Written by Don Byrd
Many school voucher advocates are promoting their cause by designating this week “school choice week.” It seems like a good time for a reminder of how detrimental voucher schemes are to religion and to the separation of church and state. Back in 2011, the Baptist Joint Committee’s Holly Hollman explained why the BJC has long opposed school vouchers.
While we affirm the right of parents to choose a religious education for their children, we oppose using public funds to support religion. Religious teachings should be funded by voluntary contributions, not through compulsory taxation. Voucher programs that provide tuition to religious schools violate the freedom of conscience of taxpayers who have the right to insist that the government remain neutral in matters of religion. In addition, government funding of religious education tends to jeopardize the autonomy of religious schools, bringing regulations or political pressures that threaten the schools’ religious character.
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Religious liberty requires both protecting the right of individuals to pursue a religious education and keeping the government from advancing religion. As in many religious liberty debates, some advocates fail to distinguish between an individual’s right to freely exercise religion and the government’s responsibility not to advance it.
It’s worth repeating: religious liberty isn’t just about protecting the rights of those who prefer a religious education. It’s also about protecting the public from funding a program of religious indoctrination with tax dollars. This week may be school choice week, but we shouldn’t let voucher advocates claim the mantle of religious liberty. By entangling government budgets and regulations with religious education, school vouchers schemes are poor public policy, for both the church and the state.
