I HI
Friday. December 11. 1970
THE NEW BERN MIRROR. NEW BERN, N. C.
Page Five
Star of Stars
It is paradoxical that at the
very time when many
American educators are
advocating greater academic
freedom a new battle looms
over the insistent demands of
some religious groups that
church school activities be
MASONIC
out of the public
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Ircasury.
Indeed, in his March 3rd
Kducation Message to
Congress, the President seemed
to sanction this idea and urge
that Federal monies be used to
finance the parochial school
system.
This challenge to the principle
of separation of church and
state should not be lightly
dismissed, because Federal
funding of church-owned or
church-controlled educational
institutions has a “money”
appeal to many parents who
send their children to sectarian
schools and who are chafing at
rising educational costs. Many
feel that a “little Federal
money” would do no harm, and
might help the educational
system meet the financial crisis
of this age. Those who accept
such arguments, however,
ignore the danger that when
religious activities become
state-supported, religion suffers
a mortal blow. Moreover, State
support of a church and its
activities is bad because it
violates the First Amendment
to the Constitution. The church
that depends upon tax money
for the support of its endeavors-
-rather than upon the voluntary
gifts of its adherents-loses
spiritual strength, and what
liegins as governmental aid
ultimately runs the full cycle of
governmental control.
During my service in the
Senate, I have strenuously
opposed the use of tax money
for the support of religious
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Alan Jay Lerner wrote the
screeplay as well as lyrics for
the music by Burton Lane.
institutions and their activities.
As a matter of fact, I have
secured Senate passage of a
proposal on four occasions-
twice in the form of
amendments to education bills
and twice in the form of
separate bills-to make it
certain that Federal courts
should have jurisdiction to
determine the constitutionality
of grants and loans of Federal
tax money to religious
institutions. Regrettably, the
proposal never did get through
the House because the
Judiciary Committee of that
body chose not to act upon it.
JOHNSON
cnvsiEii-pivinuni me.
1219 Pollock # New Bern
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After 1 waged these battles,
however, the matter went to the
United States Supreme Court
and in its Flast decision (1968)
the Court laid down the
principle that as far as the First
Amendment is concerned, a
private taxpayer can bring suit
in a Federal court to challenge
the validity of grants and loans
of Federal tax money to
religious denominations. So the
Court ruling has now gone
beyond my proposed bill in
support of the principle of
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separation of church and state. ‘
The fact that the President
has recently urged Congress to
reconsider the use of tax funds
to finance parochial schools
indicates that the battle is not
over.
In saying this, 1 wish to make
it abundantly clear that I
believe that religious education
ought to be encouraged. This
should be done through private
contributions and not tax
contributions.
1 would hope that for the good
of our churches and our country
that Congress and the
Administration will not embark
upon a new Federal aid
program for the support of
religious institutions and their
educational activities. To do so
is certain to stir up much
dissension and strife throughout
this nation, and raises the
prospect that our nation will
become embroiled in quarrels
among religious denominations
seeking to get their “hand in the
public till.”