Student was exercising right to practice religion with poster
http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051203/OPINION/512030307/1050
Salem Statesman Journal - Salem,OR,USA
Sam Tibbits in his Nov. 25 letter talks about "separation of church and
state" regarding a student's poster.
I have not been able to find anything in the Constitution or the Bill of
Rights that discusses "separation of church and state." However, I do read
in the First Amendment to the Constitution these words: "Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech ..."
Since the teacher did not teach or direct the student to present a poster
with that particular religious information, there was no establishment of
religion by the state. The student was practicing the "free exercise
thereof" of religion with the teacher "abridging the freedom of speech" of
the student.
The use of the term "separation of church and state" is not a codified rule
and should not be used by intelligent people. It only creates an erroneous
environment by those who want to dictate their agenda to everyone else
whether religious or not.
-- Ralph Jull, Salem
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Posting and reading from alt.politics.usa.constitution OR alt.education
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the U.S. and a couple from overseas as well]
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.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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