Religion In Public Schools: Epperson V. Arkansas

Words: 1668
Pages: 7
Open Document
The American Constitution refers to religious freedom as being able to practice the religion of your choice without it being forced upon you. Either individuals chose what religion to practice or they practice no religion at all. There have been controversial impacts when it comes to religious freedom. Implications for federalism related to religious freedom include banning schools from teaching religion and allowing political candidates to make their religion known. Religious freedom also has some implications related to civil rights. In 1993 the RFRA was passed which limited the government’s ability to enforce legislation that infringes upon religious freedom. Same sex couples have recently experience some issues when it comes to marriage. …show more content…
An example of a positive implication is banning schools from teaching religion in public schools. Public schools must follow the restrictions outlined in the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution. The Constitution includes religious clauses. Those clauses are the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment Clause which prohibits the government from establishing a religion. “The Free Exercise Clause protects citizens' right to practice their religion as they please, so long as the practice does not run afoul of a "public morals" or a "compelling" governmental interest” (n.d.). A case I found supporting this argument is Epperson v. Arkansas. Arkansas passed a law which bans teachers in public schools from teaching any type of religion. They were also prohibited from using religious material and teaching human evolution. Epperson was a school teacher with the argument that her freedom of speech was violated along with the Establishment Clause. The case “settled once and for all the constitutionality of outlawing the teaching of evolutionary theory in the classroom, but it did not end the quest of fundamentalists to change school curriculum to conform to a literal reading of the Bible” (Larson, 1989). On the other hand, there are also negative implications of federalism related to religious freedom. An example of this would be prisons not allowing inmates to do certain things that involves their religion. An example of this is the case of Holt v. Hobbs. Holt was incarcerated in an Arkansas prison. Based on his Muslim beliefs he felt that he should have a beard without it being cut. The policy of the Arkansas prison prohibited inmates from having facial hair more than a quarter inch due to medical reasons. Holt put in a request to be able to have his beard longer but was denied by the prison. “The RLUIPA provides that no government shall impose a
Show More

Related Documents: Religion In Public Schools: Epperson V. Arkansas

When I Describe The Separation Of Church, And Society

the U.S. government of one religion over another. The first approach is called the "separation" or "no aid" interpretation, while the second approach is called the "non-preferential" or "accommodation" interpretation. The understanding forbids Congress from preferring one religion over any other religion, but does not prevent the government's entry into religious domain to make adjustments in order to achieve the purposes of the Free Exercise Clause (EPPERSON v. ARKANSAS, 2014). When they prohibit…

Words 515 - Pages 3

Separation Of Church And State Research Paper

Separation of Church and State Separation of church and state is a term recognizing the distant relationship between organized religion and the government. This term came about after the reformation, a time when the Catholic Church in England was under turmoil and serious criticism by leaders such as Martin Luther. Through his expression of “two kingdoms” he provided a new type of government where the church would have no say in the laws of the nation and implementation of them. This theory was…

Words 2754 - Pages 12

Essay on First Amendment to the United States Constitution and u . s . Supreme Court

Locke’s Letter Concerning Toleration is published. It provides the philosophical basis for George Mason’s proposed Article Sixteen of the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776, which deals with religion. Mason’s proposal provides that “all Men should enjoy the fullest toleration in the exercise of religion.” 1708 Connecticut passes the first dissenter statute and allows “full liberty of worship” to Anglicans and Baptists. 1735 New York publisher John Peter Zenger is tried for libel after publishing…

Words 7937 - Pages 32

Science, Intelligent Design, And The Constitution

“Does God belong in public schools?” But the more specific question he addresses should be reformulated as follows: Taking as given that (a) religion has been and remains important in the lives of most people, (b) religion may be the basis upon which citizens make decisions in a democracy, (c) “any absolute priority for parental judgment is not a political tenet of modern liberal democracies” (33), (d ) a person cannot be fully educated without understanding the place of religion in human life, (e)…

Words 6559 - Pages 27