Establishment Clause

Establishment Clause Compare the 1st and 2nd Great Awakenings

Establishment and Free Exercise Clause often conflict with each other: • In schools, the religion issue is most prevalent • If a student raises his hand and asks, “Teacher, can we say an opening prayer before this test?”

Establishment and Free Exercise Clause often conflict with each other: • If the teacher says: “Yes!” It looks like establishment of religion. • “No!” It is denying a student free exercise.

The Establishment Clause • A government cannot promote religion • What is the purpose of the Establishment clause?

The Establishment Clause Governments can: • Teach about religions in school • Allow voluntary prayer in many examples • Transport students to a religious school • Read Bible for culture or literacy content

The Establishment Clause Governments cannot: • Set a state religion • Government cannot order a prayer • Teach religious doctrine in the school • Pay seminary teachers • Teach creationism

The Supreme Court and the Establishment Clause • The Supreme Court has held fast to the rule of strict separation between church and state when issues of prayer in public school are involved.

Establishment Clause - The Free Exercise Clause • Congress shall make no law… prohibiting the free exercise thereof (religion)” is designed to prevent the government from interfering with the practice of religion. • This freedom is not absolute. • Several religious practices have been ruled unconstitutional including: • Snake handling • Use of illegal drugs • polygamy • Nonetheless, the Court has made it clear that the government must remain NEUTRAL toward religion.

Establishment Clause – See you at the Pole! • Student participation in before-or after-school events, such as “see you at the pole,” is permissible. • School officials, acting in an official capacity, may neither discourage nor encourage participation in such as event.

1st vs. 2nd G.A. vs. Civil War Revivals (3rd GA)

1st Great Awakening • Emphasize the individual • Call back to RELIGION • all men are equal, • the true value of a man lies in his moral behavior, not his class • that all men can be saved

GREAT AWAKENING PART DEUX • Growing liberalism starting in the early 1800's • Revivals on Southern Frontier • Second Great Awakening introduced new sects • Second Great Awakening • “camp meetings occurred” • thousands would become “saved” • Revivals stimulated • church membership • variety of humanitarian reforms

GREAT AWAKENING PART DEUX • Evangelicalism became emphasized during the time of the Second Great Awakening • A belief in the need for personal conversion (or being "born again") • Actively expressing and sharing the gospel • A high regard for biblical authority, especially Biblical inerrancy • An emphasis on teachings that proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Idealism in the Second Great Awakening • Emotionalism not as high as 1st GA • Religion began to influence other ideals such as • freedom from cruelty of war • discrimination • intoxicated drinking • slavery • There were increased plantation missions held for slaves • Methodists and Presbyterians divide on the issue of slavery in 1830's-1840's • Idealistic religion on a utopian socialism, moral reform, and other ideas came to Christianity

Important Sects and Ideas • Two other sects that were born were Methodists and Baptists • Encouraged women to pray aloud in public and denounced both alcohol and slavery • Both these sects stressed personal conversion and explored a democratic control of church affairs

Divisiveness Caused by the Second Great Awakening • Second Great Awakening widened lines between class and region. • This split between North and Southern Faith and ideals in religion • considered the first sign of splitting • followed by a split in politics and the Union. • Protestants encouraged increase in educational learning and also importance of education in every household

More religious movements • Unitarianism - emphasized reason as the path to perfection & faith in the individual • Transcendentalist - emphasized that truth could be discovered intuitively by observing nature and relating it to one’s own emotional and spiritual experience. • Mormons • African American Church – Similar to Moses and releasing Jews from Egypt

Second Great Awakening and Abolition • Second Great Awakening later affected the Abolitionist Movement • “Second Great Awakening now inflamed the hearts of many abolitionists against the sin of slavery.” (Bailey). • Supporting abolitionist movement, Protestant beliefs displayed a variety of humanitarian reform • Church Attendance decreased later in the later 1800's compared to the ¾ of 23 million Americans living in the country • Overview: Religion in the 1800's was greatly influence by the Second Great Awakening, and became more liberal and divided in North and South and Class Status

Establishment Clause