Religion in schools
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America reads: " Congress shall make on law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This amendment is commonly called the Establishment Clause. It forms the foundation of the right of every American to practice their chosen religion freely and without interference of the government. This idea of freedom of religion has been stated plainly in the Constitution, but is vague on the questions raised about the meaning of religious freedom. In 1947, the Supreme Court issued a statement emphasizing the separation of church and state. But one of the questions that is raised is, when is prayer appropriate? Is it separation of church and state when congress opens each session with a Christian prayer or when they swear-in government officials with a bible? For some people in Congress this raises serious questions about when prayer is or isn't appropriate. In 1962, the Supreme Court decided that public schools didn't have the power to authorize school prayer. It was stated that religion is private and schools are public. Any prayer in school goes against the basis in which our country was formed upon. America came into e
This is not the case, because students can worship however the students wish, even during school hours as long as the students don't disturb other classmates. " Applying the same analogy in the 1962 & 1963 cases there left little doubt in the courts judgement that a violation of the Establishment Clause relating to the separation between church and state occurred. On the contrary, it doesn't discourage; it actually prevents offense and alienation of students who have viewpoints, which conflict with the established religion. " 2) The second case involved the School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania v. Also, many people believe that it is the students' parents, and not the responsibility of the school system, to teach the students matters of ethics. The people that disagree with the Supreme Court feel the freedom of speech is under attack. An example would be since the court has outlawed prayer in school the divorce rate has climbed, teenage pregnancy has increased, abortions have doubled, and crime is now ramped in all cities. The third and most important argument is that the First Amendment doesn't actually separate state and religion, but encourages religion. Constituting the above rulings in context to the courts' ability to see the importance of separation of church and state. I believe the Supreme Court was being narrowed minded on this issue. The moment of silence failed the first test. Six states now permit silent moments: Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama.
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Acceptance Essays
