Endless Efforts to Undermine Public Education

Edd Doerr

Article XI, Section 10 of the Nevada constitution: “No public funds of any kind or character whatever, state, county, or municipal, shall be used for sectarian purposes.” 

But as noted in the article Nevada Taxpayers File Motion to Immediately Stop Implementation of SB 302 SB 302 proposes a voucher program that "

"uses public money for religious instruction and other religious functions and activities at religious schools, in violation of this strict constitutional prohibition. With over a century of Nevada precedent and Nevada Attorney General opinions, the motion makes clear that voucher program funds are public funds. Any pass-through bank account for funds that the state continues to own and control is a fiction that does not alter the public character of the funds."

“The Nevada taxpayers in Duncan are standing up and asking the Court to immediately block implementation of this unconstitutional program. SB 302 funds private religious indoctrination, and funds private religious schools which operate with discriminatory admissions policies, all at the expense of the existing system of public schools and public instruction. This directly contravenes the Nevada Constitution and more than 130 years of state-law precedent,” said Amy M. Rose, ACLU of Nevada legal director.

Let’s hope that the above mentioned ACLU lawsuit is successful and that the state courts are more attentive to the state constitution than the nose-thumbing Republicans who dominate the legislature, unlike the disgraceful Indiana supreme court.

These attacks on public education, church-state separation, and religious liberty have been led for decades by Republicans in state legislatures and Congress for decades. 

See Edd Doerr's column titled “Public Education under Siege” in the current issue of Free Inquiry. 

Also, Americans for Religious Liberty has been reporting and analyzing this issue for 34 years. See ARL’s web site – arlinc.org.

Republicans in their endless efforts to undermine public  education seem oblivious to the 50 years of state referenda and opinion polls showing that Americans oppose diverting public funds to sectarian and other private schools by 2 to 1.

Voice of Reason -History & More

by Edd Doerr

The Voice of Reason, published by Americans for Religious Liberty (ARL). In the event that you are not familiar with ARL, it was founded in 1982 by Humanist leaders Ed Ericson and Sherwin Wine. It has been headed since 1982 by me (Edd Doerr), a past president and vice-president of the American Humanist Association and currently a columnist and senior editor of  Free Inquiry, the journal founded by Humanist philosopher Paul Kurtz.

ARL has been involved in over 60 major church-state lawsuits. In one of them, Lamont v Wood (in which Corliss Lamont and Isaac Asimov were the lead plaintiffs), the US Court of Appeals in New York struck down US tax aid for religious schools overseas. ARL has published over two dozen books and reached millions through TV, radio and print media.

Voice of Reason (VOR) provides the most comprehensive coverage of church-state separation issues, in line with the principles of Humanist Manifesto II of 1973. VOR has published over 850 reviews of the most important books in this field. All 34 years of Voice of Reason are accessible on our website – arlinc.org.

Here are a few other facts about ARL.

• ARL’s very small staff has over 80 years of experience in this field and has published over 80 books.
•  
• ARL is solely dependent on individual donations and receives no support from  foundations.

Leading Humanists, scientists and philosophers like Isaac Asimov, Carl  Sagan, Corliss Lamont, Paul Kurtz, Ernst Mayr and Stephen Jay Gould have endorsed and supported ARL. 

You are invited to join them. 

It’s just $25 per year and you get the Voice of Reason journal quarterly, either by email or regular mail.

ARL, Box 6656, Silver Spring, MD 20916

Also, for a free copy of the Fall VOR issue contact, WASH MDC coordinator, Gary Berg-Cross, gberbcross@gmail.com

Historic Philie case upheld church, state separation

Edd Doerr (arlinc.org) provides a link to:

“Historic Phila. Case upheld church, state separation”, published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on August 12.. 

The author, Burton Caine, is a professor of law at Temple University, a past president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Philadelphia, and currently chair of the board of directors of Americans for Religious Liberty .

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20150812_Historic_Phila__case_upheld_church__state_separation.html#47RTKwHWOi3FEx0L.03

Who Won the Battle Over the Church-State Wall of Separation in 1832?

by Gary Berg-Cross

As we advance (or is it retreat?) into the primary season we are likely to see a “faux pas” of wedge issues as part of the cultural wars that pols use.  Issues about religious beliefs and the separation of church and state context are type of these. Examples include lingering issues over religious exemptions to the Affordable Health Care Act and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act but new ones continue to pop up.  

A recent one concerned a family bakery owned by a Christian who refused to make wedding cakes for homosexual couples. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that he can’t refuse them. The baker was on Fox News' "The Kelly File" to present his point of view and a counter view was argued by Rob Boston.  You can see the snippet at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXZTBd0GFUk

A sad aspect of contemporary life is that our political and judicial systems are quite damaged and sometimes sweep things under the rug rather than addressing challenges.

