Ask the Professor

Question:

We can’t have any religious conversation at our family reunions.  Why are people so sensitive when it comes to religion?

​Dear Reader: 

​Religion and beliefs are part of a person.  These beliefs are so core to a person, that even if one’s nation is somehow defeated, a person still has their religious beliefs.  Augustine, in 400 A.D. wrote that a person still has their citizenship in heaven even if everything about this world fails.
Religion may very well be part of a person’s identity.  Even if one claims to have no religious belief, that is still a belief system.  The personal nature of religion is the reason people can take any sort of criticism of beliefs very personally.

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​Question:  

​Since the United States has separation of church and state, why is there prayer at the start of Congressional sessions?

​​Dear Reader:

​The U.S. Constitution does not specify a separation of church and state.  In Article VI there is a prohibition against any religious oath being required from officials.  This means that we will not have an official religion in the United States.  The other religion clause is in the first amendment to the Constitution which provides that “Congress shall make no law establishing a religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  This language means that Congress must be neutral on the subject of religion. 
Further, by United States Supreme Court case law, government may accommodate religious practice while not pushing religions forward or backward.  So, for example, we may have chaplains in the military and prisons.

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​Question:  

​Why was prayer taken out of schools?

​​Dear Reader:

​ The United States Supreme Court gives two values justifying their decision for prayer to be taken out of the public school day.  The first value is parental rights to teach what they want their children to know on the subject of religion.  The second value is that in a growing multi-cultural society they didn’t want any child embarrassed or coerced on the subject of religion.  Add to this that children are compelled, or forced by law to be in public schools and then you have the United States Supreme Court being very protective of the individual.  Let me add, public schools for children under 18 is the one venue where separation of church and state does exist.  This separation is in force only during the hours children are forced by law to be in public school.  

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