SMU faculty, students and members of the Dallas community gathered in the Umphrey Lee Ballroom Thursday afternoon for Associate Professor of Political Science Joseph F. Kobylka’s speech on “When Bible Classes Go to the Supreme Court, What Will They See?” sponsored by The Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility.
As his audience enjoyed finger sandwiches and cookies, Kobylka spoke on his considerations for what he calls the interrelationship between law and politics and its implication on religion in education.
“The law is moving toward greater accommodations for religion in school contexts,” said Kobylka.
Citing a myriad of Supreme Court cases involving dissonant rulings, Kobylka presented a detailed history of the nationalization of the conflict concerning prayer and the use of Bibles in school, and gave various Justices’ resulting responses. Kobylka also addressed the mobilization of two opposing interest groups, The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBCPS) backed by religious conservatives, and The Bible Literacy Project (BLP) endorsed by typically more liberal organizations.
“The devil’s in the application,” said Kobylka. “What if a coach or a committed theist taught the Bible?”
Kobylka says that the decision to allow for the teaching of devotional applications of the Bible versus allowing for teaching the Bible as history raises questions as to how the Supreme Court Justices should behave when reviewing cases in this context. He followed by presenting a coding of cases to illustrate the tenuous balance between current Justices who support the separation of church and state and those who do not – a situation that increases the likelihood of decisive rulings to fall on the shoulders of just one man: Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.
“It is interesting to hear a speech on religion and law – a topic not discussed much, even in law school,” said third-year law student Kimberly Sellers. “It really makes a student step back and question what exactly is legal.”
Pointing to the current precariousness of the Supreme Court and the fungible nature of the constitution’s Establishment Clause that intends to prohibit government endorsement of a national religion, Kobylka concluded his lecture by stressing the importance of voting – an inspirational message perhaps a little too shy of this week’s elections.
“You have to keep your finger on the pulse,” said Vicki Timpa, a local who has served on an ethics committee for over 13 years, of the speech’s message. “It’s what gives you freedom.”
