Non-Baptist University Report

The First Amendment is designed to protect all citizens by giving them the right to express themselves in different ways. In doing so, we still have to be careful on how we do it. Students have the right to express themselves as long as it does not cause any disruption. In my school district, we abides by the First Amendment by not forbidding all mention of religion in the school system (Pamlico County Board of Education, 2015). The only part that is prohibited is the advancement or inhibition of religion (Pamlico County Board of Education, 2015). My school district feels that there’s nothing unconstitutional about using religious subjects or materials as long as it is in compliance to the neutrality of the education program (Pamlico County Board of Education, 2015).

The First Amendment's Establishment Clause prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.” This clause not only prohibits the government from establishing an official religion, but also forbids government actions that disproportionately favor

As far as we understood, the partnership with the Institute for Faith and Learning was suggested as a form of oversight. It is understandable that Baylor has no interest in condoning a problematically radical or heretical religious group. Oso Logos is by no means such a group but we understand that precautions must be taken.

My daily life is just like anyone else’s at Texas State University. I wake up in the morning, grab Starbuck’s before I head to class, go workout at the Rec, and go out with my friends. The only thing that may differ from anyone else’s day is that I make sure God is able to work in my life. In the morning and the night, I save time for daily prayer. I also make time to read scripture from the Bible every day. If I don’t see or feel any of God’s power within my daily life, it may be because of a sin I have committed. Texas State also has many Christian organizations, like Crosstalk, that makes it easy to meet other students who strongly believe in God and keep our faith alive and

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States clearly states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise

The First Amendment gives citizens the most power to use their voice in our country, but it does not, and cannot, always apply to colleges. Using safe spaces, academic freedom, and discrimination between better and worse ideas, colleges simply cannot always fit into the First Amendment, especially when it isn’t relevant.

This policy is “the establishment clause of the first amendment [that] has been interpreted to prohibit any aid to religion” (Schwarz). The establishment clause is a vital tool to American politics, because it serves as the backbone in deciding what to favor and what to avoid. The clause clearly states that aid or recognition to any religion is prohibited. The prohibition to recognize any religion is a secular piece of law because it does in fact ensure that every citizen will be taken into account as equal to one another. However, the clause stirred trouble in the court case Lemon v Kurtzman. The court case dealt with whether or not the government should be allowed to aid a religious school. The case was tightly wounded around questioning the purpose of the establishment clause. “The court was obliged to ‘draw lines with reference to the three main evils against which the establishment clause was intended to afford protection: “sponsorship, financial support, and active involvement of the sovereign in religious activity” (Simson). The establishment clause faced a tough situation in determining what should be done. The decision was difficult because aiding the school would violate the clause, but not aiding the school would violate the school’s equal protection. Ultimately, the ruling was that it was permissible to aid, but only on the account of

The U.S. is a relatively religious country and tolerance in it or anywhere else does not mean stomping out religion’s place in society but rather creating a level playing field where many beliefs find expression (Conkle 1756); after all, “on the global stage, every religion is a minority” (Conkle 1763). Yet surveys conducted in one public state university found that more than one-fifth of the faculty did not agree that the university encouraged sensitivity to various religious practices and holidays, and 51% disagreed that the university treated all religions equally (Bardwell 14-17). The problem is not restricted to devout believers who refuse to let others have different views of universal truth—in fact, one study conducted by the Christian Research Association

The practice of religion has been a major factor in American culture for centuries. The religion clause of the First Amendment, which states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," was developed to preserve the freedom of religion (Haynes 2). The religion clause was designed to protect religion from the control of the government, but, consequently, it restricts the expression of religion in public institutions such as public schools. This highly debated issue of religion in public schools is supported by the belief that religion is critical to the formation of a healthy society but is disputed on the basis that the church and

After all, if the Supreme Court can make broad generalizations based on race, gender, and economic status in order to establish the need for specific protected classes and supposedly secure the promises mentioned in the preamble of the Constitution, then it stands to reason that it should do the same for religions. Furthermore, religious discrimination within this country has become increasingly prominent within today’s society as even current presidential candidates have claimed that all adherents to Islam, as well as the mosques they worship in, should be thoroughly investigated and vetted for potential “terrorists.” Unfortunately, this is just the “tip of the iceberg” as recent figures collected by Brown University show that “during the decade following 9/11 the US saw a 150 percent rise in workplace discrimination against Muslims… [and furthermore] the percentage of reported hate crimes targeting Muslims increased exponentially during the 2000-2009 period” (“Cases of Profiling,” 2010). As one can see, religious discrimination within the United States is comparable to the discrimination against the “official classes” of oppressed individuals that have been actively protected by the Supreme Court – such as minorities and

The transition from living at home to living away from home can be exceptionally stressful; interacting with other Christians in any kind of church setting makes this adjustment smoother (Chai). It gives students a familiar activity to be a part of, and a close knit group of friends to lean on. Churches not only provide lifelong friends, but moral support and much needed advice during hard times. “Most students use their spirituality to address and overcome the problems they encounter while in college” (Donahoo), which is why it is so important to get involved.

However, because it seems as if many smaller-sized schools are also religiously-affiliated, it is very possible that I could work at a religious-affiliated institution. Even though I have always felt accepted at the religiously-affiliated institutions I’ve attended, my mentee’s comment makes me wonder if these schools are doing enough to show students and the community their goals to educate every student regardless of their beliefs. As I begin to develop an understanding of the institutional structuring of different institutions, it will be interesting to see how religious-affiliated schools are making an effort to reach out to an increasingly diverse and secular population of students.

The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the

Although at the beginning of the First Amendment it says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." (Head n.d.), there are actually three different interpretations of this statement. The first one is separationism, this is the idea that any government support, or the backing of religious establishments is prevented by the Establishment Clause. This theory is supported by Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, past Justice David Scouter of the Supreme Court, and Speaker Pelosi