CHURCH & STATE
The tenor of recent major U.S. court decisions has been that public aid to religious institutions is permissible so long as the primary purpose is to perform a useful social service. Increasingly, the nation's legislators appear to be adopting a similar philosophy toward extending assistance to church-related schools, hospitals and agencies that contribute to the common good.
In half a dozen states, a spate of bills have been introduced this year to initiate or expand taxpayer support for parochial schools. A proposed amendment to Wisconsin's constitution, permitting the use of...