Faith of Our Forefathers
Ask someone how he (or she) feels about religion in school and it is likely that the question will evoke strong sentiments. Perhaps religion in school creates such a schism because of political stances or maybe it's because parents simply want to know just what little Johnny or Katie is learning.
We begin very simply by looking at the ever-popular First Amendment, which in part unequivocally states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." It is the only Amendment within the Bill of Rights that boldly prohibits government action.
In 1802, our third United States President, Tom Jefferson wrote in a letter to a group of Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut that the purpose of the First Amendment was to build a wall of separation between Church and State. Perhaps this was the beginnning of that very popular phrase used today. When we look at the early decisions, it was apparent that the Justices looked to Jefferson's pronouncement, as we are told in the First Amendment's annotations.
In a 1947 decision, the Court opined that "the Establishment Clause forbade not only practices that aided one religion or preferred one religion over another, but it also forbade those practices that aided all religions."
There are some Justices sitting on the current Supreme Court (typically in the minority, so far), who argue that the prohibition is only against "preferential" governmental promotion of some religion; but, an allowance is made for all religion in general. The majority of the Court (so far) has rejected that argument
Currently, the Court is weighing the merits of a religious group's use of a public school, after hours, for proselytizing. What makes that case so intriguing is that the Supremes are venturing into new territory, in that the group in question is composed of 6 to 12 year olds. Proselytizing in public colleges and universities has already received the Supreme blessing.
Another case, recently decided, warrants a few words - especially since the facts evolved practically in my own backyard. Here's the deal. A Santa Fe, Texas high school student, who had been elected student counsel chaplin, would lead the fans at home football games in a pre-game prayer. Several of the students and their parents, who were of faiths different than the majority of students, filed a lawsuit in Federal District court, pursuant to the Establishment Clause.
The judicial process is typically a long one, especially when we're talking about involving the U.S. Supremes. And, while the case was pending, Santa Fe Independent School District thought it would be a good idea to change its way of doing things - sorta (one can't help but to wonder why they would choose to do so in midstream; but I digress).
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