Church in Culture

1. Church in Culture

2. Debates over school prayer, faith-based charities, abortion, school vouchers, death penalty, same sex marriage, even the presidential candidates

3. Most Americans strongly equate religion with personal ethics and behavior • It is an antidote to moral decline they perceive in our nation today

4. Crime, greed, uncaring parents, materialism- many Americans feel that these problems would not be as bad as they are if people were more religious

5. Strong respect for religious diversity that translates into a strong tolerance of other people’s beliefs • Americans expect they will encounter people of different faiths in their daily lives

6. Many Americans feel the nation has gone too far in removing religion from public schools • Only 6% call for school prayer to be tailored to the Christian majority

7. Most would be reluctant to isolate students whose beliefs are different

8. Voice concern that school prayers may infringe on the rights of parents • Public favors a moment of silence over a spoken prayer

9. Most would like their political leaders to be more religious as individuals because they believe it speaks to their character

10. Most do not consider a candidate’s religious affiliation when voting • 58% say it would be wrong to do so • Most are suspicious of politicians who wear their religion on their sleeve

11. Jewish and nonreligious Americans are much more unnerved by prospect of mixing and politics • 80% of Jewish say they still have to be vigilant against anti-Semitism

12. 2/3 of Evangelical Christians say there’s “a lot of prejudice” against them • Much more likely to believe devout politicians would craft better policies and to believe religious elected officials should be less willing to compromise on key issues

13. The study did not report views of Muslims, Buddhists, or other major faiths- the cost was too high to study • Individuals of every persuasion are included in general random sample

14. Many feel that if Americans were more religious, crime would go down, families would do a better job raising their children, political leaders would make better decisions

15. Most Americans fear that the country would decline if people lost their religious faith • Americans are, however, not well-informed about the religious makeup of the country, or about religions other than their own

16. Groups in the minority, such as Jewish or nonreligious Americans, are more cautious about religion gaining more influence in society

17. Most Americans believe in religion’s power to instill morals and good behavior • Many are persuaded that religion should be a visible part of a child’s education

18. Most- but certainly not all- seem to feel that efforts to keep religious expression out of the schools have gotten out of hand

19. Most recognize the need to respect and accommodate the diversity of religious beliefs in the school setting • Try to balance their desire to find a place for religion in the schools with their wish to be inclusive to families of all kinds of beliefs

20. Majority prefer a moment of silence as opposed to prayers that refer specifically to Jesus or God • Jewish and nonreligious Americans are more wary of efforts to expand religion’s role in the schools

21. Americans are generally proud of the country’s religious diversity and anticipate few problems with people of different religious faiths living together

22. Most seem willing to accommodate and celebrate different faiths- not solely the Christian faith of the Founders

23. Most value nation’s religious diversity, they expect people to exercise tact and discretion

24. Is there and should there be a separation of church and state? • Words are not actually in Constitution • Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter about the First Amendment

25. First Amendment • “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

26. “Wall of separation between Church and State” • “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State” - Thomas Jefferson 1802

27. 1892- Trinity Decision • Supreme Court declared: “this is a Christian nation.” • “The highest glory of the American Revolution was, it connected in on indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” –John Quincy Adams

28. Examples • Supreme Court building built in the 1930’s has carvings of Moses and the Ten Commandments • God is mentioned in stone all over Washington D.C. on its monuments and buildings

29. Oaths in courtrooms have invoked God from the beginning • The founding fathers often quoted the Bible in their writings • Presidents have given inaugural addresses mentioning God in their speeches

30. Prayers have been said at the swearing in of each president • National anthem mentioning God • Liberty Bell has a Bible verse engraved on it • The original Constitution of all 50 states mentions God

31. Declaration of Independence- mentions God four times • Chaplains have been on public payroll • Bible used to used as a textbook in schools

32. Supreme Court Cases • Engel v Vitale, 1962 • New York- school prayer was adopted to be said at the start of each day’s classes- known as the “to whom it may concern prayer”

33. Justice Hugo Black: “It is no part of the business of government to compose official prayers…” • Ruling did not stop school prayer completely- voluntary prayer was still permitted

34. Murray v Curlett, 1963 • Madalyn Murry O’Hair- filed a lawsuit against school board of Baltimore • Court said “Neither the First nor the Fourteenth Amendment was intended to stifle all rapport between religion and government.”

35. Went to Supreme Court though- ruled 8 to 1 in favor of abolishing school prayer and Bible reading in public schools • “Religious freedom, it has long been recognized that government must be neutral and, while protecting all, must prefer none and disparage none.”- Justice Tom Clark