It is generally agreed that if a public school required all its students to participate in a religious
prayer during school hours, that would violate the First Amendment’s prohibition on the
establishment of religion. But many variations on such a practice raise more challenging issues.
What will be an ideal response?
1. In Alabama, the legislature passed a law mandating a period of silence for "meditation or
voluntary prayer." The law was challenged as a violation of the First Amendment. The
U.S. Supreme Court, in a case called Wallace v. Jaffree in 1985, struck down the law,
putting special emphasis on the legislative record, in which the sponsor of the legislation
said that the goal was to return to "voluntary prayer" in the public schools. If this
statement had not been made by the legislation's sponsor and the state had shown a
clearly secular purpose in the "meditation" alternative, do you think this type of
requirement should be permitted? What philosophical arguments would support it and
which would oppose it?
2. The football team at Kountze High School in East Texas enters the football field by
breaking through barriers with Biblical passages. The cheerleaders who create the
banners claim that these are forms of religious expression and free speech. Critics say
that this constitutes a religious message sponsored by the school district and thus
violates the prohibition on state establishment of religions. Do you agree with the
cheerleaders or the school district? What factors are most important in determining
which rights prevail in this situation? A state court judge in the fall of 2012 sided with the
cheerleaders and said they could continue using their banners until a full trial could be
held the following year. Research reliable sources to determine the outcome of that trial
and see whether your reasoning agrees with the conclusions reached then.
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The compressor clutch circuit is being tested. Technician A says if the test lamp does not light when connected across the clutch's harness terminals, then the problem is probably a shorted clutch coil. Technician B says a test lamp that flickers or goes out may indicate the PCM or other control device is defective. Who is correct?
A. Technician A only B. Technician B only C. Both A and B D. Neither A nor B
Which of the following statements is true of Guru Gobind Singh?
a. He established the distinctive dress of the Sikhs. b. He made Sikhs a political community by exercising governmental leadership. c. He began the compilation of the main Sikh scripture. d. He introduced the tradition of hymn singing during worship.
The Categorical Imperative states: Act as if the maxim of your action were by your will to become a _____
A. Universal law B. Hypothetical law C. Conditional law D. National law
According to Mill, which of the following is the highest form of pleasure?
1. Bodily pleasure. 2. Intellectual pleasure. 3. Sensual pleasure. 4. the pleasure gained from domination of others.