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From: tos@psc70.UUCP (Dr.Schlesinger)
Newsgroups: net.legal,net.religion,net.politics
Subject: Re: Violation of separation church and state????
Message-ID: <133@psc70.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-May-85 16:58:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: psc70.133
Posted: Tue May 28 16:58:20 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 30-May-85 03:13:25 EDT
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Organization: Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH
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Xref: watmath net.legal:1744 net.religion:6970 net.politics:9123


     Many court cases have been brought and heard on this subject,
some by Jews who wanted to have their Sabbath (Friday night to
Saturday night) recognized in some communities insetad, etc etc.  As
far as I know, the courts have generally held that this, like some other
customs -- opening Congress and state legislatures, city councils,
etc. with a prayer, etc etc -- is in a category of usages which do
not amount to re-establishing a specific religion (which is really all
that was prohibited by the Bill of Rights), and that especially in the
case of recognizing Sunday, the whole community needs some one day
"off" anyway... so it might as well be the one started with the
originally religious Sunday. Where the usage has been obviously with a
directly and purely religious implication (such as New England's "blue
laws") without redeeming other values, the courts have generally held
that the practice was unconstitutional and thrown it out.