1001 Plandome Road 
Plandome, NY 11030
(516) 627-6274 Email: rsns@optonline.net
Cantor's Corner by Eric Miller
June 2003This June 17, we will mark the 30th anniversary of a landmark Supreme Court ruling that effectively set the ban against prayer and Bible recitation in public Schools. In June of 1963, the Supreme Court issued a ruling covering two cases: Murray v. Curlett, and School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania v. Schempp. The first case presented the objection of a Baltimore, Maryland, family to a school policy that forced their son to either listen to a daily Bible reading which took place in his classroom, or sit outside the classroom for its duration. In the second case, the Schempp family objected to a Pennsylvania statute that required the reading of at least ten Bible verses at the opening of every public school day. Rendering the decision, the majority wrote:
“No state law or school board may require that passages from the Bible be read or that the Lord’s Prayer be recited in the public schools of a state at the beginning of each school day, even if individual students may be excused from attending or participating in such exercises upon written request of their parents.”
In reaction to this decision, the Reform Movement issued a statement, certainly echoing the sentiments of fellow progressive Jews in the Reconstructionist movement:
“While as citizens, of course, we accept and respect the laws of the land, including those laws which include provisions as to which we were and are apprehensive, we re-affirm our long-established position that the principle of separation of church and state is best for both church and state and is indispensable for the preservation of that spirit of religious liberty which is a unique blessing of American democracy. This principle is shared by forward-looking elements of all faiths.”
Today, thirty years later, there is still the need to vigorously defend this decision against the constant attacks by those who would revoke this principal in the name of “religious freedom.” What throws this issue into greater relief is legislation that is currently being put forward by Representatives in the House that assails the opposite end of this very necessary separation. As listed in the Religious Action Center’s action alert website: “The so-called Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act (H.R. 235), introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), would amend the tax code to permit houses of worship to engage directly in political campaigns while maintaining their privileged status as tax-exempt organizations. The bill would allow houses of worship to endorse or oppose candidates for public office and even solicit contributions for federal candidates during religious services or gatherings.”
What is clear is that on this important anniversary, we can certainly embrace the practice of educating our own children with the values and teaching of our tradition, or finding spiritual nourishment in social activism, yet we need to be ever-vigilant against crossing the line between the public and private spheres, and between houses of worship and houses of representation. To voice your opinion on this, or other important issues, visit the Religious Action Center’s website (www.rac.org).
Back to Cantor's Corner Archive