Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University Scholarly Commons at Hofstra Law Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship 1988 Religious Symbols and the Establishment of a National 'Religion' Janet L. Dolgin Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/faculty_scholarship Recommended Citation Janet L. Dolgin, Religious Symbols and the Establishment of a National 'Religion', 39 Mercer L. Rev. 495 (1988) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/faculty_scholarship/34 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarly Commons at Hofstra Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons at Hofstra Law. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Religious Symbols and the Establishment of a National 'Religion' by Janet L. Dolgin* I. INTRODUCTION In its last few terms, the Supreme Court has decided over a half-dozen major religion clause' cases.2 While the Court has not jettisoned accepted modes of first amendment analysis, the decisions have involved an impor- tant, if subtle, shift regarding the place and significance of religion and religious identity in American life. The religion cases that the Court has decided in the past several years suggest an alteration in the tone, if not the method, of first amendment analysis. This alteration reflects, and is reflected in, changes in the larger society. Correlatively, the religion cases frame many concerns that extend beyond the first amendment, per se, to * Assistant Professor of Law, Hofstra University School of Law.