A university founded on faith. The United Methodist Church has a long history of establishing and overseeing institutions of higher education. In , the Church founded SMU to advance this educational mission.
SMU seeks to sever its ties from the Church. In , SMU attempted to break its longstanding connection with the Church by making changes to its governing documents. On December 4, , the Church filed a lawsuit to protect its right to continue overseeing SMU and ensure its mission remained aligned with the Church. The brief argues that the Church has the right to govern SMU, as it has for over a century, without interference from the state.
Religious institutions have the freedom to decide matters of governance, faith, and doctrine without civil government interference. Importance to Religious Liberty :. Religious Communities : Churches and religious organizations have a right to live, teach, and govern in accordance with the tenets of their faith.
When the government unjustly interferes in internal church affairs, the separation of church and state is threatened. Religious symbols have been a fixture of American public life since before the founding. Among the most enduring of these religious symbols is the Ten Commandments, which is even featured prominently on the walls of the U. Supreme Court. Louisiana recently passed H. The displays must contain a specific context statement explaining the history of the Commandments in American public education, and schools have flexibility in how to design them.
For example, schools may choose to incorporate the Ten Commandments alongside other historical documents, like the Declaration of Independence, the Mayflower Compact, and the Northwest Ordinance.
