Right wing religious groups have been pouring millions of dollars into lobbying efforts to persuade Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to return prayer to the nation's public schools. In the past, school prayer amendment efforts have suffered from infighting by groups who agreed that such an amendment was needed but disagreed on the specific wording. Several years ago, however, many of these factions united behind Rep. Ernest Istook's so-called "Religious Freedom Amendment" in an unprecedented way.
In discussing his amendment, Istook described the constitutional wall that separates church and state as needlessly high, and said he was offering his measure to punch a large breach through the wall. The past 30 years of court rulings, Istook said, were "a systematic campaign to strip religious symbols, references, and heritage from the public stage." His amendment, he declared, is "an answer to that assault."
In truth, the Istook amendment is an assault on free expression and the right to privacy in our nation's schools. Absent from the rhetoric offered by this amendment's supporters is the fact that a student's right to pray in school is already Constitutionally protected, and the Supreme Court has reiterated that right time and again. Despite that fact, Representative Istook has once against introduced his amendment as H.J.Res. 46.
Oppose This Amendment!
A constitutional amendment is unnecessary.
Public schools are not hostile to students' religious expression. Student religious clubs, for example, operate smoothly in a majority of the nation's 15,000 school districts. Likewise, the government cannot deny groups access to government facilities and parks just because of the religious nature of their expression. Many of the examples of suppression of religious speech the religious right constantly point to are already illegal, and can be addressed under current law.
The impact of this type of amendment would go far beyond what its supporters claim.
A school prayer amendment would allow government officials to make decisions that favor a particular faith. While prayers would not be organized by school employees, the amendment would allow administrators to impose their religious beliefs by permitting students to hold prayers at mandatory school events. It would also allow public funds to be used by religious institutions.
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