Religion In Schools

5 Pages 1306 Words

The Founding Fathers Had the 1st Amendment…
and the Last Word

On December 15th, 1791, our “founding fathers” ratified the Bill of Rights, which have been both the basis of our freedoms and the basis of our limitations. In particular, the 1st Amendment, and more specifically, the first two clauses: “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” At the time this was written, the new Americans were trying to do everything they could in order to ensure that our government’s power was as limited as possible. The thought of England’s power was frightening and disturbing. But since the Bill of Rights was written, we have had to face many problems that force us to interpret the words, which were purposely made vague. Much like anything we read, we have to interpret the meaning to apply it to a certain situation. So when it comes to allowing religion in the public schools, how do we decide if it is constitutional or not?
Again, the constitution says, “Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Literally, it says that congress can not “establish” a religion. To me, this means that congress cannot say that, for instance, everyone must be a United Methodist. However, we interpret that “establish” means that congress cannot “accept or recognize” (Merriam-Webster on Establish) one particular religion.
So let’s ask a question about religion in schools. “Can we open class with prayer?” The answer: not according to the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the first clause of the 1st amendment. Why is it then, that every Wednesday a group of us gathered around the flagpole in front of my public high school, Boyle County, to pray? Not only that, but before school there was a bible study in the library and praise music in the cafeteria, in addition to the bi-weekly F.C.A....