Would someone please read the U.S. and Maine Constitutions to Gov. Paul LePage? In January, he declared a state day of prayer, joining the PrayUSA group by forming the Maine Legislative Prayer Caucus. Now, just last week, he announced a package of four bills that he is proposing to overhaul the education system in Maine ”“ and one of those bills flies directly in the face of the separation of church and state.

According to the PrayUSA website, with which Maine’s new prayer caucus is affiliated, “legislators in Washington D.C. and in our states are forming official prayer caucuses to preserve the Judeo-Christian heritage of our nation and protect the right of Americans to publicly pray and trust in God.”

The idea for spreading prayer caucuses around the nation, of which there are now a handful, came from a group of legislators who would meet privately to pray weekly together in the U.S. Capitol beginning in 2005, according to their website.

They should have left it at that.

The Maine proclamation, which cites a Bible verse, also includes the line: “We, the undersigned, who believe in prayer and the Judeo-Christian principles that remind us that our rights come from almighty God, unite in this Proclamation.”

It could be perceived that those legislators who signed it feel that those who do not adhere to the Jewish or Christian faiths are outsiders and are not valued the same as those who adhere to their belief system.

Let’s be clear: There’s nothing wrong with praying publicly ”“ lots of people do it before a meal at a restaurant, after making goals during professional sporting events, with their friends before an artistic performance, for just a few examples. The problem comes when public prayer is done or endorsed by an official government entity, such as at a public school or the Legislature.

It’s easy to not give it a second thought when you’re part of the majority religion, but for those who aren’t, having an official entity endorse one set of values sends a clear message of exclusion.

Section 3 of the Maine Constitution Declaration of Rights, which addresses religious freedom, states clearly that “no subordination nor preference of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law.” And let’s not forget the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Not only is the establishment of a “prayer caucus” clearly establishing the Judeo-Christian belief system as that of the State, but now, as part of his education plan, LePage is proposing that we nullify the state law that prohibits the use of public tuition money for private religious schools.

LePage’s bill is in direct violation of both constitutions because by allowing public education funds to be used at religious schools, most of which are Christian in Maine, the government is once again effectively endorsing one sect.

The current Maine law that disallows public money for religious schools was put in place for a reason and while abolishing it would not ostensibly show preference for a particular sect ”“ since any religious school that met standards would be eligible for funds ”“ it would do so by default in this state.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland oversees 18 Catholic schools in Maine and according to www. privateschoolreview.com, there are 97 other Christian schools run by various Baptist, Protestant and Evangelical sects. By contrast, there is one Quaker school (and some of that faith also identify as Christian), one Jewish school, zero Islamic schools, zero Buddhist schools ”“ you get the picture.

Our founders embraced the separation of church and state so that those who do not share the faith of the majority or that of the current political favor at the time will not feel as though they are outsiders or prosecuted.

As well, government and public funds should stay out of the realm of religion to avoid a whole gamut of complications.

What about curriculum control, hiring standards, evaluations and other concerns? Public funds do not, and should not, come without strings attached and the private and religious schools may not like to have government meddling in their teaching institutions. As well, taxpayers who do not adhere to a Christian belief system should not be put in a position to have their tax dollars going to support the indoctrination of children in that faith.

It helps to put it in perspective: Imagine the uproar, given the blatant bias against Muslims in this country, if the State decided to provide tuition for students to attend religious schools in Maine if all but one of them taught Islam. Using taxpayer money to teach Maine students the values of the Koran instead of the Bible would undoubtedly be more of a cause for concern for some people, which should help them realize why using government money for any religiously affiliated entity causes problems.

We urge LePage to consider the message he is sending to those Mainers who are not religiously affiliated or who belong to faith traditions other than the one he obviously embraces. Let’s keep our State government, and the taxpayer money it administers, free of religious bias.

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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.