July 15, 2002
Court rulings dominate BJC discussion
___John Hall
___Staff Writer
___FORT WORTH--Recent U.S. court decisions on Cleveland school vouchers and the Pledge of Allegiance drew harsh criticism June 28 in a crowded workshop hosted by the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship general assembly.
___The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 June 27 that the vouchers program, which allows citizens to use state money to help fund private schooling, did not violate the Constitution's ban on government establishment of religion. The reason, the court said, is because Cleveland parents have several education options to choose from, including religious schools.
___Although Holly Hollman, general council at the BJC, acknowledged the Ohio parents are given several options, she said the move is a "sleight of hand" that allows parents to use taxpayer dollars to finance religious education.
___The public schools of inner-city Cleveland have been deemed a "total failure," she said, leaving parents with no choice but to send their children to private schools for a satisfactory education. Catholic schools receive 98 percent of the money from the Cleveland program.
___While the voucher money has advanced religion, Hollman said, it helped only 5 percent of Cleveland students. The vouchers, limited to $2,250, do not enable lower-income families to afford private education, she said.
___Apart from concerns about tax money funding religious education, the voucher money may prove to be a mixed blessing for private schools, said Hollman and Brent Walker, executive director of the BJC.
___If a school accepts voucher money, it cannot discriminate according to religion or race. That means schools may be forced to abandon some enrollment requirements, including entrance testing or religious requirements.
___"Parochial schools will begin to look less and less like parochial schools and more and more like public schools," Walker said.
___Because the schools will receive state funds, the government may attempt to remove religious aspects, like prayer or worship, from the regimen, Hollman fears.
___Hollman and Walker expressed concern about the curriculum that will be funded in some schools, laughing at the simple requirement that Cleveland schools receiving voucher money are not allowed to teach hate.
___Christians who support the voucher program should be aware that the funds could support a variety of schools, including secular and Muslim entities, Hollman said. "How do you feel about paying for someone to be taught something you abhor?"
___Addressing a standing-room-only crowd that vehemently attacked the court's decision, Hollman and Walker blamed the judgment on the conservative nature of the Supreme Court and the dire need for education reform in Cleveland.
___Voucher programs must closely follow the Cleveland program to avoid further judicial complications, they said. Voucher proponents target Texas, Virginia, Alabama and Indiana for future legislation.
___After the discussion of the vouchers ruling, Hollman and Walker turned their attention to a federal appeals court decision declaring the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional.
___A three-member panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled June 26 that the phrase "under God" is an endorsement of religion.
___The case was brought by a California atheist who was offended by the pledge and wanted the right to raise his daughter without God "being imposed on her by her teachers."
___While Hollman stopped short of agreeing with the court's decision, she said the ruling was "not absurd," as many have called it. The court asked the right questions regarding the phrase, but it forgot the effect the words have on many Americans, she said.
___"They lose their meaning because they are repeated over and over," she said. "If you want real religion, get the government out and let the family choose."
___Hollman and Walker predicted either the full 9th Circuit Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court will overturn the ruling. Walker said there is no religious intent or outsider mentality associated with the phrase, requirements for finding the words unconstitutional.
___The ruling affects only the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, where the 9th Circuit Court presides.
___The pledge was written in 1892 by Baptist clergyman Francis Bellamy. The phrase "under God" following "one nation" was added in 1954.
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