The William T. Travis Building in Austin, Texas

Of the fairly limited amount of books I have read in my lifetime regarding the origins of the country we live in today from a religious standpoint, the vast majority are rife with one scarcely mentioned and not infrequent pitfall of inaccuracy that glares at me as I flip through their pages: they sugarcoat the difficult parts. Any controversy that may mitigate their argument (such as the gruesome altercations between the early colonists and the Native Americans, Benjamin Franklin’s or Thomas Jefferson’s religious stances, or the Americans’ horribly violent recalcitrance against the nation they then considered home) is deceptively changed or mollified in attempt to please readers, or perhaps even more embarrassingly, omitted out of sheer ignorance on the subject. With The Light and the Glory, preacher Peter Marshall and New York publishing house editor David Manuel defy the stereotypes of American Christian authors and unapologetically disregard potential vitriol from their intended audience in the process. After conducting extensive research on the topics they planned to discuss in their book, Marshall and Manuel devised the following thesis for The Light and the Glory: (a) God has, or at least had, a definitive and demanding plan for America, and (b) our continual deviation from this plan is why modern America is so seemingly headed for

The case of Wallace v. Jaffree calls into question the constitutionality of an Alabama statute that authorized teachers to lead a one-minute period of silence for “meditation or voluntary” prayer in all public schools. Ishmael Jaffree, the parent of three students in the Mobile County Public School system filed a complaint that two of his three children had been “subjected to various acts of religious indoctrination,” as a result of Alabama statute 16-1-20.1 and asked for an injunction prohibiting Mobile County schools from “maintaining or allowing the maintenance of regular religious prayer services.” The purpose of Jaffree’s complaint was to prohibit the devotional services occurring in his children’s school and the consequent mockery of his children that occurred when they refused to recite the prayers to “Almighty God” (Stevens, 40). This type of law in Alabama public schools was not the first of its kind. Prior to statute 6-11-20.1, Alabama passed law 16-1-20 authorizing one minute of silence in public schools for meditation. After the authorization of statute 16-1-20.1 came 16-1-20.2, which allowed teachers to lead “willing students” in a prayer (Stevens, 40).

Authors Sheldon Stern and Jeremy Stern are mentioned in the article as two of the people that hated what Texas had done with the history books, and they said that the writing the the texts "distorts or suppressed less triumph or more nyanced aspects of our past that the Board found politically unacceptable (slavery and segregation are all but ignored, while religious influences are grossly exaggerated)..." Think back in time, I remember that my history book only made references to race inequality, slavery, civil rights, and african american heroes in just a few sections, when there was so much to talk about. Not until recently, I found that Rosa Parks was much more than the black lady who refused to give up her seat in the bus, yet I had to get to college to learn more about her, because my history book simply lacked this

But few question the extreme influence that his Virginia bill for religious freedom had on Madison's equally important statement on church-state relations, Memorial and criticism Against Religious evaluations. Madison wrote Memorial and criticism in response to a countermeasure introduced by Patrick Henry in 1779 that would have permitted a general evaluation against Virginia people to support teachers in all Protestant churches. Sensing that Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians would soon rise up against what had been the powerful position of the Episcopal Church in Virginia, Madison organized a huge drive to defeat the assessment bill in 1785. The Memorial and remonstrance soon became a classic statement of religious freedom in the United States. Today, Americans continue to debate the role of religion in public life. The purpose of the people who helped write the Constitution is called for to give a good reason for both support for and fighting against feelings about prayer in public schools, government aid to church-run schools and social services done by religious institutions, and the rights of religious ideas to command a place in making public policy and the Court's understanding of the Establishment Clause. To properly understand what was prohibited by the First Amendment, it is necessary for us to discover how the people would have understood the phrase "an establishment of religion." To do this, let us think about or believe the explanation given by one of the men who argued strongly in favor of having an established church in America, Thomas Bradbury

Immigration became a major factor during this time as different strands of Christianity came to America as well as Catholics began to come to America. The late great Horace Mann decided that the best solution was to help all strands. His decision was to teach the similarities of the different strands instead of teaching each religion as a different religion. Even though Catholics did not like having to conform to the prayer and Bible reading ways of Christianity, both groups moved forward with the central idea of prayer in schools. In 1890, school funding was a growing issue as well as separation of Church and state. As more and more immigrants came to America, the issue of immigration continued to be a topic of controversy in the United States. In the paper Lain (2015) wrote, she said, “the regional variance was just as one might expect. In the South, 89% of public school districts practiced religious observances prior to Engel, no surprise for a region known as the Bible Belt. And in the Northeast, 80% of public school districts did so—again no surprise given the region’s deeply religious colonial customs.” (p. 494). The issue of religion in schools was not an issue for one region of the United States, instead religion in schools was a reason for every

