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Page Number: 38.0

16 

CARSON v. MAKIN 

BREYER, J., dissenting 

They recognized the important rights that religious schools 
have  to  create  the  sort  of  religiously  inspired  curriculum 
that Bangor Christian and Temple Academy teach.  Legis-
lators also recognized that these private schools make reli-
giously  based  enrollment  and  hiring  decisions.    Bangor
Christian and Temple Academy, for example, have admis-
sions  policies  that  allow  them  to  deny  enrollment  to  stu-
dents based on gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, 
and religion, and both schools require their teachers to be
Born Again Christians.  App. 82–83, 89, 93, 98.  Legislators
did not want Maine taxpayers to pay for these religiously
based practices—practices not universally endorsed by all
citizens of the State—for fear that doing so would cause a
significant number of Maine citizens discomfort or displeas-
ure.  See, e.g., id., at 101 (Maine representative noting that
“private  religious  schools  discriminate  against  citizens  of 
the  State  of  Maine,”  such  as  by  “not  hir[ing]  individuals
whose beliefs are not consistent with the school’s religious
teachings,”  and asserting that “it  is fundamentally wrong 
for us to fund” such discrimination); id., at 104 (Maine rep-
resentative  stating  that  “the  people  of  Maine”  should  not 
use  “public  money”  to  advance  “their  religious  pursuits,”
and  that  “discrimination  in  religious  institutions”  should 
not be funded “with my dollar”); id., at 107 (Maine senator 
expressing concern that “public funds could be used to teach
intolerant religious views”).  The nonsectarian requirement
helped avoid this conflict—the precise kind of social conflict
that the Religion Clauses themselves sought to avoid. 

Maine’s nonsectarian requirement also serves to avoid re-
ligious  strife  between  the  State  and  the  religious  schools.
Given that Maine is funding the schools as part of its effort 
to ensure that all children receive the basic public education
to which they are entitled, Maine has an interest in ensur-
ing that the education provided at these schools meets cer-
tain curriculum standards.  Religious schools, on the other