Religion, school can mix

Nothing stirs passions so fervently as religion. Its interpretations and practice, its imposition and freedom, the very mention of it can instantly inflame or inspire. Well, perhaps one other topic stirs the same passion: children. Combine the two, and the spirit can feel like fireworks on the Fourth.

This summer marks the 50th anniversary of a pair of landmark Supreme Court decisions ending the practice of public school-sponsored prayer and Bible readings. We've come a long way since then, but the upshot is that American society has figured out (with court blessing) that some understanding of spirituality and religions is (a) an important part of education, and (b) schools can take part in it without violating the First Amendment.

The First Amendment offers not one, but two protections: freedom from government's "establishment of religion" and freedom to "exercise" it. In other words, state and federal governments can't sanction or adopt a particular religion or belief, but they also have to stay out of the way of citizens practicing or honoring their own, whatever it may be.

Since the initial reaction to the 1963 decision of playing-it-safe by removing all religious expression from schools, communities and school boards have relaxed a bit. While no formal study has yet been done, consensus by experts seems to be that religion in schools is not only alive but thriving, perhaps more than before the landmark decisions.

It just looks a little different, and is largely student-driven.

Since the mid-20th century, after-school (or lunchtime) student clubs such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Good News Club, and Campus Crusade for Christ have spread to thousands of campuses and hundreds of thousands of student members. In recent decades, student clubs for the other two Abrahamic faiths, Islam and Judaism, have also proliferated nationwide, along with general spiritual clubs, events, and activities for Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, agnostics, humanists and atheists. Yes, atheists can be spiritual, too.

There is an implied respect for all by ensuring variety of choice - free exercise for all, not just for some.

While the law forbids school- (and employee-) led prayer, many public schools do currently participate in religious education in two ways. First, they respect the second phrase in the First Amendment's freedom of religion clause - "(no) prohibiting the free exercise thereof" - by giving students who request it the time and space to form these clubs or adhere to a religion's requirements, such as a Muslim student's multiple daily prayers or the freedom for those of any faith to leave school for particular holidays, ceremonies, or observances without negative consequences. They don't all coincide with Easter and Christmas breaks. And for some Orthodox faiths, Christmas is in January.

Part of what scholarly examination of this issue over the last half-century has uncovered in this country is a stark religious illiteracy, a widespread ignorance about others. A 2007 study cited in the June 17 Christian Science Monitor found that only 10 percent of American teens could even name the five major religions, let alone describe their major tenets.

So the second way schools increasingly participate is by teaching religion as a part of history and social studies - a practice defined and deemed constitutional through subsequent court cases. Religion after all is a major part of world history, impetus to wars, political transformations, and a major element of human cultures. The key here is not to teach, especially by implication, only one; not to say "God is" but rather, "people believe..."

And there's the heart. People believe differently. To forbid all mention is to prohibit free exercise, but to approve (even impliedly) only one is to establish. As the Constitution teaches, each is oppressive, so true freedom of religion must embrace both.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at sholeh@cdapress.com.