The current constitutional debate concerning the separation of church and state as manifested in religiously based challenges to the public school curriculum

The purpose of this study was to examine the current delate concerning separation of church and state as manifested in religiously based challenges to the public school curriculum. There are two clauses in the First Amendment regarding separation of church and state. It •was determined that the establishment clause controls the free exercise clause. Therefore, this paper concentrated on challenges which involved the establishment clause. This study concentrated on three major issues in the current debate: the creationist-evolutionist controversy, the secular humanism issue, and the issue of moral values and education. These three issues were studied to determine if the public schools have remained neutral with regard to religion. The study first attempted to set the context in which each of these issues is being debated. Second, each side in the debate vas described, and then conclusions were drawn. In order to set the context for the current debate, the historical development of the principle of separation of church and state was studied. In this part of the study, the philosophical and political antecedents of the principle, the articulation of the principle, and, finally, the application of the principle through the courts were examined