I happen to be reading Jon Meacham’s American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House ( a free google books version is available.) which provides a view of when a wedge issue was dealt with pretty directly by populist, 7^th president Jackson rebutting early attempt by Evangelicals to break through the wall of separation by inserting prayer as a wedge issue into the political process.

Meachen notes (see also a related article) that on religion Andrew Jackson was a surprising figure in American life. While respected the religious aspect of life he refused to formally join the Presbyterian church while in public life.  He thought it would be seen as craven to wave one’s religion at people. And while grew more faithful as he aged  presidentially, as far as politics he was essentially Jeffersonian on church and state, endorsing Jefferson’s “wall of separation.” He did so partly because he believed the church could be corrupted by the state and certainly in part because he could see it corrupting politics in his own time.

Jackson did have real battles with the clergy on moral issues and their calls for the formation of what was to be called the “Christian party in politics.” Jackson was a political enemy of the Evangelical Protestants of the day, who denounced his policies and supported his opposition - the Whig Party and Henry Clay. In the midst of these cultural wars political

opponents like Clay counted  on the Evangelical vote to defeat Jackson in the election year  of 1832 when Jackson ran for a 2^nd term.  And a cholera outbreak (natural event but looked on as divine punishment by some) provided an  issue –should the Federal government intervene in a terrible cholera epidemic by appealing to prayer?  Jackson refused to endorse legislation setting up a national day of prayer to address the cholera outbreak.

As discussed by Meachem, Jackson was called on by members of Congress along with “influential” religious leaders (they of the 2^nd Great Awakening) to call for a national day of prayer and fasting in response to a cholera epidemic. It does harken back to an era when infections were not understood and religious tradition dictated appeals to divine power to heal what doctors could not. Cholera was perceived, sort of like Hurricane Katrina to some, as divine retribution among many pious evangelicals.  To them prayer was a necessary as part of the remedy.

In a word Jackson refused (and prevailed).  To be sure he softening the argument by not challenging the efficacy of prayer. Indeed he could say that hoped “that our country may be preserved from the attacks of pestilence....  

But he opposed government participation in something that should be up to individual conscience and not act for government.  For to make the federal government involved would be, he said:

“While I am constrained to decline the designation of any period or mode as proper for the public manifestation of this reliance. I could not do otherwise without transcending the limits prescribed by the Constitution for the President “

and he feared that this religious encroachment could:

“disturb the security which religion now enjoys in this country in its complete separation from the political concerns of the General Government and without feeling that I might in some degree disturb the security which religion nowadays enjoys in this country in its complete separation from the political concerns of the General Government.”

It might not be Supreme Court law, but it is historical precedent that contemporary, populist pols might look to: avoid craven responses and be guided by constitutional limits and founder wisdom to handle these type of wedge issues.

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE - A UUA statement

Edd Doerr notes that the the Unitarian Universalist Association have releases a statement issued  , approved by the UUA General Assembly in late June --- 2015 UUA Statement of Conscience - Reproductive Justice. ARL board member Ken Sandin was a delegate at the General Assembly in Portland, OR,  this year.

The UUA has long been supportive of reproductive choice and was involved from the beginning in 1973 with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, on whose board I served from1973 until 2004.

By the way, in 1982 I was the author of the UUA General Assembly resolution on “Public Education, Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State”, which passed unanimously. Below are the relevant sections  ---

“Whereas, the constitutional principles of religious liberty and the separation of church and state that safeguards liberty and the ideal of a pluralistic society are under increasing attack in the Congress of the United States, in state legislatures, and in some sectors on the communications media by a combination of sectarian and secular special interests;

“Be it resolved: That the 1982 GA of the UUA  affirms its support for these principles and urges the Board of Trustees and President of the Association, member societies, and UUs in the US to:

“1. Defend the democratic, pluralistic public school, opposing all forms of direct and indirect public aid to support sectarian private schools, such as tuition tax credits or vouchers;

“2. Uphold religious neutrality in public education, oppose all government mandated or sponsored prayers, devotions, and religious indoctrination in public schools; and oppose efforts to compromise the integrity of public school teaching by the introduction of sectarian religious doctrines, such as ‘scientific creationism,’ and by exclusion of educational matter on sectarian grounds.

“3. Uphold the principle of judicial review, and oppose all efforts to deny the federal courts jurisdiction  over school prayer, abortion rights, or other church-state disputes.

“4. Uphold the principle enunciated by the US Supreme Court that all levels of government must remain respectfully neutral with regard to all religions.

