A brief two and a half page essay over Church vs. State (most specifically talking about Madalyn O'Hair)

"Church vs. State"

The first amendment of the constitution states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." In a society, which has become so cravenly politically correct, the idea of a separation between church and state has been transformed into a battle between church versus state. Madalyn O'Hair made it her personal vendetta to ensure that the United States government would never be influenced by the hands of an established religion. O'Hair's crusade began when she argued a church's right to tax-exempt status. When she subsequently lost, she did the next best thing, which was to set up a church of her own, American Atheists. Her quest has snowballed into topic of much heated debate concerning tax laws, schools and other government establishments.

Her debate featured on Fire Line videos was centered mainly on her issues with religions influence on the public education system.

Photo of Madalyn Murray O'Hair. 1983 at Robert Ing...

Famed atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, 1983 in front...

Sean O'Hair

Schools were founded on a basis of religion and have therefore had a major influence on it. That influence had apparently crossed the line and created traditions, which abridged her constitutionally protected rights. She argued that saying a prayer within the walls of a publicly funded school is the equivalent to an established religious ceremony. However, in the 1830's when the Catholic Church was in an uproar over the reading of the King James version of the Lord's Prayer in public schools, O'Hair says that she would have sided with the Catholics. It is hard to tell whether she states this because she would like to point out that she is willing fight for anyone's constitutionally protected rights or whether she will fight for any underdog. In both cases, that statement weakens her argument because it would either make inconsistent or just a provocateur.

The O'Hair...