Americans United for Elimination of Church and Religion Separation of Church and State and the ACLU filed a brief (pdf) on Monday in a federal appeals court in Texas telling the court, “promotion of religion is not legislators’ job.” The brief is in reference to Texas’ “moment-of-silence” statute. The amendment added “pray” to the statute’s list of activities for students during the moment of silence. Here is Barry Lynn’s statement on the brief:
“Students were already allowed to pray, meditate, or reflect under the statute before it was amended,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “The addition of the word ‘pray’ where it wasn’t needed clearly shows that legislators intended to promote religion, and that’s not their job.”
While judges in the last 61 years might feel a similar sentiment, that is not the case when looking at the context of the founding era. Article III of the Northwest Ordinance (a federal law which legal texts consider
as one of the four foundational, or “organic” laws) is the only section to address either religion or public education, and in it, the Founders couple them, declaring:
Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.
Sounds like promotion of religion is more than just the legislators’ job…it’s their duty. But Americans United and the ACLU do not look at context. They prefer to pluck a few quotes from two Founders (Jefferson and Madison) out of context and twist them to fit the mold of their agenda.
But judicial precedent substantiates the reasoning that religion and government go hand-in-hand. In Vidal v. Girard’s Executors (1844), though many legal controversies marked this case, on the issue of Christian teachings in this government-run school, all parties had agreed: the plaintiff’s lawyers said education without Christianity was “repugnant;” the city’s lawyers declared it “obnoxious”; and the Supreme Court said that it could not be permitted—moral principles in schools must be taught from the Bible.
The context of the case demonstrates the mind set of the Founders, especially in regards to education. Christianity was instrumental in the everyday lives of the Founders and the country at the time.
Still not satisfied? Here are some quotes of Founders on education:
Benjamin Rush was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, helped found five colleges, and was the first founder to propose free public schools. In his publication entitled A Defense of the Use of the Bible as a Schoolbook, he wrote the following: “Before I state my arguments in favor of teaching children to read by means of the Bible, I shall assume the following propositions: First, that Christianity is the only true and perfect religion, and that in proportion as mankind adopt its principles and obeys its precepts, they will be wise and happy; Second, that a better knowledge of this religion is to be acquired by reading the Bible than in any other way; Finally, that the Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world.
Thomas Jefferson is often cited as a strict separationist who insisted on religion and government being kept apart. During George Washington’s term as president, Jefferson was president of the District of Columbia school board. As such, he made the Bible one of the primary reading texts for the District of Columbia public schools. Why? In his own words, Jefferson noted, “I have always said, and always will say, that the studious perusal of the sacred volume will make us better citizens.” Jefferson also used to be remembered for saying, “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis–a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
Gouverneur Morris was a founder whose name is less familiar to us than that of other founders, but who was the most active member of the Constitutional Convention, speaking 173 times on the floor of the Convention. In fact, it is his penmanship which graced the original draft of the Constitution. How did this founder feel about the Bible and public education? Gouverneur Morris stated, “Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore, education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man towards God.”
Noah Webster was a soldier during the American Revolution, spent nine terms in the Connecticut legislature, three terms in the Massachusetts legislature, and four terms as a judge. Webster was very prolific as an educational textbook writer and as an educator. He was also outspoken about the importance of Christianity to education and government. In the preface to his famous dictionary, Webster stated, “The Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed …” Webster was so convinced of this truth that he even included Bible verses in textbooks he wrote, including his Webster’s Blue-back Speller, which was the standard spelling textbook in America until the 1930s.
Extracting a few quotes from Jefferson, Madison, or Paine is hardly proof that the majority of Founders felt religion and government should be separate. This is ignorance at best, intellectual dishonesty at worst.
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