“5 Uphold the constitutional privacy right of every woman, acknowledged by the Supreme Court in 1973 in Roe v. Wade and other rulings, to plan the number and spacing of her children and to terminate a problem pregnancy in collaboration with her physician, opposing all efforts through legislation or constitutional amendment to restrict that right or to impose by law a ‘theology of fetal personhood’; and

“6. Support all efforts to preserve and strengthen church-state  separation.”

[NOTE: In 1981 humanist leaders Edward Ericson and the late Sherwin Wine founded Americans for Religious Liberty. In 1982 was asked to be ARL’s executive director. ARL’s positions match those of the UUA resolution. All issues of ARL’s quarterly journal and other material may be accessed on our website – arlinc.org. ARL appreciates the support of all who share these positions.]

Godless environments & sweeping tax-credit school voucher bill

Edd Doerr, president, Americans for Religious Liberty, Silver Spring, Md.

Texas Republicans are trying to push a sweeping tax-credit school voucher bill through the legislature. As part of the plot the lieutenant governor’s hand-picked advisory board issued a letter calling every public school “a Godless environment.” The May 1  Ft Worth Star-Telegram ran a long comment by a group of ministers (Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Christian, Presbyterian) slamming the letter, defending the public schools, and defending church-state separation  and religious liberty. Below is my letter that was published in the Star-Telegram on May 7. – Edd

The pastors who signed the commentary opposing the diversion of public funds to private schools through vouchers or tax credits are in the very best tradition of religious leadership in America.

They see, as did Founders Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, that religious liberty for all requires that government refrain from forcing all citizens to support religious institutions, either directly or indirectly.

This church-state separation principle is enshrined in the Texas Constitution in Article I, Section 7 and Article VII, Section 5.

Religious freedom and our heritage of free public schools should not be tossed away by politicians in Austin or Washington.

Looking forwardd to Rob Boston's talk Saturday at Wheaton Regional Library

Picture above is from the Friendly Atheist

by Gary Berg-Cross

Robert Boston, Assistant Director of Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Assistant Editor of Church & State magazine, is speaking this Saturday (Feb. the 11th) at the MDC chapter of WASH at the Wheaton Regional Library on Georgia Ave. in Wheaton, MD.

His topic is one that people argue over passionately - “The Christian Nation Myth.”

Religious Right activists often claim that America was founded as a Christian nation, and polls show that an alarmingly high number of Americans agree with this point of view.
What does the Constitution really say about religious liberty, and where did the “Christian nation” myth originate? Why is it dangerous?

The blog History is Elementary took some inspiration from one of Rob's prior talks noting that:

In February 1756, Adams wrote in his diary about a discussion he had had with a conservative Christian named Major Greene. The two argued over the divinity of Jesus and the Trinity. Questioned on the matter of Jesus' divinity, Greene fell back on an old standby: some matters of theology are too complex and mysterious for we puny humans to understand.

Adams was not impressed. In his diary he wrote, "Thus mystery is made a convenient cover for absurdity."

Perhaps we'll here more on the history of our founders and more on separation of church and state since Rob has authored three books on the subject:

• Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation of Church & State (Prometheus Books, second edition, 2003),
• Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics (Prometheus Books, 2000) and
• The Most Dangerous Man in America? Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition (Prometheus Books,

If you can’t wait till Saturday, sou can see his popular talk on the “The Religious Right's War on America” and what he learned at the Values Summit and hot off the presses is his article 10 Reasons Why the Religious Right Is Not Pro-Family. Rob starts that article by quoting from James Dobson & Gary Bauer's 1990 book Children at Risk: The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Our Kids:

"America is involved in a Second Civil War. On one side are those who defend family, faith and traditional values. On the other side are those who aggressively reject any hint of tradition or religion and want a society based on secular values."

This is not a claim that Rob lets pass by without challenge including ideas that sprout from ignorance, censorship, intolerance and hatred.

Come to the free lecture from 2 -4 this Feb. 11^th…Lee’s fabulous snacks and hospitality are served at our 3 pm intermission before Q & A.

The Palinization of the GOP

by Don Wharton

The Washington Post has an excellent opinion piece by Kathleen Parker on The Palinization of the Gop. It talks about the anti-science, anti-elite, anti-intellectual Republican base. I used my DCHumanist signon to post the following comment:

I fear for our country if these uninformed people with demented ideas about how the world works actually take power. Gingrich, while less uninformed, is perhaps the most frightening of the bunch. He has made it clear that he will eviscerate the courts if they make any attempt to support the separation of church and state. He would pave the way for the coming theocracy. The rise of the American version of the Taliban is not something that all of our religious citizens will want to see. Because, the hard right worships a God who happens to be a thug. The Christians who feel that they are getting messages from a loving God will be most distressed when they find that we are ruled by imaginary messages from a thuggish God.