[ H ] istorically courts have struck down government programs which are seen to ‘ establish ’ or favor / help religion . That ’ s the reason school prayer has been disallowed and why direct funding for religious education has been thought to be a non-starter — at least , until recently .
As early as this summer , two Supreme Court rulings could effectively eviscerate The Establishment Clause , which forbids governments from supporting religion or favoring one religion over another , or religion over non-religion — a potentially monumental pivot point for church schools .
Church Executive has profiled several Supreme Court cases during the last few years where church participation in state funding programs has been challenged on the ground that it violates the First Amendment ’ s Establishment Clause :
A Supreme Court case to watch
Critical church-state separation issues at play in the Supreme Court
Religious schools get more access to state aid with Supreme Court ’ s Espinoza v . Montana ruling
With its Carson v . Makin decision , the U . S . Supreme Court has rejected Maine ’ s ban on providing aid to religious schools
These cases are important to Church Executive ’ s readers because the availability of government funding ( or not ) directly affects a church ’ s ability to carry out its mission and help its community , especially when the local government facing budget pressure cuts back on social services and leaves a vacuum the Church tries to fill .
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