RELIGION IN SCHOOL

This letter is in response to last week's letter written by high school student Kassandra Wareham, who asked if religion is legal in public schools. The short answer to Miss Wareham's question is yes. It would be illegal, however, if the school was sponsoring this "Pray Until Something Happens" club (PUSH) or if religious doctrine was included in the school curriculum. Various Supreme Court rulings have created such confusion over this issue that the best possible way to understand the legality of separation of church and state can be found in the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble." Surely, this PUSH club is a benign, peaceful, student-governed assemblage. To expand on your legal understanding of separation of church and state, let's remember President Obama's recent inclusion of Christian scripture during his memorial speech at a public university after the Tucson shooting in Arizona. Illegal? No. To address a few other concerns in your letter, it seems your desire to start a gay/straight alliance club is in reaction to PUSH. Do you know that the creation of your club involves the Christian virtues of love and compassion? Many Christians agree that the act of homosexuality is sinful, but all Christians agree that Jesus loves everyone, regardless of who they love. I encourage you to start a gay/straight alliance. But I also ask you to redirect your passion to a social issue that is more pertinent, and understand the law. PUSH and your club are not in conflict. Our forefathers would agree with this. Good luck!

Laurel Davis

Moses Lake