that want to practice religion in a society rather than dishearten it. We all should be mindful not to interfere with the rights of the First Amendment that every citizen may share the same rights and liberties.
Another reason that it benefits the separation between church and state can be seen when we think about the other countries. We always hear terrible news come in from places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and other violent areas where religion often collides with the politics. The U.S was founded of the beliefs of freedom and religion, and there shouldn’t be any influence from the government for the church. In the past many governments had been closely tied to a state mandated religion. This shows how keeping up a separation between the church and the state validates the valid concerns between both sides and it is still successfully instituted today. In different regions of the earth such as the Middle-East, is where many countries practice theocracy, and it often leads to the violence “Islam as a religion is incompatible with the values of freedom and democracy”(Tuininga). The church has influence over the government in these countries in the fact limited the freedoms of religion and theology.
We all have the right to believe in what we do, nobody can ever take that away from us. But there is always going to be those people who don’t support it and they try to shut it down because they don’t believe in our beliefs. In conclusion, our nation has had a long lasting democracy that is directly related to the fact that it assures its peoples freedom to worship and practice their religion. Creating an official religion of the state and government would take away one of the great freedoms that we, as Americans, are granted. So maintaining religion and government separate is ideal for a free and just society is our best plan of action.