No

by Bobby Brown

Created on: September 01, 2009   Last Updated: April 20, 2010

Each citizen of the United States is entitled to a decent education (in theory if not in practice). There are many educational institutions and many religious groups that have their own privately owned and funded schools. Since these schools are privately sponsored, they should not be forced to accept anyone- especially anyone whose lifestyle or background contradicts or is offensive to the school's religion.

Many people feel that the education provided in religious sponsered schools is better than the secular alternative. Some of the people who feel that way, much to their chagrin, insist upon seperation of church and state. I guess it's true what they say about having your cake and eating it too.

The constitution guarantees every citizen religious freedom and the right to assemble. Intrinsic to the right of assembly is the right to NOT assemble, meaning that people who belong to religious organizations or other private (exclusive) groups CANNOT be forced to associate with someone who they may disagree with or find offensive. To be sure, people who belong to government-funded, non-private organizations CAN AND ARE forced to associate with people that they might not agree with. (Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education settled that matter.) To mandate that religious institutions accept any student or faculty is akin to saying that the Klu Klux Klan has to accept African Americans; the statement is, of course, hyperbolic, but stranger things have been suggested. (As a side note, the KKK, the Nazi party and other such groups, have a right to exist in this country. They have a right to believe what they want and to hate whomever or whatever they want so long as they don't interfere with the rightst of other citizens. Just try to display a swastika in Germany though!)

Let's not forget that there is a practical reason why religious schools should not be forced to admit everyone who asks: Jews and Samaritans don't like each other; cats and dogs; Tom and Jerry; Republicans and Democrats; Oprah Winfrey and Jenny Craig - you get the idea. Should we really legislate an already volatile situation? This is part of the reason why many private religious groups decided to have their own schools - to reduce the chance for conflict as well as to preserve their religious heritage. Any rights that secularists have for forced admission is superseded by the rights of religious organizations to maintain their sanctity.

In Tinker vs. Des Moines, the Supreme Court decided (and rightfully so) to uphold the right to free speech. Ironically, too many public schools (where, presumably, they still teach American history) need a history refresher course: student suspended for wearing Islamic scarf;
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=669&nci... , student suspended for wearing anti-gay religious T-shirt sues; http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20040604-9999-1mi4powskul.html.

It is obvious that there is a particular degree of conflict that exists between religious and non-religious people. That's not to say that we CANNOT work together or be educated together.FORCING a private institution to violate its mandate is anothe issue, however, and would most likely result in crippling the education process. Both groups would probably agree that such action would be senseless.

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