Evening star., 1948-03-11
Religious Education
Becomes Big Issue
As Ruling Is Debated
fSee Editorial, "Church and State"
on Page A-14.)
By Cospor Nonnes

come a major issue throughout the
Nation, as church and school lead
ers debate the effects of Mondays
Supreme Court decision banning tne
use of public school buildings for
religious classes.
Opinions concerning the wisdom
of the judgment ranged from ex-
pressions of high praise to these
containing forebodings of disaster
regarding the future religious edu-
cation of Americas boys and girls.
Church leaders also agreed the
Sunday school program will be
markedly affected by the Supreme
Court decision. They envisioned a
strong effort to increase facilities In
Sunday schools throughout the Ma
ton as way of taking up any slack
resulting from adjustments caused
by the courts decision.
Still another view is that Protes-
tant parochial schools, about 1900
Of them throughout the country,
will experience increased enroll
ment.
Those supporting the high court S
decision declared it is an important
step in upholding the principle Of
separation of church and state.
DIR. Newton Welcomes Decision.
II welcome the decision as affirm
ing the basic principles of separa-
tion of church and state" DR.. Louie
D. Newton, president of the South
western Baptist Convention, de-
clared.
Il believe that the decision will
tend to turn back the encroach-
ment in recent years upon this prin-
ciple in the United States. I think
we should accept the decision as a
challenge to do a better job OF
teaching the Bible in the churches
and in the home"
Methodist Bishop c. Bromley
Oman of New York asserted the
decision not only upholds "the
American principle Of separation OF
church and state" but that 'it makes
a significant contribution to reli-
gious liberty and. in the long run,
to religion itself"
''It does not forbid the study OF
religion as part Of the subject
matter of history, sociology, art
music and philosophy, he added
''It does keep divisive sectarianism
out of the public school. The do
main of freedom provided by the
forefathers for religion is re-
affirmed; and the church, within
this freedom, will teach religion, Sc
cure commitment to the Christ and
develop the character essential to a
free people. Within this freedom,
the church can strike down secular
ism and create the life of the
spirit"
Correct, DIR. Zook Says.
The decision was "a correct one" "
DR.. George F. zook, president of the
American Council of Education,
said. But he added that public
schools give fairly inadequate at
tention to. the fact that churches
and religion are important parts of
American life"
Our children should be made
aware of the function of religion in
our social life and that it is a
philosophy of life which should be
known to everybody" he declared
DR.. Zook also contended the Su-
preme Court decision in February,
1947. permitting the use of public
funds to pay for transportation of
children to parochial schools in New
Jersey was correct because "in that
case public funds were being used
for the benefit of the child, rather
than for the support of any
church"
Other leaders associated with ma
tional religious bodies who favored
the decision included DR.. Charles
Clayton Morrison, former editor of
the Christian Century, and DR.. j.
M Dawson, executive secretary Of
the Baptists' Joint Conference Com
mittee on Public Relations.
DR.. Morrison declared the ver-
dict was inevitable" and a proper
step in supporting the principle Of
separation of church and State
DR.. Dawson asserted the judgment
not only safeguards this principle,
but is "a vast contribution to re-
ligious liberty, good will among all
sects, and presents a challenge to
the home and the church to come
back into their own in real ef-
fort to apply much needed religious
instruction"
Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati,
president of the Federal Churches
of Christ in America. said in tele-
phone interview the councils Execu-
tive Committee will issue state
ment following its meeting Tuesday
in New York. He refused to COM
ment otherwise.
DIR. Sizoo Protests Decision.
Among those protesting the de-
cision as "depriving 100000 chill
dren of instruction" was DR.. Joseph
r. Sizoo, president of the New
Brunswick IN, j. Theological Sem
mary. The clergyman, formerly
pastor of New York Avenue Presby-
terian Church here, declared at the
Episcopal Church of the Epiphany
yesterday the judgment is mot free
dom of religion but freedom from
religion"
D. Stewart Patterson, executive
secretary of the Methodist Com
mission on Chaplains, warned 1--WE
must be alert to present trends, lest
religion be so far separated from
national life as to be lost from it.
Noting that while in certain
areas, valuable programs have been
developed through the use of school
buildings for religious instruction
the Right Rev. Angus Dun, Bishop
of Washington, said troublesome in
Movements may come out of any
efforts to utilize the public school
system for sectarian purposes. II
seems to me we should put our
public schools into cooperation sc
the church may take advantage ol
any open space without the schoo
system directly supporting it,"
A period of widespread confu-
sion and endless litigation" lies
ahead, as result of the courts rul-
ing, DR.. R. P. Schearrer, president
of the Washington Ministeria
Union and pastor of Takoma Parl
Presbyterian Church.