Separation of Church and State

Paper Summary:

Throughout our nation's history ,there has been much disagreement over the role of religion in our country, primarily in the government and in our public school system. In recent years, the controversy over the role of religion in our public schools has been refreshed by various Supreme Court cases, such as Lemon vs. Kurtzman 1971, Engle vs. Vitale 1962, Abingdon Township vs. Schempp 1963, and McCollum vs. Champaign Board of Education 1948. After examining the rulings of these cases, this paper argues that a school prayer amendment is absolutely unnecessary and repetitive; it would only conflict with the long-established, constitutional policy to separate church and state and would interfere with student's rights to have no religious pressure.

From the Paper:

"According to the Analysis of Supreme Court Cases by the Library of Congress, students maintain the right to engage in daily prayer rituals at anytime, distribute religious literature, talk to students about religious belief, wear religious clothing and symbols, and discuss religion in class and in reports (974). By allowing student initiated school prayer, the government is not imposing on a student's right to free speech in any way. Government supported school prayer, however, is unconstitutional because it inhibits students rights to have any type of religious or non-religious beliefs. Such activity should not be allowed in a state-funded environment such as a public school."

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