And those are just the clubs. What about all the Christian music that our Choir and Band played at Christmas? I"m not talking about Jingle Bells; I"m talking about Silent Night and Handel's Messiah, both obviously "Christian" music. The reason we are allowed to have these groups is because of the second clause: "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Because we (the students) do all these things on our own free will, and because we pay for the funding, the school isn't actually promoting them.
But what is the best mixture of religion and school? I will begin answering the question by explaining the background for my bias. .
First and foremost, I attend a Methodist Church. It is often stereotyped as a very liberal church, but to me, it's the only one that makes sense. In our doctrine, under education, it says "The state should not use its authority to promote particular religious beliefs (including atheism), nor should it require prayer or worship in the public schools, but it should leave students free to practice their own religious convictions. (Olson, p.102)" That sounds like what the constitution says. .
Next, I went to a public school where I attended and initiated many different Christian activities. However, most of the teachers had become very careful about what they said regarding religion in class. Specifically, in Biology when students asked about the "Big Bang Theory," the teachers had to give scientific answers only. In English classes, they often told us that we could use the Bible for our research, but as a literary piece only. Although it was comforting in times of need (such as national crisis, like the Oklahoma City bombing or when a student from our, or a near-by school died), religious authorities were available in the guidance office and the principal announced "a moment of silence" over the loud speaker. .
After graduation, I went to Asbury, a private, Christian college.