Councilman: The father of the Constitution opposed state funding of religious instruction

The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board recently held a vote, perhaps not legal due to one of the board members not yet having voting authority, to authorize an explicitly religious charter school. This flies in the face of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and the Blaine Amendment in the Oklahoma Constitution, a provision that was supported by voters who rejected its repeal by a 14% margin in 2016.

Proponents of this move to use state funds for religious education point to Carson v. Makin, a case where the Supreme Court overturned Washington state's Blaine Amendment, to suggest that a public school based on religion may now be legal.

James Madison, known as the Father of the Constitution and the principal author of the Bill of Rights, would have opposed this move. We know this because Madison did so in 1785 in opposition to a bill in the Virginia House of Delegates to establish a provision for teachers of the Christian religion. His Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments laid out 15 points against the bill, which was subsequently defeated.

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A key aspect of Madison's argument is that history shows time and again how intertwining of government and institutions of faith has served not to elevate the state but to degradate the church by dragging it down into the decadent and worldly realm of political power.

The First Amendment doesn't serve to protect the state from the church. On the contrary, it was put in place to protect the church from encroachment by government, including alluring promises of easy money in return for service and allegiance to the state.

It is doubtful an explicitly religious public school will be held as legal, but there is always risk in relying on the courts. Policymakers would be better served to consider not what they are able to do, or get away with, but what is the right thing to do to serve all the people while harming the rights of none.

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The people of this state spoke clearly in opposition to using public money for religious purposes just a few years ago. The Founders, including and especially Madison, put the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment with deliberation, and Madison clearly opposed using state funds for religious instruction.

If possible, the vote to authorize a religious public school ought to be rescinded and all Oklahoma public officials, especially Christians such as myself, ought to renew our commitment to protecting our churches from political money held out by the tempting hand of worldly authority.

Chris Powell is a councilman in Bethany.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahomans already said they oppose using public money for religious purposes