In cases having to do with constitutionality, the issue of the separation of church and state arises with marked frequency. This battle, which has raged since the nation?s founding, touches the very heart of the United States public, and pits two of the country's most important influences of public opinion against one another. Although some material containing religious content has found its way into many of the nation's public schools, its inclusion stems from its contextual and historical importance, which is heavily supported by material evidence and documentation. It often results from a teacher?s own decision, rather than from a decision handed down from above by a higher power. The proposal of the Dover Area School District to

A couple of the families were Jewish, another family was atheist, one parent was Unitarian and the last parent was of an ethical culture society. The Parents were to believe that the school was violating the first amendment of the constitution and this was not right; that according to Thomas Jefferson there should be a separation of state and church. Never before had the public school board been argued against with prayer like issues ( Haas, pg 7-20).

Teaching prayer in schools has been a controversial topic since Abington Township School District v. Schempp (1963) that removed prayer from the classroom. However, a Bible-literacy course at New Braunfels High School (NBHS) in Texas exemplifies the successful teaching of the religion without imposing it on the students. This is an ideal that would satisfy both conservative Christians and secular liberals. The consensus that David Van Biema comes to in his article “The Case for Teaching the Bible” is that schools should teach the Bible from a neutral perspective that allows students to understand the concepts behind the text’s arguments while observing and forming their own beliefs and opinions.

12 years ago the senate passed a statute that ordered every educational institution to honor the history and development of the constitution by setting aside one day for reflection. I had the opportunity to be apart of California Baptist Universitie’s meeting deticated to this special day. Trinity law school Professor Myron Steeves devoted an hour of his time to inform the meeting’s audience of the history and development of the U.S. Constitution.

Since the Warren court found that Religion in public schools broke a clause in the First Amendment, the Supreme court decided that schools that are based on a religious system were to stop. Many thought that this landmark decision was going to damage their freedom of religion but it actually kept their freedom safe. This decision also “started the end of Protestant domination of Public Education” (Battle pg. 217)

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson wrote those words to express the emotions of a nation that desired freedom, and to shake the foundation of the British Empire. However, this simple, but eloquent phrase has sparked one of the greatest debates in American history. Is America a Christian nation? One question has divided the nation and its politicians since the founding and forming of America. This fiery debate has sparked more controversy than any other debate in modern politics.

For centuries, the debate has existed whether or not to allow prayer in public schools. Many Americans feel it is not right of the schools to teach religion. With all the diversity associated with the United States, public schools cannot select one standard religion to practice, due to the cultural and religious differences in the country. Not only are schools the storm center of controversy involving religious differences, they are the principal institution charged with transmitting the identity and mission of the United States from one generation to the next. If we fail in our school policies and classrooms to model and to teach how to live with differences, we endanger our experiment in religious liberty and our

Take a moment to recall some of the patriotic symbols that help embody the spirit of our nation: the bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, or even the national anthem. Among others promoting the civic duties and democratic virtues prized by our American society, nothing has caused as much controversy as the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. At the start of a new school day, every classroom of a government run school would be ringing with the chorus of America’s youth delivering the pledge in an almost autonomous way. The reason why this is such a big deal is due to the fact that to some, including myself, believe the words “under God” suggests a breach of the first amendment. As of late, our country has been in the

Since the Declaration of Independence was drafted founding itself on individual privileges and choice, happiness and democracy, a multitude of concerns have kindled the rights disputes that we see making law an active and continually growing and interesting area of interest today. Issues arose included women suffrage, civil equality, slavery, the ability to hold a religious forum, along with many others. And, though the context and times have significantly changed with these concerns there still remains a constant struggle between state, religion, and schools. Prayer in public schools is still a topic of conversation. The giving of religious gifts to administrators and the funding of schools through tax-payer monies are

With sounds of youthful laughter, conversations about the students’ weekends, and the shuffling of college ruled paper; students file into their classrooms and find their seats on a typical Monday morning. As the announcements travel throughout the school’s intercoms, the usual “Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance” becomes no longer usual but rather puzzling to some students. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.” Confusion passes through some of the student’s minds. With the reoccurrence of “God” in the backdrop of American life, the relationship between church and state has become of little to no matter for American