Thomas A. Edison Quotes

Since the association of seasonal activities with religious activities in the public schools tends to pervert their religious significance, such association be discouraged as foreign to the purpose of the public schools.

This issue is whether or not our government should be infusing religion into (schools).

Religious observances should never be held in a public school or introduced into the public school as part of its program.

What role should religion play in the American public school classroom? My own knee-jerk response would be, 'none whatsoever,' but the Constitution isn't quite so direct on the subject.

The Supreme Court has insulted you over and over again, Lord. They've taken your Bible away from the schools. They've forbidden little children to pray. They've taken the knowledge of God as best they can, and organizations have come into court to take the knowledge of God out of the public square of America.

I'm for prayer in schools.

Let them be reassured, it has never been one of our intentions to ban religion in society, but solely to protect the national education system from any conspicuous display of religious affiliation.

I'll tell you right now. I'm for prayer in school.

I believe in the separation of church and state, but I do not believe in the separation of politics from religion.

In a pluralistic society, public schools are places for persons of all faiths and none. Schools may neither promote nor denigrate any religion.

The public schools belong to all Americans. As guardians of our constitutional principles, teachers and administrators have a special obligation and responsibility to protect the religious liberty rights of students of all faiths and none, and to ensure that religion and religious conviction are treated with fairness and respect…

Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion.

At the last meeting of the Board of Education, Mr. Maegher called attention to the chanting of the Lord's Prayer in the public schools, which is a violation of a rule which forbids the introduction of religious matters. We are glad this subject has come up at last. The Lord's Prayer has been brought into disrespect about long enough by being snarled through the dirty noses of a hundred bad boys and preposterous girls.

The Government of the United States possesses no power whatever over the question of religion.

If religious freedom is to endure in America, the responsibility for teaching religion to public school children must be left to the homes and churches of our land, where this responsibility rightfully belongs. It must not be assumed by the government through the agency of the public school system.

The Constitution of the State did not recognize the Christian Religion any more than it recognized …. The school board had an obligation as well as a right to keep religious partisanship out of the public schools.

The Establishment Clause prohibits government from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community.

I think that we are at a point in our country where we're trying to decide what role should religion play in the political arena.

The forefathers, including James Madison, felt very strongly that the duties that we owe to God were outside of government's prerogative, that government had no business interfering with the way we worship God.

The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

The parents have a right to say that no teacher paid by their money shall rob their children of faith in God and send them back to their homes skeptical, or infidels, or agnostics, or atheists.

Education should be totally secular. I am not telling people not to believe in God, but it should be a personal matter which should be done at home.

When my kids were growing up, I wanted their teachers to teach them science, reading, math and history. I also wanted them to care about my kids. But I did not want my children's public school teachers teaching them religion. That was my job as a parent and the job of our church, Sunday school, and youth group.

… white males, between the ages of 16 and 50, of good moral character, believers in the existence of a Supreme Being, in favor of separation of church and state, and supporters of free education through the Public School System.

When the government says to you that they want to help you be more religious, you want to run away from them as fast as possible.