Storm Goodman The boundaries between religious freedom, the separation of church and state and the principles of public institutions have been debated for years. In the United States, the First Amendment assures the free exercise of any religion, yet it also prohibits the foundation of an official religion. However, in the case of publicly funded campuses like UTSA, students and faculty are often able to create organizations for almost anything they would like, so these boundaries can sometimes completely disappear. Due to this, the concept of religious organizations practicing and hosting on publicly funded campuses can become complex. The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Since public schools, specifically colleges, are funded through and controlled by the government, this makes these schools a government entity. Under these circumstances, public schools should not be endorsing or supporting any specific religion. However, the First Amendment also includes the Free Exercise Clause , which protects people’s right to freely practice their religion. Permitting religious organizations to gather in public school facilities may be seen as supporting this right by providing a free space for religious projects. In 1981, this issue was brought before […]

By : Markus McDowell Tags: