Religion and the Schools

work by Blanshard

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July 21, 2026

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Paul Blanshard was an American writer known for his strong criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church. His 1963 book, Religion and the Schools, specifically targeted the church's involvement in public education. This work is believed to have influenced the establishment of federal regulations against prayer in public schools and against providing aid to religiously affiliated schools. Blanshard, who was formerly a minister before becoming an atheist, began voicing his critiques as a Vatican correspondent for The Nation.1

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Paul Blanshard
…and Catholic Power (1953), and Religion and the Schools (1963). The latter’s criticism of the church’s “un-American” involvement in public education was said to have contributed to the establishment of federal bans on prayer in public schools and on aid to religiously affiliated schools. Blanshard, who was a Congregationalist minister…
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…and Catholic Power (1953), and Religion and the Schools (1963). The latter’s criticism of the church’s “un-American” involvement in public education was said to have contributed to the establishment of federal bans on prayer in public schools and on aid to religiously affiliated schools. Blanshard, who was a Congregationalist minister…
Read More