Law Doesn’t Ban Religion in Schools

Bill Hoffman of Huntington Beach wants to put Christmas back in schools (Letters, Dec. 17). A number of people have requested this over the years and other people have objected to the request.

For years, I have been proposing a common-sense solution to the problem, a solution which is based upon what the Constitution actually says about religion and which should satisfy almost everybody. Maybe the solution is too common sense and middle of the road. Anyway, I will propose it again.

The Constitution says nothing about actually separating church and state completely; that idea is an inaccurate paraphrase. What the Constitution really says is not to interfere with the free exercise of religion and not to establish an official religion. The purpose of the latter was to avoid religious tests for holding office and it had no relation to banning activities and displays, as can be seen by our coinage, our congressional rituals and inscriptions on buildings.

There is no reason to keep any religion or religious exercise out of schools and there is no reason to forbid religious displays on public property. In fact, holding such religious exercises and having such displays are an old American tradition, which caused no problem until some soreheads decided to make an issue of the matter by demanding, upon the grounds of a distorted paraphrase of the Constitution, that religious exercises and displays be banned, with no regard for the rights of people who like such exercises and displays.

The solution, one which also promotes understanding of different cultural practices and thus promotes tolerance, is to restore Christmas exercises and displays in schools and on public property but to also have, at appropriate times, exercises and displays pertaining to the other religions which are practiced in this country.

JUANITA MATASSA

Santa Ana