In 1925, Williams Jennings Bryan, a former congressman from Nebraska and a former Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson, spent two agonizing weeks defending his religious faith that cost him his life a month after. Bryan was a prosecutor of high school teacher John Scopes, who had violated Tennessee state law by teaching the theory of evolution.…

In this article, I discuss a Canadian public school controversy and Supreme Court of Canada decision involving competing stakeholder rights to freedom of religion, safety and equality. Policy considerations that allowed one group of stakeholders to express their constitutional rights raised concerns among other stakeholders. A policy vacuum and a…

Traces the litigious history of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in the First Amendment area, specifically the right of ISKCON followers to practice sankirtan in public places. (FL)

In arguing that the earth circles the sun, Galileo adopted a mode of reasoning that led not only to his prosecution by the church but also to the scientific methodology of hypothesis testing. (Author/JN)

Discusses the types of current confrontations regarding censorship in the schools and lists several reasons why issues involving censorship are occurring more frequently in recent years. (CHC)

Examines the clash between the sanctuary movement and United States government regarding the admission to the United States of Central American refugees. Shows through an application of Kenneth Burke's dramatistic approach how different "scenes" operating for the two sides motivate opposing rhetorical agencies. Analyzes those agencies…

Presents a picture of the unrest in Israel and its surrounding areas as seen through the children's eyes who have grown up during the uprising. Interviews five children whose experiences are different due to the fact that they are either Palestinians in Israel, Palestinians outside of Israel or Israeli. (JS)

The history and culture of Sikhs in North America are reviewed. Sikhs have left their native India for almost all countries of the world. Problems faced by Sikh immigrants and their descendants in Canada and the United States are explored. Maintaining their heritage is a challenge. (SLD)

A profound clash of values is occurring in public schools. Although specific disputes revolve around religion, creationism, sex education, values education, and educational reform, broader battle concerns public school's role in ensuring balanced, open curriculum that provides for free exchange of ideas. Will toleration emerge as critical national…

Although ongoing conflicts in Northern Ireland are not simply about religion, the primary social division lies between the Protestant and Catholic communities. Currently, there are parallel school systems. Contracting markets, interschool competition, and decreasing government support for an integrated education system underline educators' need…

The effects of gender and religious affiliation on adolescents' disclosure to friends and strangers were assessed with Year 11 students (N=288). Adolescents of Catholic and Protestant denominations were willing to disclose to friends and strangers. Although females were significantly higher disclosures, religion did not play a key role. Gender was…

From 19th-century Protestant hegemony to today's religion-free zones, we have found no proper, constitutional role for religion and religious expression in public education. Both models are unjust and, in some cases, unconstitutional. A third model, composed of consensual guidelines, must be translated into local district policies and practices.…

Policy initiatives in inter-group education evolved in Northern Ireland and Israel at around the same time. In each jurisdiction, the emphasis is on improving relations between protagonist groups in ethnically divided societies. Central to this objective and at the core of integrated education (Northern Ireland) and bilingual/bi-national education…

Discusses difficulties the author encountered teaching literature to physics students in a Catholic college. Presents methods used to clarify for physics students difficulties emerging from a tension between Catholic theology designed to confer a "Christian identity" on students and a particular way of teaching physics, literature, and other…

After defining three broad positions adopted in the long-standing French polemic about secularism and education, the author describes how traditional boundaries between conflicting positions have been blurred by interventionist policies in education as well as by the evolution of Catholic attitudes. He illustrates his comments from recent…