Separation of Church and State: Vital in 1787, Vital Now

Regular and lottery registration open on January 8, 2026.
Dates: February 5, 2024
Meets: M from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
 Location: Online
Cost:  $0.00

Sorry, this course has been cancelled. Please contact our office to see if it will be rescheduled, or if alternative classes are available.

Date Day Time

Please note: This course program requires membership in a 2023-2024 OLLI at MSU Membership

Description

In 1961, John F. Kennedy stated in his inaugural address: "I believe in an American where the wall of separation is absolute." Today, elected officials unabashedly claim we live in a Christian nation. They use the principle of "religious freedom" to justify discrimination against Americans who don't hold their views. How did this happen?

Congregation Beth Adam's Social Action/Social Justice Committee has created a short talk that takes us from James Madison's visionary philosophy of the separation of church and state to recent Supreme Court decisions that violate our founding principles.

Program Takeaways

Participants will understand the degree to which the current political situation and court decisions have reduced the impact of this fundamental constitutional principle.

Fee:  $0.00

Online

This is a real-time (live) online class that meets at the specified day(s)/time(s) listed.

We will send you a reminder email with login instructions one business day before the program start date. If there are additional sessions, we will send reminders the morning of those sessions.

Jay Avner

Jay Avner is a retired healthcare executive with extensive experience in provider contracting and healthcare administration. He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a M.S. in industrial administration from Carnegie Mellon University.