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"Separation of church and state" issues

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Quotation:

"When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs. A government cannot be premised on the belief that all persons are created equal when it asserts that God prefers some." Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. ₁

This section includes the following topics:

	Introduction to the concept of separation of church and state, and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
	Religion in the U.S. public schools, libraries, etc. Praying, teaching religion, news items, etc.
	Unsuccessful Constitutional amendments during the 1990s to legalize public school prayer imposed by the school board The Istook Amendment (1995-1996) The Istook Amendment (1997) The Istook Amendment (1998-2001)
	Church/state separation issues by local, state & federal governments: Primarily by municipalities: Nativity displays, state/municipality mottos, symbols, crests, school and city council prayers, etc. By state governments By the U.S. Federal Government: Air Force Academy, Veterans' Admin., Chaplain service, and Bureau of Prisons
	Other issues: Congress moves to limit separation of church and state Supreme Court limits separation: "Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation" Reactions to this case Public opinion polls on church/state separation issues Repudiation of separation of church and state by the Missouri house U.S. Rep. advocates for Christian-only congress and legislatures U.S. agencies active in church/state separation God in the European Union constitution

Related essays:

	Laws regarding religious freedom
	The Bible and public prayer
	"Charitable choice" - Government funding of religious programs
	Quotes about the wall of separation

Helpful Resources

	The Yahoo! search engine has a entire directory on church-state issues at: http://dir.yahoo.com/
	Plucked Strings: Liberal Christian Voices sells shirts, art, stationery and more. They have a "Separate Church and Hate" aisle at: http://www.cafepress.com/

Sponsored links:

Other references:

1. U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Agostini v. Felton (1997), at: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/

2. E.S. Gaustad, "Faith of Our Fathers: Religion and the New Nation", Harper & Row, New York, NY, (1987)
3. James Davidson and Os Guiness, editors, "Articles of Faith, Articles of Peace: The Religious Liberty Clauses and the American Public Philosophy". Hunter, Washington DC (1990).
4. A.A. Lipscomb & A.E. Bergh, editors, "The Writings of Thomas Jefferson", Washington, (1907), Vol. 16, P. 281
5. Kristen J. Amundson, "Religion in the Public Schools", American Assn. School Administrators, 1986-JUN, ISBN: 087652109X
6. Richard McMillan, "Religion in the Public Schools : An Introduction" , Mercer University Press, 1984-SEP, ISBN: 0865540934
7. Deborah Mayo-Jefferies, "Religious Freedom in the Education Process: A Research Guide to Religion in Education (1950-1992)", William S Hein & Co., 1994-JUN, ISBN: 0899418716
8. J.W. Whitehead, "The rights of Religious Persons in Public Education", Crossway, Wheaton, IL, (1994)
9. Mary Leonard, "Religion and Politics: Christian soldiers march onward - and wayward", Boston Globe, Boston Ma, 1997-MAR-9
10. Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, 200 Maryland Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002, (202) 544-4226
11. Lemon vs. Kurtzman, Supreme Court ruling (1971) at: http://cns-web.bu.edu/pub/dorman/lemon_v_kurtzman.html 
12. "Freedom of Religion," at: http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/410/410lec10.htm 

Copyright © 1995 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Last updated 2009-SEP-05
Author: B.A. Robinson

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