Religion and education have always had a fraught relationship in U.S. schools. Technically speaking, America has no state religion. Because of this, any overlap between federal funding and religion is seen as a potential constitutional violation. However, this does not mean that children cannot experience religious teachings alongside other educational lessons on math, English, and Read More

Since settlers first arrived in North America, churches have served as a central hub for communities. The church was the original community center – a meeting place for discussions, celebrations, and connections. Today, churches in the United States are shutting down at a high rate. With each passing week, it seems like a new church Read More

The separation of church and state is a contentious issue throughout the United States, and this debate has led to several important legal decisions over the years. The Constitution states that America should not have a national religion, and this means it cannot offer preferential treatment to any particular religious teaching. It also means that Read More

Christians and Muslims have not exactly seen eye-to-eye over the years. After all, there was that whole business about the Crusades. More recently, tensions have been stirred up by conflicts in the Middle East, terrorist attacks, and so on. But it is important to note that there are certain things that Muslims and Christians agree on, and Read More

The assumption is that when you send your child to school, they will be free to speak their mind. Schools – and especially colleges – are supposed to be places where new ideas can flow freely. These are places where intellectuals debate interesting ideas and challenge each other’s philosophies. As long as a student’s speech Read More

Many parents choose to send their children to religious schools for obvious reasons. During the early years of our life, we spend more of our waking hours at school than at any other place – especially if we stay after class to engage in extra-curricular activities like sports or clubs. The truth is that many Read More

The First Amendment is clear when it comes to religion, and there are two provisions that cover the intersection between religion and free speech. The first is the Free Exercise Clause, and the second is the Establishment Clause. But while the wording is clear, the decision of whether to apply these provisions to any given situation is Read More

The history of education and religion in the United States are heavily intertwined, and religious schools have always fought for the ability to teach their own religious doctrines free from governmental interference, including most recently, the role of Title IX. The first schools in the nation were Christian, and they were established by groups such Read More

School workers are overlooking arguments raised by students who participated in a “Day of Hope” religious field trip. The students and their parents are arguing that the event was more a religious activity than either a career or a college event, which is how the event was billed. According to the school employees, the “Day Read More

This past June, the U.S. Supreme Court further eroded the separation between church and state by ruling that the state of Maine must fund private religious instruction if it also funds private secular instruction. In the case of Carson v. Makin, all six conservatives on the Supreme Court decided denying public funds to private religious Read More