Religion And The First Amendment - 834 Words

Religion and the First Amendment in Schools Recently, students were instructed to write an essay along with a pictorial representation of the person they considered to be their hero. Since one student chose Jesus as his hero and submitted a drawing of the Last Supper, possible legal complications need to be considered before grading and displaying the assignment. An examination of First Amendment legal issues that arise when a student submits an assignment of religious nature will provide insight into how the First Amendment applies in the classroom. Legal Issues Regarding Grading Historically, legal issues regarding the grading of assignments containing religious material have come to similar decisions. In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969), a group of students decided to express their views about Vietnam by wearing black armbands to school. Although the district attempted to punish them for this, the Supreme Court ruled that the students were expressing a form of â€Å"symbolic speech† and were protected by the First Amendment, as long as it did not disrupt normal school functions. Similarly, expressing views of religion in school is protected if it does not disturb the educational process. According to Haynes and Oliver (2007), students have the right to express religious beliefs â€Å"in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions† (p. 65). An educator mustShow MoreRelatedFirst Amendment- Rel igion Cases Of Religion1542 Words   |  7 PagesFirst Amendment- Religion Cases Religion is defined by a commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. This probably was not the exact definition that the Founding Fathers knew but it was close. In the United States Constitution the very first amendment describes a few of the people’s unalienable rights. The First Amendment states, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of theRead MoreThe First Amendment Speaks On The Freedoms Of Religion2059 Words   |  9 PagesHannah Bing Judy Hatcher WRIT 3037 17 October 2016 Free Art The First Amendment speaks on the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition; so important, they found their place in the US Constitution. Even with these freedoms meaning so much to the majority of America, somehow today we still encounter differences in political and religious views that seem to provoke people to act violently against a piece of art or even physically against the artist that created it such as in theRead MoreAmerica s First Amendment Right Of Freedom Of Religion2122 Words   |  9 Pagesin a downward spiral. It has come to a time where, the fate of our country could fall into the hands of one of the many people who believe it is right to persecute those of a specific religion because the actions of a small group of religious extremists. The unalienable First Amendment right of freedom of religion would be denied to more than 2.6 million people, based on uneducated assumptions. In addition to this, America has come to the point where more than fort y-five million people live in povertyRead MoreFirst 10 Amendments of the US Constitution: Focus on Freedom of Speech, Religion, Press, and the Right to Assemble548 Words   |  2 Pagesï » ¿First 10 Amendments of the US Constitution: Focus on Freedom of Speech, Religion, Press and the Right to Assemble Balkin, J. (2004). Digital speech and democratic culture: a theory of freedom of expression for the information society. New York University Law Review, Paper 240. In this article by Balkin, he discussed the evolution of one of the important components of the Bill of Rights of the United States (US) Constitution, which is the freedom of speech. In his discussion of freedom of speechRead MoreThe Americanization of Religions1232 Words   |  5 Pages Religion is an essential and complex facet of the American psyche. The â€Å"Americanisation† of religion - a by-product of the first amendment is demonstrative of the role it plays in national identification. Transcendentalism, cults and Christian Zionism have all been a result of the â€Å"Americanisation† of faith. Neither the first or fourteenth amendment were in place at the time of independence and as such their evolution is inevitable. The first and fourteenth amendments essentially protect the establishmentRead MoreThe Right Of Free Speech And Freedom Of Press1363 Words   |  6 PagesThe right many Americans take for granted every day is the ability to speak to one another and to express their opinions through verbal and non-verbal means of communication. The First Amendment provides the right of free speech and freedom of press to the people. The Bill of Rights, also known as the first 10 amendments to the Constitution went into effect on Dec. 15, 1791, wh en the state of Virginia ratified it, giving the bill the majority of ratifying states required to protect citizens fromRead MoreThe Argument Of The First Amendment878 Words   |  4 PagesThe purpose of the First Amendment is to â€Å"ensure against government intrusions on personal freedoms such as freedom of religion, freedom of the press, free expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly (Michigan State University)†. So with the first amendment preventing against government intrusions on religion could a football coach at a public high school lead the players in prayer before a game? Well the answer is no, it is against the law for schools to sponsor or endorse speechRead MoreSex Marriage License Does Not Violate The Lemon Test1084 Words   |  5 Pages © Entanglement with religion: A public official allowing the deputy clerk to sign a same-sex marriage license does not violate the â€Å"Lemon Test†. However, making adherence to a religion can prohibit religion. Justice O’Connor concurred, that the Establishment Clause can prohibit in two principle ways and â€Å"One is excessive *688 entanglement with religious institutions, which may interfere with the independence of the institutions, give the institutions access to government or governmentalRead MoreExperience796 Words   |  4 PagesFirst Amendment: Religion and Education Grand Canyon University: POS: 500 October 20, 2015 Religion and the First Amendment An examination of the First Amendment legal issues that arise when a student turns in an essay and the displaying of religious nature for an assignment will provide insight into how the First Amendment applies to classroom assignments. Each reason will provide important insight, information, and court cases to better help in giving a view of the first amendment in regardsRead MoreThe First Ammendment and Dealing with the Separation of Church and State1741 Words   |  7 PagesThe First Ammendment and Dealing with the Separation of Church and State Is it unconstitutional for local, state or federal governments to favor one religion over another? Government can show favoritism toward religion by displaying religious symbols in public places at taxpayer expense, by sponsoring events like Christmas concerts, caroling, by supporting the teaching of religious ideas, or even by supporting the teaching of creationism in public schools. It appears the United