Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2002

Abstract

Two of the twentieth century's most controversial Supreme Court decisions held that public schools could not sponsor devotional prayer and Bible reading as part of their educational program. Yet, whether to begin school with a few minutes of devotional practice matters far less than what schools teach about religion, one of the most nettlesome issues of church-state relations in a liberal democracy. This question has received comparatively little attention from constitutional lawyers, because the Supreme Court has declared that teaching about religion is acceptable and has not addressed challenges to programs educators have labeled in this way. Many citizens, of course, still resent the idea that schools cannot present Christianity, or theocratic religion, or whatever religion people in the community favor, as true; but even persons who agree that schools should not present religious ideas as true diverge in their opinions about what schools should do. At one end of the spectrum are those who want public schools to virtually ignore religion – leaving the subject to the home and to private institutions. At the other end of the spectrum are those who urge that schools, though refraining from teaching any official doctrine, should present religious worldviews in a full way. In most schools, present practice now lies close to the former end of the spectrum – very little is said about religion. Thoughtful commentators have argued that this approach is unfair and even unconstitutional – that schools should teach much more about religion.

Disciplines

Educational Administration and Supervision | Education Law | Law

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