Vouchers, religion and government

New legislative sessions are about to begin. It is an election year. It is time for old issues to be raised, especially if there are religious and emotional underpinnings of those issues. School vouchers will have another hearing. Some will argue vouchers are about equal access to quality education. Others will argue vouchers are a challenge to First Amendment mandates for separation of church and state.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees free exercise of religion, but also guarantees that Congress will make no law for the establishment of religion. Religious organizations in the United States have always been free to establish education systems that compete with public schools for students. They are free to teach and advocate for their religions as a part of their curricula. Roman Catholics, Baptists and Evangelicals have established very large school systems that provide education from kindergarten through high school. In general, the quality of education provided by religious organizations has been quite good. They are taking advantage of the free exercise provision of the First Amendment.

Religious people and organizations have paid the cost of religion-based parochial education, but not without complaint. They argue they are paying for education twice. First, they pay through tax systems that fund public education, and they pay again by covering the tuition that makes parochial education possible. They propose portable vouchers underwritten by a governmental body as the means to achieve equity. Until recently, courts at every level have ruled that government-funded vouchers are a violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

For the past 75 years, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom has been the leading religious Washington, D.C., lobby on issues of separation of church and state. BJC has had the sponsorship of every major Baptist body in America until recently, when the Southern Baptist Convention withdrew its support. BJC has long opposed vouchers based on the establishment clause in the First Amendment. It has affirmed the right of parents to choose a religious education for their children, but firmly oppose the use of public money in any way to support parochial school systems. BJC has argued that government must remain neutral in all matters of religion.

Eight years ago, Congress established what became known as the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. It provided scholarship vouchers of up to $7,500 for 1,000 students. Vouchers were portable and could be used by families at any private school in D.C. Almost all of the private schools in the area are religion-based. After five years, the program was phased out. The program did not produce the predicted result. The children in most need did not get the vouchers. Children involved showed no statistical gain in achievement. The net result was that several million dollars was transferred from the federal government to churches through the hands of the 1,000 families involved.

The issue with the Joint Baptist Committee was not the plan's failure to produce intended results. The issue was that millions of government dollars went into the coffers of sponsoring churches. For JBC, the Washington, D.C., experiment was a blatant violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The United States is in the process of a significant shift in its religious make-up. There is no question that our national roots are in Christian Protestantism. Then came the Catholics. And a flood of immigrants from Ireland and Italy made Catholics a statistical reality. For many years, Roman Catholics were religious outsiders in America. Tolerance was the best for which a Catholic could hope. The election of Roman Catholic John Kennedy as president was a watershed event in American history. Catholics are now seen as a part of the American Christian mainstream, but an even greater challenge to assimilation is in full swing.

While a large Roman Catholic immigration from Latin America continues, the religious face of America's immigrant population has rapidly changed. Immigrants from the Pacific Rim, China, Korea, India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia are bringing a new religious profile to America. Immigrants, as always, bring their religion with them. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism are thriving in the United States. Mosques, temples and shrines are popping up all over the country. If we Americans take the First Amendment seriously, the idea that the United States is a Christian nation is an absurdity.

It is inevitable these new religious groups will flourish and, just like Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans and Evangelicals, will establish schools for the purpose of maintaining their religions through the education of children. This is healthy and the First Amendment guarantees no government interference in the practice of their faiths, including the establishment of special schools.

In the eyes of the First Amendment there is no difference between a Baptist school, a Jewish school, a Catholic school, an atheist school and a Muslim school. Under the establishment clause of the First Amendment, BJC believes none of these schools would be eligible for a single dollar of government support. I agree completely.

The image of America as a melting pot has outlived its usefulness. Our increasing diversity is a reality. We are a neighborhood that reflects the world. To live in our neighborhood, we do not need to have the same religious beliefs. We need gracious respect and understanding. We do not need nor want school vouchers. The First Amendment is one of our truest friends

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

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