Abstract
Religion-related controversies have a long history in American public education. In the 1980s the debate was dominated by a growing concern over the failure to address the issue of religion in the educational system. This motivated a number of political and religious bodies to convene to reach a consensus on the most fundamental issues concerning the place of religion in public schools. The result was the so called New Consensus on teaching about religion and religious liberty. The article presents the background of the movement, its provisions and impact on religious liberty in the US public educatio
Highlights
The mid-1980s saw a decisive shift in the approach to religious liberty in the American educational system
The New Consensus was a direct response to the confusion, controversy and the conflict over the place of religion in the US educational system
The confusion and the controversy were largely fuelled by the lack of clear-cut legal regulations as well as the misunderstanding of the Court decision from the 1960s, often wrongly interpreted as rendering religious activity unconstitutional
Summary
The mid-1980s saw a decisive shift in the approach to religious liberty in the American educational system. The following article will examine the key factors that contributed to this awareness, such as the results of textbook studies and periodic reports from curriculum institutions as well as the challenge of religious pluralism and the passage of two important documents: the Equal Access Act (1984) and The Williamsburg Charter (Haynes 2001, Appendix B) The latter, over a period of time, paved the way for the rise of the New Consensus on teaching about religion and religious liberty in the public schools. Students learn that their commitment to religious liberty must be tied to a civic responsibility to guard that right for every citizen, including those they strongly disagree with They learn how to discuss religious issues in their classrooms without angry arguments about religion that involve name-calling and personal attacks, but with civility and respect (Nord and Haynes 1998:29-30)
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