| The Case of the Rabbi�s Invocation For many years the Providence Rhode Island school committee and superintendent have permitted, but not directed, school principals to include invocations and benedictions in the graduation ceremony of the city�s public middle schools. The invocations and benedictions are not written or delivered by public school employees, but by members of the clergy invited to participate in these ceremonies for that purpose. The schools provide the clergy with guidelines prepared by the National Conference of Christian and Jews. These guidelines stress inclusiveness and sensitivity in preparing non-religious prayer for public ceremonies. The clergy who have delivered these prayers in recent years at the graduations have included ministers of various Christian denominations, as well as rabbis. Attendance at graduation ceremonies is voluntary, and parents and friends of the students are invited to attend. The ceremonies are held at the schools. Daniel Weisman�s daughter, Deborah, graduated from Nathan Bishop Middle School, a public school. Rabbi Leslie Gutterman, from a local synagogue delivered the invocation and benediction at the ceremony. Both were consistent with the guidelines the principal sent him. The Weismans filed a case in federal court contending that inviting religious leaders to provide the invocation and benediction at public school violated the separation of church and state required by the First Amendment. a. What argument can the Weismans make? b. What arguments can the school make? c. How should this case be decided? The Case of �The Amish Children� Wisconsin had a law requiring all children to attend school until age 16. However, the Amish believe that children between the ages of 14 and 16 should devote that time to bible study and to training at home for farm work. The Amish believe that high school is �too worldly for their children.� State officials prosecuted several Amish parents for not sending their children to school. The parents defended their actions as an exercise of their religion. Wisconsin v. Yoder reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972. The court weighed the rights of the Amish to practice their religion against the state�s interest in requiring school attendance. The Court held that the Amish people�s right to free exercise of religion was more important than the two years of school required schooling. Among the factors the Court considered was the tendency for Amish children to become employed, law-abiding citizens after completing their religious education. Do you agree with this decision? Based on the 1990 peyote case would Yoder be decided the same way if ti reached the court today? |