Considers the religious rights of prison and jail inmates and discusses the role of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that was passed in 1993 granting people greater rights to practice their religion. Proposes an instructional idea where students discuss the benefits and challenges of allowing inmates to practice their religions within an…

The people of the United States have always been determinedly religious. What is new is the public recognition of this fact and the debate over the problems that attend it. In high schools and colleges across the country, students are reading textbooks that state as fact that the United States is, or is rapidly becoming, a secular society, an…

The religious liberty clauses of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States are the most important political decision for religious liberty and public justice in history. Two hundred years after their enactment, they stand out boldly in a century darkened by state repression and sectarian conflict. The controversy now surrounding…

Reviews research findings of the various effects of ongoing violence and social problems on Protestant and Catholic working class children in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A summer vacation program in which Northern Ireland children visit the U.S. is described. Current research to study this program and problems related to cross-cultural research is…

Offers an extension of previous research by drawing on theory from the social psychology of attitudes to explore the roles of various contextual and developmental variables in attitudes toward interfaith dating. More restrictive attitudes toward interfaith dating were associated with majority adolescents, greater Orthodoxy, and more frequent…

A fact-finding meeting on racial and religious tensions on college campuses in Kansas was held, with participation by community leaders, college and university officials and instructors, law enforcement officials, college students, and community relations experts. Topics covered were the extent of the tensions; likely causes of the problem; and…

This paper examines the rhetoric and consequences of extreme religious right-wing groups' attack on American public schools. The first section identifies two competing world perspectives, the modern and postmodern perspectives. The second section identifies the fundamental principle that enables the two competing perspectives to coexist: the First…

Support for the traditional principle of separation of church and state has eroded in recent years. Although a majority of citizens say they support church-state separation, opinion polls find they have difficulty with the issue. The report presents a summary of such church-state conflicts in 38 states. The conflicts are categorized as follows:…

The Williamsburg Charter is a celebration and reaffirmation of the religious liberty, or freedom of conscience, granted by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. It was drafted and signed by more that 150 national leaders and presented to the nation on June 25, 1988, the 200th anniversary of Virginia's call for a bill of rights.…

This guidebook is built on the conviction that finding common ground on many divisive issues is possible within the civic framework provided by the Religious Liberty clauses of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It argues that there is a clearly defined constitutional difference between "teaching religion" to students and "teaching…

The 1984 legislation for public funding of Catholic schools in Ontario exposed two primary conflicting values held by different groups. An analysis of policy change in terms of value conflict, and an examination of the consequences for organizational structure and administrative practice are the themes of this paper. The context in which the…

A DOCTORAL STUDY WAS MADE IN AN ATTEMPT TO (1) DESCRIBE THE NATURE OF THE THREAT POSED TO THE OHIO AMISH BY THE PROGRAM OF STATE CONTROLLED PUBLIC SCHOOLING, (2) REVIEW THE PRINCIPLE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE OPEN CONFLICT BETWEEN THE AMISH AND THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES, AND (3) ANALYZE THE AMISH RESPONSE TO PUBLIC SCHOOLING. THE FIRST PHASE OF THE…

Since the early 1980s, efforts have increased to educate Catholic and Protestant students together in Northern Ireland. This case study examined the impact of mixed Protestant and Catholic education on former students' respect for diversity, friendship patterns, and their own religious, political, and cultural identity. A case study approach was…

Maintains that spirituality, by reason of its very nature and essence, is antithetical to the goals of state education. Argues that efforts to define spirituality as separate from religion are disingenuous and driven by a specific political agenda. Discusses the conflicting goals of spirituality and secular institutionalization. (MJP)

Intended for use in Roman Catholic seminaries to educate in their ecumenical and interfaith responsibilities those in training to become priests, this handbook discusses the manifold implications of Jewish-Christian relations. It is recommended that the topic of Jewish-Christian relations be integrated into the existing areas of seminary study.…