Issue of the Case

For the Supreme Court Case I chose Abington School District v. Schempp. The case directly involves the concept of separation of church and state, but more specifically deals with dissolving the practice of religion in the public school. The case became the precedent for all cases alike nationwide.

For next week I plan to talk more about the state level cases, their decisions, and how they affected the length of the status quo in America. The nation was at one time torn on the issue, handing down decisions based mostly on the region of the nation they were first brought about. In other words if the Catholic movement was big in a certain town, area or state then that became common practice, as it was first tolerated then allowed then written into law.
Personally I think the government was founded on a basis that religion was a perversion of society and the United States Government did not want to force upon nor deny the will or god given rights of any citizen within its great nation. After decades of drugs and violence and lawlessness the public opinion changed and there was considerable reason for change even by force if necessary. The catholic movement has by this point spread worldwide and become the most popular of the religions in America at that time. The conservatives elected to office based on their class representation allowed them together to form a type of holy alliance where they would in-turn share their view with the children of their great nation. They did not care they would be breaking the rights of all citizens. They felt it was their responsibility to bring about the best civil orientated society they could. Religious beliefs are just one of those things that do not belong in a democracy under any circumstances even when the greater good is its only goal, because the movement will sooner or later become one in vein. The beliefs people acquire with religion in life they are willing to take with them to death, and when you mix religion and patriotism you will always have a divide in opinion within the nation. The founders knew this would create divided and that is why they did not allow it. Also most if not all the founders were not even religious men at all. "Christianity... (has become) the most perverted system that ever shone on man." –Thomas Jefferson “Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.-Thomas Jefferson, February 10, 1814

The United States of America was the only thing the founders wanted its citizen to die for. They knew this dual relationship would in the end bring about no good. I believe the law makers of their time believed they were doing well merely not seeing the problem it would create. Not all people respect, value or believe in religion, often having a book or god to reference of their own and one that does not allow for more than one belief. Also there are those who believe in no religion, these circumstances account for the problems that were to one day be brought before the Supreme Court.