Evening star., 1952-02-13
Extent Of Government Interest
In God Stirs Growing Debate
i

lldF chaplain OF nave YlS1Glng
lchaplains for daily prayer.
II. All States. except West Vir-
lginia. Arizona and Wyoming,
recognize God In their constitu-
ltions, usually In the preamble.
eve the people. grateful to Al
mighty God" says the Nebraska
constitution, for example.j
The First Amendment, said
Father Vincent G. Hopkins, Ford
ham University historian, does
not mean absolute separation Of
church and state, either legally or
by tradition. ats not possible, .
he said.
Yet the Supreme Court has de-
clared: "We have staked the
very existence Of our country on
the faith that complete separa-
ton between the state and reli-
gion is best for the state and best
for religion"
Move for Recognition.
In Topeka. Kans., an organiza-
ltion called the Christian Amend
ment Movement" is carrying on q
campaign to get recognition OF
Christ as Savior and King" into
the Federal Constitution.
There have been a half-dozen
Congressional proposals of this
mature all defeated the last one
In 1947 by the late Senator Arthur
Capper of Kansas.
Scores of court cases have arisen
over Sunday laws, with varying
results.
Although about one-fourth the
States require school flag salutes,
the Supreme Court has ruled it
unconstitutional to compel chill
dren with religious objections to
do SO.
The court also has held in re-
cent times that conscientious OBJ
Ijections to military service, on re-
lligious or other grounds. must be
respected. Differences over trans
lportation or other state aid to
Iparochial schools has been one of
the keeneSt issues.
Founders Determined.
Before the Constitutional Con-
Ivention, most colonies had estab-
Ilished religions. Rhode Island.
founded by Baptist Roger Will
Iliams, was the first colony not to
impose some form of discrimina-
ltion.
When SIS men met in Philadel-
Iphia in 1887 to write the United
States Constitution, they were
aware of the secretarian strife and
prosecutions of Church-State un-
ions in the old world and the
colonies.
The chief founders-Washing-
ton, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin
were pious men, but they were
determined to assure full religious
liberty.
/ The Constitution pledges that
mo religious test shall ever be re-
iquired as a qualification to any
office or public trust under the
United States"
Direct Guarantee.
When some Of the founders in
sisted on a direct guarantee of
religious liberty, the First Amend
Iment was added. It says, in part,
congress shall make no law re-
specting an establishment of reli-
lgion or prohibiting the free exer-
else thereof" s
Although the First Amendment
originally applied only to Con-
fgress, the 14th Amendment, passed
lin 1868, has been interpreted by
the Supreme Court to apply the
First Amendment to the States.
The 14th Amendment reads, in
part: 'No State shall make or
Ienforce any law which shall
abridge the privileges or immu-
mites of citizens of the United
States -
But down through the years,
American Presidents often have
pointed to religion as the basis of
our society. The late President
Roosevelt said:
Storms from abroad directly
challenge three institutions indis-
pensable to Americans, now as
always. The first is religion. It
is the source Of the other two
democracy and international good
faith"
TOMORROW - The Schools
oYnA RaIi0inn