Americans United publishes an array of brochures and other literature on church-state issues and controversies. The brochures are good starting points for understanding some the nation’s prominent battles over the First Amendment principle of church-state separation. For example, Americans United provides brochures that center on the push for “faith-based” funding and for teaching creationism in public school science classes. The brochures provide succinct and accessible analysis of these and other issues involving church-state separation.
Some of the brochures listed below are also available in PDF format, which requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you would like to order copies of any of these brochures, please download the Print Media Order Form and return it to us.
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Prayer And The Public Schools: Religion, Education & Your Rights
As battles over church-state separation have escalated in recent decades, so too have misconceptions about the role of religion in public schools. Has prayer been expelled from our schools, as some people claim? Has Bible reading been banned? Must teachers avoid all mention of religion? The answer to these questions is "no." Public schools are not permitted to sponsor worship, but that does not mean that they must be "religion-free zones." In order to clear up some of the misunderstandings about religion and the public schools, it is important for Americans to have the facts.
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Science, Religion And Public Education: An Evolving Controversy
A well-organized and well-funded campaign is under way to undermine the separation of church and state in America's public schools. Aggressive religious pressure groups are pushing school boards nationwide to change the curriculum to conform to their doctrines. Battles have erupted all over the nation, and your community may be next. Advocates of "creationism," "creation-science" and "intelligent design" are among the most active in this area. Backed by national Religious Right organizations, proponents of these ideas seek to drive evolution from the science classroom and replace it with their interpretation of the Bible. If they succeed, church-state separation and sound science education may be irreparably harmed.
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Religion, Partisan Politics And Tax Exemption: What Federal Law Requires And Why
Every weekend, millions of Americans attend houses of worship to hear sermons, study scriptures and participate in other religious activities. If some politicians and Religious Right activists have their way, however, people in the pews might soon be doing other things during services listening to partisan political speeches, being solicited for campaign contributions and getting instructions about whom to vote for on Election Day.
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America's Legacy of Religious Liberty: Pass It On
Unlike many countries around the world, the United States mandates full religious freedom in its Constitution. No government official or politician can tell you which faith to follow. That very personal decision is made by each individual. Without this right to worship as we see fit, Americans would not be truly a free people.
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Is America A 'Christian Nation'? Religion, Government And Religious Freedom
Is the United States a "Christian nation"? Some Americans think so. Religious Right activists and right-wing television preachers often claim that the United States was founded to be a Christian nation. Even some politicians agree. If the people who make this assertion are merely saying that most Americans are Christians, they might have a point. But those who argue that America is a Christian nation usually mean something more, insisting that the country should be officially Christian. The very character of our country is at stake in the outcome of this debate.
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The 'Faith-Based' Initiative: Churches, Social Services & Your Tax Dollars
With increasing frequency, opponents of church-state separation are working to pass laws granting tax dollars to churches and other houses of worship to perform government-sponsored social services. This proposed merger of government and religion represents a serious threat to religious liberty. Despite constitutional concerns, high-ranking political leaders, including President George W. Bush, have made these laws a major priority. In the process, the controversy has become one of the leading domestic policy debates in America. If proposals to force taxpayers to fund religious ministries are implemented, the consequences would be a sweeping assault on the First Amendment's separation of church and state.
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Should You Pay Taxes To Support Religious Schools?
Who should make the decision about how much money you contribute to religious groups you or the government? Most Americans would have no trouble answering that question. All of us want the right to freely make our own choices about religion. Yet an increasingly influential coalition of religious and political leaders is working to undercut that right by requiring taxpayer support for religious schools. The fate of church-state separation hangs in the balance.
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Church, State And Your Freedom At Risk! The Religious Right's War On LGBT Americans
A central tenet of the American way of life is individual freedom. All of us should be able to make our own decisions about our private affairs without interference from far-right religious organizations that seek to impose a narrow interpretation of the Bible on everyone. Religious Right pressure groups do not support personal choice. Instead, they oppose church-state separation and seek political power to mandate their doctrines. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people would be especially hard hit if the Religious Right succeeds. Here's why.
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