JamesInFlorida
Senior Member
- Dec 18, 2010
- 1,501
- 186
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yeah and personally I would agree with Franklin. Some of the state constitutions such as virginia specifically mention christianity though which is interesting.
That is interesting, did not know that.
It's way at the bottom in Section 16 but in short:
"Section 16. Free exercise of religion; no establishment of religion.
That religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and, therefore, all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other. "
Basically, practice any religion you want but we as a State will practice Christian morals mutually.
Weird, because what is a "Christian moral"? There are different Christian sections, and many of them have beliefs and morals that are slightly different than the other.
I would agree that it means practice any religion you wish-but I don't think that means that ends at the classroom. By learning about one religion over another in a classroom situation-are you really letting the other practice what religion they want?
But if we're talking about the 1st amendment in the US constitution-no state constitution can cancel out the powers that it grants (or really restricts). It specifically restricts any state from establishing a religion-I think we can obviously agree upon that.
Does teaching one religion's preaching over another's in a public school establish a religion-I think that's the real question. Since public schools are run by the state, teaching one religion over another is the state establishes one religion as being superior, or at least more important to learn about over that of another. That is unconstitutional according to the US constitution.
As for the prohibit part of the amendment others have brought up-when you're in a school not all constitutional rights apply. Teachers aren't allowed to carry firearms of any kind in many schools, students aren't allowed to wear obscene clothing, and can get punished for obscene language. Those are obvious violations of 1st and 2nd.