Tucker+Wood

Religious Clubs at School, Right or Wrong? Tucker Wood Should schools allow students to have religous after school clubs? Religious clubs at schools have become an issue recently due to our growing and changing society. The USA contains many religions and will only be filled with more because the country is founded on freedom, which allows people to believe whatever they want. This becomes an issue though when the different religions and opposing views are brought into the school together. They can create a hostile environment, discrimination, and offend other groups. Religious clubs clearly lies in these controversial views. Clubs could create favoritism over another group, offend another religious group, becomes a distraction in the classroom, or could even divide the school. Also though clubs would give students an opportunity to express their views correctly, gain new friends, learn more of their beliefs, and allow them to get involved in after school programs. The answer to this issue lays in the 1ST Amendment and how it is interpreted. This guarantees the right of freedom of religion, assembly, and speech. All these rights deal with the issue of Religious clubs at school. "FCA Home." //FCA Home//. Noble Public Schools, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. []. Fatunla, Tayo. "Diamond Jubilee." //Cagle Post//. Daryl Cagles, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. [].

> (Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens) (Good News Club v. Milford Central School) (Good News Club v. Milford Central School) ( Religion in the Public Schools - Student Religious Clubs) unequally. (Rosenberger v. University of Virginia) (Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools) ( Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens) (Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools) (Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools) ||
 * For Religious Clubs || Against Religious Clubs ||
 * * First Amendment Right: Freedom to Exercise Religon, which gives the people the right to practice their religion.
 * First & Fourth Amendment Right: Freedom of Speech, which gives the people the right to speak freely about whatever they choose.
 * Right to Assemble, which gives the people the right to assemble into groups such as religious clubs.
 * Equal Access Act, which says that states that schools must allow religious clubs, as long as they are student initiated and student led.
 * Discrimination laws, which says that you can not treat different groups
 * Socialize and spend time with those who share your beliefs
 * Student led Clubs, which have no influence from teachers and are directly related to the students beliefs. || * Establishment Clause, which states that you can’t make a law respecting a religion or no religion can be favored over another.
 * Religious Bullying, which is caused by religious students forcing religion on other students. (Hawkins)
 * Forcing Influence on students from the majority being in these religious groups.(Hawkins)
 * Negative Cycle of School Clubs that only seem to hurt the students more than help them.(Hawkins)
 * Offending other Students by exercising a belief in the wrong way towards a student of a different belief.
 * Distraction to Students while at school.
 * Cause tension among students .from the different beliefs
 * Teacher Influence from the teacher leadership.
 * Public School, not Private, which means public schools are created for all students for one reason, to educate and thats it.

Court Cases


 * Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens. The school board of Westside High School denied Bridget Mergens request to start a new Christian club because of the Establishment Clause, which states that the government can’t make a law respecting a religion or no religion can be favored over another. Mergens sued the school because this violated the Equal Access Act, which states that schools must allow religious clubs, as long as they are student initiated and student led. The court concluded that the Equal Access Act did not violate the Establishment Act, so the school could not deny the Christian Club.


 * Good News Club v. Milford Central School. Milford Central School denied the request of Stephen and Darleen Fournier to hold their weekly Good News club (Christian Club) meeting on school grounds because the proposed use, including singing songs, hearing Bible lessons, memorizing scripture, and praying, which was the equivalent of religious worship prohibited by the community use policy. The club filed suit against the school, saying this violated freedom of speech under the first and fourth amendment. The court concluded that Milford violated the Club's free speech rights and that no Establishment Clause concern justified the violation.

What I Think:
 * Rosenberger v**.** University of Virginia. The University of Virginia refused to provide funding to Ronald W. Rosenberger from student activity fund for the publishing costs of Wide Awake: A Christian Perspective at the University of Virginia because it primarily promoted a particular belief in an ultimate reality. Rosenberger sued the University for violating the first amendment by denying the magazine funds that was available to others. The court concluded the University’s denial of funding, due to the content, imposed a financial burden on the magazine and was discrimination.

 Religious clubs at public schools are a very controversial issue and will continue to be due to our nation’s emergent diversity. Some say that with this integration of cultures, religious clubs at public schools will be out of the question, but I see that as unconstitutional. When our country was founded we were given rights as citizens so that we could express ourselves in a number of different ways, and freedom of religion is one of them. The First Amendment clearly states that American citizens obtain the right to have their own beliefs and express them within reason with the freedom of assembly and speech. Everyone has the same rights here in America, so why are some people attacking the irrefutable rights of others? The world and United States is filled with different cultures and beliefs and they are only going to keep on growing, so we better start getting used to all the diversity.

 People criticize religious groups with the same things over and over. First they say that it’s a distraction to school, and then someone’s offended, and finally a student was bullied from the group. All these different excuses are exaggerated to make religious clubs look like cults. The real reason why they want to get rid of the club is because they don’t have one of their own, but they too have the opportunity to create one. If they were to create a club of their own beliefs, the people in the other club, including me, wouldn’t have a problem because that is their right. Even if we don’t share the same beliefs and don’t agree with each other, we are still people and both deserve the same amount of rights. These clubs are more than just groups or clubs to its members; they are places of security, safety, love, and beliefs. It’s not just something to write down on a college application for extra-curricular activity. It’s not just something to join to get a cool attachment for graduation. It’s not just a club; it’s a family of believers, but going past the meaning of the clubs, down to the legal stand points of the issue. It is lucid through the Equal Access Act, First Amendment rights, discrimination laws, and the court cases to prove that religious clubs are the people’s right to form and conduct under certain regulations.

Works Cited


 * Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens By and Through Mergens. 496 U.S. 226.Supreme Court of the United States. 1990. //LII//. Web. 11 Dec. 2012


 * "Establishment Clause." //Legal Information Institute//. Cornell University, 19 Aug. 2010. Web. 09 Dec. 2012.


 * Good News Club v. Milford Central School. 533 U.S. 98. Supreme Court of the United States. 2001. //LII//. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.


 * Hawkins, Beth. "Katherine Stewart: How Christian Clubs in Schools Turned into Faith-based Bullying." //MinnPost//. Katherine Stewart, 22 June 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.<http://www.minnpost.com/learning-curve/2012/06/katherine-stewart-how-christian-clubs-schools-turned-faith-based-bullying>.


 * "Religion in the Public Schools - Student Religious Clubs." //Religion in the Public Schools - Student Religious Clubs//. Anti-Defamation League, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.<http://www.adl.org/religion_ps_2004/clubs.asp>.


 * Rosenberger v. University of Va. 515 U.S. 819. Supreme Court of the United States. 1995. //LII//. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.


 * "Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools?" //Helium//. N.p., Feb. 2008. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/debates/79773-should-religious-student-clubs-be-allowed-in-public-schools/side_by_side>.