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GOD AND THE
CLASSROOM
by Levi Anthony
 For most of our history, the
separation of Church and State did not create much problems. God was much
a part of our classroom. Prayers were said, Bible verses were read every
morning and students across the country saluted the flag and recited the
Pledge of Allegiance.
All of this came to end in
the early 1960's when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a number of
religious practices saying that they violated the Establishment Clause of
the Constitution. By allowing these practices to take place the government
was promoting religion and thus violating the ban on separation of church
and state.
The landmark case that led to these rulings was in 1962 case Engel
v. Vitale .
ENGEL V. VITALE (1962)
It was customary for students in New
York State to recite the following prayer in school each morning:
"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon
thee , and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and
our country."
This prayer, composed by the New
York State Board of Regents, was voluntary in that children were not
coerced (forced) into reciting it and they could leave the room while the
prayer was read. The words were carefully chosen to ensure that the prayer was neutral
and it did not offend any particular religious group. But a group of
parents challenged the prayer on the grounds that it was contrary to the
religious practices of both themselves and their children. The case
eventually reached the US Supreme Court.
The Court ruled that the prayer was
unconstitutional as it violated the Establishment clause of the First
Amendment. As Justice Black noted, a prayer by any definition constituted
a religious activity, and by promoting prayer, the state violated the
Establishment clause. The decision outraged millions of Americans
who saw the Court's decision as an attempt to take God out of the
classroom.
Over the years, the "wall of
separation" has grown thicker and higher as the courts have banned many
religious activities once taken for granted in public schools.
Many people have argued that the courts have gone too far and have
misinterpreted the Establishment clause to prevent religious activities
which the founding fathers never intended to prevent.
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