Opinion ID: 2086814
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: nature of the belief

Text: With respect to the first prong of this analysis, the Court in Yoder sought to determine whether or not the Amish religious faith and their mode of life were in fact inseparable and interdependent. 406 U.S. at 215, 92 S.Ct. at 1533. The Court said that [A] way of life, however virtuous and admirable, may not be interposed as a barrier to reasonable state regulation of education if it is based on purely secular considerations . . .. Id. Activity motivated solely by philosophical or personal considerations, rather than religious beliefs, falls outside the scope of the protections afforded by the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. Id. The Court determined that the traditional way of life of the Amish is not merely a matter of personal preference, but one of deep religious conviction, shared by an organized group, and intimately related to daily living. 406 U.S. at 216, 92 S.Ct. at 1533. Therefore, the Amish parents in Yoder satisfied the first prong of the free exercise analysis. In the case at bar, the defendants, Paul Shaver and Dennis Steinwand, are fundamental Baptists, members of the Bible Baptist Church in Bismarck. The record shows that their religious belief mandates that children be educated according to God's word and in a manner consistent with the teachings of the Bible. To fulfill this command, the Bible Baptist School began operation in January of 1979 as an integral and inseparable part of the ministry of the Bible Baptist Church. As the State has conceded that the parents have met this first prong of the inquiry, we need not further address this question. The second inquiry of the Yoder analysis, however, presents a more difficult dilemma.