With this premise, a church cannot create a school for its paritioners to attend that teach basic values, principles, including the sciences of math, science and social studies, in a manner that they consider to be important (the same as a private school). A church school should only teach religious doctrine, straight up, and should not have the ability to teach the application of this doctrine as it applies to everyday life?
Yeah that is a good point, edjax, one that I cannot entirely dismiss as irrelevant.
But the point of freedom of religion is to keep RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
When a church goes into another business other than devine worship, it ought to be subjec tto the same laws as every other organization in THAT business.
The problem is deciding when a Church has stepped outside the boundry of what CHURCHES are first and foremost all about.
When a Church is in the business of providing SECULAR education, then it is no longer JUST a church.
Hogwash! If my church is forbidden to teach me how to live my faith in concordane with the world around me (secular) it is forbidden to teach it's doctrine.
If I go to Boston College (Jesuit, I think, isn't it?) and major in GEOLOGY, am I studying religion?
No, I am not.
Ergo, that instiution is NOT exclusively doing CHURCH business, it is now about the business of being and educational institute.
As an institution of higher learning it ought to be subject to the exact same laws as every other insitute of higher learning.
Now if BC ONLY taught theology, THEN of course, the government ought to stay the hell out of its business.
But it ain't so let's not pretend otherwise, okay?