“If we ever forget that we are “One nation under God,” then we will be a nation gone under” -- Ronald Reagan (BrainyQuote). Ronald Reagan makes a great point. America was created as a place for religious freedom. Now that freedom is beginning to be stripped away from us. One of the biggest reasons is due to the argument concerning whether or not religion should be allowed in school. It is believed, by many, that allowing education and religion to coincide is going against the first amendment. This argument is one that dates back to the eighteen hundreds, and has yet to be resolved. It is an American citizen’s right to freely express and learn about religion wherever they please, including the public school system.
Many individuals believe that the first amendment prohibits religion to be taught or exercised in a public school setting. They believe this because they feel as if it infringes on an American citizen’s right. Often times there can be discrimination against minority groups. An example of this was after the 9/11 attack in New York. Discrimination against Sikh-Americans became increasingly worse because they were often accused of being allied with Al Qaeda. People are worried that if we do teach the religion in school, bullying will grow to become an even bigger problem (“Religion in Schools: A”).
The United States was founded by individuals looking for religious freedom. Since this was the basis of colonizing America, the leaders believed religion needed to be included in the constitution. James Madison became very involved in the process of deciding what was to be added into the Bill of Rights to protect the different religions. In the end of the rewriting and rewording, Madison’s amendment was finalized to say “Cong...
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The intercom comes on in a classroom first thing in morning and says “now kids, it is time for our prayer”. Every kid in the class joins hands and starts to respectfully pray. Once the prayer is finished, they all go back to work and are more unified together, right? That is usually not the case. More likely than not, only several kids in the class joins the prayer. Most kids then laugh at the others praying, breaking the bonds between the two. With religion being brought up in school, there are more possibilities for debate between children ending in violence. Three fourths of kids at my high school will not even recite the pledge of allegiance just because it says god in it. Public schools should not have any impact on religion. Christian Groups are sneaking religion into high schools.
The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States establishes religious freedom, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Against the Constitutional background, Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, wrote a Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom. The Bill was passed in the Virginia General Assembly in 1777. However, Jefferson thought that it was not enough to have a Constitutional provision that debars Congress from establishing a religion for all; it was equally important to separate the Church from the state to allow Religious Freedom, so that each and every one will practice their religions freely without government restrictions. Thus, he opposed the interference of the state in religious practices. Secondly, Jefferson argued that if the state was allowed to interfere with the affairs of the church it will give the government the power to persecute those who oppose its policies. The man, whose ideas and ideals have been shaped by experience and practice,...
Staver, Mathew D. "Allowing Religious Expression in School Protects Students' Rights." Students' Rights. Ed. Jamuna Carroll. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "New Federal Guidelines a Real Blessing for Public Schools." Liberator Mar. 2003: 1-4. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Benjamin Franklin once declared, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As a nation becomes more corrupt and vicious they have more need of masters." In nineteen sixty-two the Supreme Court of the United States pronounced that a prayer recited in the public school was abusing our freedoms . In the court's opinion this was an act in violation to the first amendment, which calls for "a separation of church and state.'' This ruling was later extended to include the use of the Bible as well. A Supreme Court Justice, Hugo Black, put it in this often quoted statement "Neither a state or the Federal government can set up a church. Nor can pass laws that aid one religion, all religions, or prefer one religion over another. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adapt to teach or practice religion." (686)
When the morning announcements come on and say, “Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance,” people normally don’t think anything of it, but to stand up and recite a few lines to something they learned in kindergarden. However, some people may feel it is wrong to say the Pledge based upon a religion that they practice. Requiring students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance does violate the First Amendment due to the fact that they are protected under the Freedom of Speech clause. This is seen through The Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow case, The West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette case, and The Massachusetts Supreme Court case. In the following cases, it is discussed whether or not it is fair to force students to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance while in school.
First, a student should be allowed to pray voluntarily at the beginning of each school day because the United States government was originally based on Christian principles. The Declaration of Independence, a document written to express the mission and purpose of this new country, states, ? We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that God endows them, with certain unalienable rights?..? Credit for the rights that Americans hold dear is given to God, the Creator, by the founding fathers of this Nation. In order to understand the basic fundamentals of the US form of government, students need to understand the religious teachings that influenced these early leaders; that is the creation, the providence of God and a final judgement day for accountability. Since the government was formed under these principles, it can only stay strong if students understand these beginnings. The first amendment states ?that congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof?? The first clause declares that the federal government cannot establish a common state church. Many of the US forefathers left Europe because they did not agree with nor want to be forced to support the established state church. The second part of this clause insures and encourages individual religious belief. The demonstration that religion is
Religion has always been a hot topic in today’s world. No matter where a person may go people are talking about it; except in public schools. School has such a big impact on children because they go everyday. In public schools they only talk about one subject regarding religion, one belief -evolution. Schools should have other options for students to learn about the existence of our world and the lives that occupy it. For example, creationism. Creationism is the belief that the universe and all living organisms originated by acts of divine power, as illustrated in the Bible.
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.
"God help, I'm so lost!" If you listen carefully, this is a common thought that is heard throughout many schools in the nation. Is this thought appropriate? The following statement clearly shows that the law allows students and adults to practice religion, but at the same time be respective of others and their beliefs even if they do believe or if they don't. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, or to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (First Amendment, The Constitution of the United States). Prayer is not normally permitted as a scheduled part of classroom activities, because it would result in the violation of the principle of church-state separation, which has been defined by court interpretations of the 1st Amendment to the U.S, Constitution. The separation principle is extended to Public school as an arm of the government, with an exception which can be permitted if, during the school year, a mixture of prayers, statements, etc are delivered, using material derived from a number of different religions and secular sources. So far, this has never been tried in a school or ruled upon by a court (Religion in Public).
There is a great deal of ongoing debate surrounding the issue of religion in public schools. When you consider the rights of all Americans under the Constitution’s First Amendment, it is outrageous for the United States of America to have “freedom of religion”, and then place excessive limitations on students and teachers in public schools. There are a growing number of people opposed to the idea of religion being in school for a variety of reasons, from which the Government’s solution was to impose restrictions on all religions and deny others their rights in the defense of protecting the rights of a few. Teachers and students of all faiths should be able to attend a public school and freely express their beliefs without these limitations being imposed.
passage of the bible." Bu t that had to stop. People didn't have the same
Religion should not be taken out of public schools that are funded by the government, because our government was based on religious principles from the very beginning. Our government was founded o...
...meone of their rights and taking them away. It is discrimination against whichever religion is not taught. While prayer and religion may help aid in development, not every child or every person will develop the same. Different backgrounds, including religion and culture, produce different results. Religion should not be allowed in public schools, it would cause more harm than it will do good.
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...