Religious laws

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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
  
  
• "You don't believe in Separation of Church and State? Well, since you want your church to tell the government how to govern, does that mean the government can come into your church and tell you how to worship? Separation is for the protection of both." Zoe Anadon

Note:

This section should really be called "religion and state," so that it represents a wall of separation between all religions -- Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Wicca, etc. -- and the federal, state and municipal governments in the U.S. However, the term "church and state" is so well entrenched that we will continue to use it here.

This section discusses 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 and counties: 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   IRS conflicts with religious institutions 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 National Paralegal College has an excellent essay on freedom of religion and the Establishment Clause at: http://nationalparalegal.edu/
	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/

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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/
12. "Freedom of Religion," at: http://faculty.ncwc.edu/

Copyright © 1995 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Last updated 2011-DEC-10
Author: B.A. Robinson

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