Where does separation of church and state begin and end? Did the football coach at a Kentucky high school cross the line when he invited members of his team to attend an outing which included a motivational speaker, a steak dinner and maybe a religious service? It's questionable as to whether the students knew of the religious service, but almost half of them decided to be baptized in the coach's church.
The school superintendent, who just happened to belong to the coach's church and attended the outing, could see nothing wrong with the kids being transported on a school bus. Clearly, she did not believe in separation of church and state.
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Did You Know that bus loads of fifth graders in Texas will be driven en masse to the Dallas Cowboys stadium next week to listen to a speech by former President George Bush? Kind of ironic, don't you think? I know you'll like the article, too, about how counting money can make you happier!!! http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1912574,00.html
First, let me say that this is not a "separation of church and state" issue as that is usually used. That metaphor itself was used by Jefferson to describe one aspect of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause: that the Federal Government could not establish an official, national religion. Some believe that the 14th Amendment also prohibits the states from making such a law.
However, the First Amendment's Establishment Clause does not prohibit the coach from doing what he did. Common sense should have made him think twice, I believe, and otherwise it is up to the school system to manage such things. I would be pretty upset if it had happened to my kids without my consent, but I wouldn't invoke the Establishment Clause.
It is important to look at Jefferson's own actions to see what he thought about the First Amendment. As outlined here:
Jefferson's Actions Speak Louder than a Few of His Words
For example, Jefferson founded the state-funded University of Virginia. And "...in order to accommodate and perpetuate the religious beliefs and practices of students at the university, he recommended that students be allowed to meet on the campus to pray, worship, and receive religious instruction, or, if necessary, to meet and pray with their professors."
We also read in that post:
"When Congress first authorized public schools for the nation's capitol, the first president of the Washington, D.C. School Board was Jefferson. He was the chief author of the first plan of public education adopted for the city of Washington. The first official report on file indicates that the Bible and the Watts Hymnal were the first, and in fact only, books in use for reading by the public school students."
So we should not throw Jefferson's words around too hastily. If a President today followed many of Jefferson's practices, much of the country would be shocked.
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