The religious instituations seem to be experiencing an exodus of young people from active participation, but those who leave are not rejecting life, they are simply looking for answers from different sources. Guidance counselors have opportunities to assist the young people who come to them in several ways. (Author)

Examines recent court holdings concerning the schools and the celebration of religious holidays, the establishment of religious clubs and organizations, and the distribution of Bibles. (IRT)

Threats to religious freedom can come from government restriction on religious practices. But the greater threat to religious liberty comes when religious groups influence governments to promote their own activities and beliefs. Powerful and well-funded religious groups, ranging from the religious right to the Roman Catholic church, are using…

Describes the founding and mission of SIGNIS, a Catholic communications organization that strives to promote the personal, social, and cultural life of all people and their communities. States that SIGNIS unites two international Catholic associations, UNDA and OCIC; both were involved in communication and media since 1928. (NB)

This book is designed to give readers a basic grasp of the general legal principles controlling the role of religion in public education, to apply those principles to typical church-state issues in the schools, and to equip readers to address other related issues as they arise. The book covers the following topics: (1) general legal principles;…

This annotated bibliography presents 126 selected references on the topic of cults. Focusing mainly on religious cults, including the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church and the Hare Krishna groups, the entries examine allegations of mind control tactics over converts, issues raised by the allegations, and controversial methods used by…

This paper reviews First Amendment federal court cases pertaining to religion in schools, suggesting that the findings reveal a judiciary uncertain of where to strike a balance between the interests of the majority and the rights of the minority. The first area discussed is public aid to private schools. The cases covered in this discussion…

This paper presents arguments in favor of, and legal and constitutional guidelines for, religious released time education programs as a workable counterbalance for those concerned with the trend toward secularism in public education. The guidelines are necessarily general, because laws regarding the authority of school districts to adopt released…

A 1981-1982 study of the meaning of fundamental education concentrated on interviewing over 300 lay citizens, pastors, and educators in small rural communities in upstate New York and Vermont and yielded five major findings. First, little oversight or regulatory capability existed to control the fundamentalist school movement. State level…

This packet, developed by the Public Education Religion Studies Center (PERSC), provides the classroom teacher with materials which are helpful in designing and teaching courses or units on world religions. For a description of the purpose and activities of PERSC see related document SO 008 363. The packet contains three articles by nationally…

This publication consists of the papers presented at the first national symposium of the Public Education Religion Studies Center (PERSC). The purpose of PERSC is to encourage and facilitate increased and improved nonsectarian teaching about religion within constitutional bounds at the elementary and secondary level. It emphasizes the natural…

Examines the controversy surrounding two established practices in British education: the support of religious denominational schools by government grant and the provision of religious education and collective worship within maintained non-church schools. Explores arguments which appeal to the changing character of British society to conclude that…

This booklet offers school administrators guidance on the constitutional foundation of religious freedom and the relationship between church and state in the United States. Most of the recent Supreme Court cases dealing with religion in the schools and many current issues in the field are discussed. Questions that administrators may wish to…