Today, Zambia has a comparatively unified, somewhat exceptional, approach to religious education despite a wide variety of predominantly Christian denominations. This article retraces the history of the development of religious education from when it was entirely confessional to the present time when it has become largely educational. In so doing…

The presidency of George W. Bush has polarized the church-state debate as never before. The Far Right has been emboldened to use religion to govern, while the Far Left has redoubled its efforts to evict religion from public life entirely. Fewer people on the Right seem to respect the church-state separation, and fewer people on the Left seem to…

The 1974 textbook dispute led by Alice Moore, member of the Kanawha County (West Virginia) Board of Education, is discussed. (NQ)

The two religion clauses of the First Amendment of the Constitution clearly declared the objectives of the framers, toleration and separation, but the means whereby these objectives were to be achieved were left to be decided through the dynamic processes of the courts. The history of these two clauses reveals that Americans are still seeking to…

This speech describes one superintendent's attempt to resolve a community disagreement concerning Christmas concerts held at Manhasset, New York, elementary schools the previous December. The newly appointed superintendent formed a nine-member, blue-ribbon task force, headed by a liberal Catholic, to study existing school district policies and…

Robert G. Ingersoll exerted considerable social impact on American culture, employing rhetorical persuasion to champion the free thought movement of the late 1880's. Primarily concerned with advocating the principle of individual freedom of thought and expression in religious life, he enraged his contemporary churchmen who were devoted to group…

This essay presents the views on national education for both Catholics and all Americans by Orestes Brownson, a Catholic educator and publicist during the 1800s. Journal available from Notre Dame Journal of Education, P.O. Box 686, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556. (ND)

Addresses the question of whether student prayer groups should be allowed to use school facilities. The Equal Access Act allows all noncurricular student groups to meet, whereas four federal appellate court decisions ban prayer groups on the basis that separation between church and state outweighs students' right to free speech. (WTH)

Argues that an appreciation of the religious milieu of the Zenger case can help to explain the nature of the defense, the meaning of the jury's verdict, and the ambiguous legacy of the trial for freedom of expression in the United States. (FL)

Research shows that one of the most important prerequisites for student success is for teachers to understand and respect individuals from different cultures, and to understand the communities from which they come (Ilmer, Synder, Erbaugh & Kurtz, 1997). Thus, if we want students to succeed, what they bring into the science classroom in terms of…

Focuses on the concepts of inauthenticity and alienation as they relate to the Catholic Church; explores the reactions of blacks to the Church's actions at the death of Judge Leander Perez, who was nationally known as one of the most outspoken advocates of racial segregation and white supremacy in the U. S. (RJ)

Amish parents who refused to enroll their children in high school (because of religous tenets) violated the Wisconsin Compulsory School Attendance Law. The court ruled the law unconstitutional as it applied to these parents; this opens issues for current community control. (DM)

Author outlines competing legal theories being urged on the court in the Tilton case and believes the church related college will suffer a loss of control over full dimension of its church relationship by participating in federal aid for education programs. (IR)