The Influence of Religion in American Schools: Are the Two Truly Separate?

The topic of religion is one of the most controversial issues in public schools today. Many people, regardless of race or ethnicity, claim ties to a religious affiliation. For many citizens, religion also plays an important part in daily life. This is evident when religious groups pressure school administrations to change the curriculum to conform to a specific religion’s beliefs. Due to the vast religious diversity that exists amongst the American population, the federal law constitutes that there must be a separation of church and state in public affairs. However, many citizens argue that the influence of religion seems to permeate in curriculums of schools across the United States.


One of the most notorious debates regarding religion in public schools is the dispute over the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. In classrooms across the country, students are mandated to recite the pledge daily. Some parents argue that requiring children to say this recitation forces them to believe in a monotheistic religion, or that it imposes the beliefs of one specific religion. The article Supreme Court Hears Pledge of Allegiance Case describes the origins of the pledge, stating Congress amended the original salute to include the phrase “under God” in response to religious groups petitioning during the Cold War (2004, pg.3). The fear of communism was palpable during this period in history, and the purpose for including this phrase was to instill a sense of unity in the American people. According to Charles Russo and Ralph Mawdsley’s article, The Supreme Court and the Pledge of Allegiance: a hollow victory, the decision made by the Supreme Court regarding the phrase “under God” within the pledge of allegiance “did not restrain anyone from worshiping God within the meaning of the First Amendment since they neither relate to nor exact anything in opposition to religion” (2004, pg. 262). Students have the choice to not participate in the pledge if they desire. Although the Supreme Court did not find the phrase to be unconstitutional, this ongoing debate continues to be rehashed in courtrooms across the country.


Another debate regarding religion in schools is the teaching of evolution versus creation. Different religions have various beliefs on how the world was created and how human life came to exist. As John Caiazza states in his article, The Evolution Versus Religion Controversy: How Two Mystiques Evolved Into Politics, both sides of the debates have differing views on the same issues, “such as the veracity of the Bible, whether ethics and religion should be explained reductively, and whether nature is a divine creation, of which man is the apex, or a material universe in which the existence of man is the merest accident” (2005, pg. 104). Currently in the United States, the states decide what is taught in schools. Each state may choose whether or not to teach evolution from a scientific perspective.


Although the federal law rules that church and state must be separated in public affairs, it is hard to divide the two when each religion is so truly unique in its beliefs. It seems that in a country that was founded by people who escaped religious persecution, there will always be some sort of controversy when it comes to one’s personal beliefs especially in a society as pluralistic and diverse as the United States.



Works Cited.


Caiazza, J. (2005, Spring2005). The Evolution Versus Religion Controversy: How Two Mystiques Devolved Into Politics. Modern Age, 47(2), 104-112. Retrieved October 19, 2008, from Professional Development Collection database.


Russo, C., & Mawdsley, R. (2004, December). The Supreme Court and the pledge of allegiance: a hollow victory. Education & the Law, 16(4), 261-267. Retrieved October 18, 2008, doi:10.1080/0953996042000311062.


Supreme Court Hears Pledge Of Allegiance Case. (2004, April). Education USA (Aspen Publishers Inc.), Retrieved October 18, 2008, from Education Research Complete database.