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June 30, 2000/27 Sivan 5760, Vol. 52, No.43
So be itEditorialAmen! How else to greet the U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared public expressions of prayer at high school football games out of bounds?Even as proponents - and among them a trio of dissenting Supreme Court justices - bristled at what they suggested was evidence of "hostility to all things religious in public life," the majority hung tough and displayed their constitutional mettle. Religious activity in public schools must "comport with the First Amendment," they wrote, striking down a U.S. Court of Appeals decision that had allowed student-led prayers at home football games in a south Texas school district. This, despite the strength of the school prayer lobby, growing ever more vocal in this election year, and a presidential wannabe, Gov. George W. Bush, who hails from the Lone Star State, where football is almost a religion and Jesus' name an abiding part of the vernacular. This, despite a disturbing run of legislative and legal attempts to erode the church/state wall. The ruling turns on a suit brought by two families, one Catholic, the other Mormon, against the Santa Fe Independent School District. It reflects long-held discomfort with perceived or actual endorsement of religion in public venues, particularly in the classroom. Coming just two weeks before we celebrate Independence Day, it's surely cause for celebration - and appreciation. It speaks to the wisdom of our nation's founding fathers, who created an intricate system of checks and balances to safeguard our precious constitutional guarantees. It reminds of the innate flexibility of the system which allows it to respond to contemporary reality, even as it preserves its essential bases of freedom and justice. Religious expression belongs in the home, the church and the synagogue - not the schoolyard or ball field. Still to be decided by the nation's highest court is the issue of student-led prayer at graduation, with an Alabama case on appeal to the court. Balance is what it is all about - protecting religious freedom while allowing for unfettered expression of ideas. Where else but in America? Amen - and hallelujah! Have a wonderful Fourth! |
