By Scott A. Merriman Sr.
The dating among church and country was once contentious lengthy sooner than the framers of the structure undertook the daring scan of setting apart the 2, sparking a debate that may rage for hundreds of years: what's the position of faith in government—and vice versa?
Religion and the legislation in America explores the various elements of this question, from prayer in public faculties to the addition of the word "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, from govt research of non secular fringe teams to federal provides for faith-based prone of social providers. in additional than 250 A–Z entries, in addition to a chain of extensive, thematic essays, it examines the teams, legislation, and proceedings that experience framed this ongoing debate. via its cautious, balanced exploration of the interplay among govt and faith through the background of the us, the paintings presents all Americans—students, students, and lay readers alike—with a deep knowing of 1 of the significant, enduring concerns in our history.
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Additional info for Religion and the Law in America: An Encyclopedia of Personal Belief and Public Policy
Sample text
Scopes was fined $100 for teaching evolution, but Darrow got Bryan to be willing to come to the stand to defend the anti-evolutionary platform and the Bible’s literal truth. Bryan did not explain his case well, and his performance caused many to look badly upon fundamentalists. It did not, however, cause many fundamentalists to change their views. The Tennessee Supreme Court overturned the Scopes verdict on a technicality and then dismissed the case, seeking to be done with it, as it had embarrassed Tennessee in the eyes of many.
The next major Supreme Court case that focused on freedom of religion was Minersville v. Gobitis in the same year as Cantwell, which examined the right of Jehovah’s Witnesses not to salute the flag. Thus, the mandatory flag salute existing at the time violated their religion. Many Witnesses refused to salute the flag and, before 1939, it was not often a legal matter. After 1939, though, war was brewing in Europe and many states moved to force patriotism in their citizens; one way to do this was a mandatory daily flag salute and saying of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Smith. They then were further denied unemployment compensation as their firings were caused by what the state considered misconduct related to their jobs, a circumstance that did not allow unemployment compensation. The Supreme Court upheld the denial of unemployment benefits, holding that neutrally written laws that were justified by a government interest are constitutional, unless the free exercise claims in the area of actions were combined with other interests, such as free speech or freedom of the press or parental rights.