Religious Expression In Public Schools

The question of a student’s expression of religion either by prayer or an assignment in a public school classroom creates a labyrinth of debate. Addressing this issue is like entering into Pandora’s Box, only to find Medusa there. The question is whose God or gods will help us resolve the dilemma of personal rights verses offenses. Will it perhaps be Zeus, Athena, or Perseus? Oh have I already offended someone? Could limiting my discussion to only the Greek god and goddesss cause a prolific array of responses because someone’s God or goddess was either included or excluded? Perhaps religion should only be expressed within non-public arenas that way, no will be offended or will they?
Religious expression in the public school has become a complex entanglement of personal rights. …show more content…
The dictionary defines neutrality as “not aligned with or supporting any side or position in a controversy” (Dictionary.com). In essence the school plays the part of Switzerland, which produced large loopholes the size of an elephant to waltz in and maneuver to protect the interest of the neutral entity. Because once the school offers an opinion which is defined as “a belief or judgment that rest on the ground insufficient to produce compete certainty” the school has violated their status of neutrality (Dictionary.com). Hopefully the school can learn from Switzerland that the position of neutrality cannot be absolute. Eventually the schools will be forced to select a side on the issue of religious expression.
Through this maze of legislative depate on religion in public schools the Supreme Court had not articulated a definition of religion (Frequently Asked… n.d.). Court case like Davis v. Beason, Torcaso v. Torcaso, and United States v. Seeger are just a few that the Supreme Court attempted to define religion. Yet the Supreme Court seems to be able to rule on the issue of religion which they themselves cannot