Separation of Church and State

1. Separation of Church and State Thesis Statements To keep church and state as separate as possible because if church and state merged, the government would be extremely biased and there would be no true freedom, religious or other-wise.

2. People & Events: Church & State May 2010 • In Texas, the state-wide Board of Education decided to change the social studies curriculum so that only certain bits of history were taught. This way, most students would know about women who adhere to their gender roles, the Confederacy, some parts of the Constitution, capitalism, the military and religion. But this left out the women who demanded greater equality; other parts of the Constitution; slavery. Reconstruction and the unequal treatment of nonwhites generally; environmentalists; labor unions; federal economic regulation; or foreigners.

3. Due to this, basically most of the American history was left out to teach a celebratory history of the US and almost nothing important. This is because the Texas Board of Education wanted to display the US as a Christian nation. Here is a reason why the separation between church and state need to be more separate. The only difference between this and book burning is that the books are left somewhere with no one using them.

4. Due to this, not only does it limit what the teachers can teach and leave most of the students in Texas unprepared for life in Texas, or anywhere else, but it also means that the curriculum would change in many states because Texas has the most schools in a state, thus requiring the book sellers to find a lot of different books.

5. First Amendment FeudPeople & Events: Church & State March 2011 • "If you are a member of any group, be it your family, your community or your government," he told Church & State, "and that group is involved in conduct that is detrimental, if you don't speak out against it, you are condoning it with your silence.” – Ralph Stewart • On January 13th 2008, Ralph Stewart went to court because he was denied placing posters about the separation of church and state, among other articles, from being posted in the court house while others were placing posters of the ten commandments and articles saying that the American law system is based off of the ten commandments freely.

6. That same year, the ten commandments were removed and a clause was placed that anything posted by citizens or citizen groups had to relate to the history of the area or the court system. But by November, a Johnson County citizen, Scott Teague, found a new way to place the ten commandments under then new policy. In the summer of 2010, Ralph Stewart was again denied to place his posters displaying quotes from history approving of the separation of church and state.

7. “I don't think it's right that I have been prevented from expressing my views, while others are able to do so freely,” said Stewart.’! really don't want this to happen to others who hold different beliefs from the majority.” Because of a lack of separation between church and state here, a man’s freedom is being suppressed.

8. People & Events: Church & State April 2011 • Around the country, students have used the Equal Access Act to start after school Christian clubs freely, but when other students did the same thing to make after school atheist or humanistic clubs, trouble was caused. These students wanted to make these clubs so that like minded individuals could socialize with each other, yet the school’s officials tried to shut them down because they thought they were being hateful to the religious clubs. They believed this only for the pure fact that it was atheist and not Christian.

9. Students have also tried to set up gay-strait clubs at schools. At Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas decided to close all student run clubs instead of allowing one gay-strait club. In the year of 1998 in Grand Blanc, Michigan, a student tried to make an atheist club at his high school. But when the school didn’t allow it for religious reasons, that student contacted Americans United (AU). AU then sent their attorneys to discuss with the school officials and they quickly allowed the club.

10. If a student can’t feel free to talk about his beliefs or make a group that believe as he does all because it was a minority belief, that student’s freedom is being taken away from him for no good reason. If church and state become one, many Americans’ freedoms will be drastically reduced, nearly 40 percent.

11. People & Events: Church & State July/August 2011 • In June of 2011, Texas Governor Rick Perry was sponsoring and promoting a prayer rally in Texas. AU urged him to drop these acts. Governor Rick Perry also tried to convince the other 49 governors to attend the event. During this event he wanted attendees to fast, bring a bible, and pray for the country for all its troubles. As a rebuttal to AU’s complaint about this the governor replied that he meant it as an invitation to all people so that the love of “the living Christ” to wash over them.

12. It turns out that this event is being run by some of the more extreme leaders of the Religious Rights group, including the American Family Association and Pastor Jim Garlow, a California preacher that has lead the Religious Rights group before. Also turns out that the event is backed by the International House of Prayer. Due to the governor’s defending of this, not only is the AU protesting, but also the Secular Coalition for America, the Texas Freedom Network, the Houston Clergy Council, and many others have protested to this.

13. Also, the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, scorned Perry for “aligning with groups that, on a daily basis, seek to demonize” gays and lesbians. Both the American Family Association and the International House of Prayer have engaged in attacks on gays over the years.

14. People & Events: Church & State January 2009 • A holiday sign erected by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) at the Legislation Building in Olympia, Washington was stolen and tossed into a ditch when a riot broke out about the display of the sign. The sign was saying that religion was all myths and superstitions. The FFRF was allowed to display the sign after a local man was allowed to display a nativity scene at the same building. Bill O’Reilley had posted that the sign needed to be removed because it was insulting Christians around the world.

15. He also commented that it was the governors fault that it was allowed. He had his facts wrong, it was actually the fault of the Religious Rights group that had allowed the sign because the nativity scene was also set up. All because a sign was erected that made Christians mad, made them think they had the right to tear it down. This does not give them that right. Later, the Religious Rights group was saying the Americans United (AU) was trying to ban any public display of religion.

16. The Religious Rights group was also saying that they were making a “war on Christmas.” “The best holiday present we could get this year would be for the Religious Right to stop using Christmas as a club to bash others,” said Lynn. “The Religious Right is making a mockery of the season with a litany of stunts cheaper than dollar store wrapping paper.” To think, that if government and religion was intertwined, the US would become a “Christian Nation.” If this happened, about 40 percent of the citizens would have their rights taken from them because they have a different point of view.

17. Beyond the Wall of Separation: Church-State Concerns in Public Schools • Public schools country wide have had problems of what to allow and what not to allow when it comes to religion in public schools. For example, some school board meetings were started off with a prayer session which was unconstitutional yet having student led prayers at sports events on school property was allowed. There are two clauses that are supposed to separate this; the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.

18. The Establishment Clause says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. The Free Exercise Clause says that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. According to these clauses, teachers and staff are not allowed to teach or wear anything that is considered “proselytizing.” Some courts are arguing about allowing the pledge of allegiance in the schools because of the phrase “Under God” which was added in 1954 because of the atheistic communists.

19. Others have argued about having the theory of evolution being taught in school instead of intelligent design. Personally, I believe that the theory of evolution is better to teach rather then intelligent design because this theory has more proof to it then intelligent design.

20. Bibliography • "People & Events." Church & State 63.5 (2010): 17-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Jan. 2012. • Bathija, Sandhya. "First Amendment FEUD: An East Tennessee Man Tangles With Local Officials - And The 'Ten Commandments Warriors' - To Defend Church-State Separation." Church & State 64.3 (2011): 7-9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Jan. 2012. • "People & Events." Church & State 64.4 (2011): 16-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Jan. 2012. • "People & Events." Church & State 64.7 (2011): 17-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Jan. 2012. • "People & Events." Church & State 62.1 (2009): 14-20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Feb. 2012. • McCARTHY, MARTHA. "Beyond The Wall Of Separation: Church-State Concerns In Public Schools. (Cover Story)." Phi Delta Kappan 90.10 (2009): 714-719. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Jan. 2012.