RELIGION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Special Committee of Religious Instruction in Public Schools, presented its report as follows;

RESOLVED by the M.W. Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, in Annual Communication assembled, that it expresses as it does hereby express its most emphatic disapproval and opposition to the plan of certain members of the National Assembly to introduce religious instruction of a denominational character in all public schools of the Philippines during the regular school hours.

We believe the adoption of such plan would be a violation of the fundamental principle of our Constitution regarding the separation of Church and State.

We are not opposed to religious teaching, but the public schools, being the common heritage of the citizens of this country, should not become instruments for the dissemination of sectarian teachings for such would be detrimental to the larger interest of the nation.

We note that there already exist numerous denominational and sectarian schools in this country which can give religious instruction to children should their parents desire it.

We should not countenance, therefore, any tax-support institution, and much less our public schools, to be made the center of propaganda of any sectarian doctrine or teaching. (Proc. 1938, Page 123)