Religious Liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Religious Liberty - Essay Example Justice Antonin Scalia dissented in the given case stating that the Act’s stated purpose that is â€Å"protecting academic freedom† stood to be a legitimate secular purpose. In other sense, Justice Scalia believed that the considered academic freedom also included within its ambit the students’ right to be exposed to religious views and indoctrination. The majority opinion seems more to be in consonance with the Supreme Court interpretation of the Establishment Clause in a historical context. In the light of Engel v. Vitale (1962) decision, it could be said that the inclusion of such texts, dogmas, practices and theories in the school curricula that adhered to a specific religion amounted to a violation of the Establishment Clause. However, if one takes into consideration the ruling in Zorach v. Clauson (1952), it could be said that the Supreme Court could have modified its ruling by leaving the study of creationism in Public Schools as an optional choice, subject to the opinions and considerations of the specific students. The ruling in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) also supports the Edwards ruling, as inculcation of religious courses at state expenses amounted to an entanglement between the state and the religion. Besides, in a historical context, the United States Constitution has always been averse to Fundamentalist views supportiv e of religious literalism and contrary to a liberal scientific