The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 3 congregations, 5 religious
organizations and 37 clergy from 12 faiths and denominations. If you are in 
the general Philadelphia area and represent a congregation or religious 
organization or are clergy, let us know if you want to be added - all faiths 
are welcome. We will also be happy to help start similar organizations in 
other areas.  Visit the web page at http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/.

November 11, 1996


The Philadelphia Inquirer
PO Box 8263
Phila., PA 19101

Dear Editors:

Joseph Sobran is extremely confused about how the
Supreme Court works.  The Court does not overturn laws
until an injured party brings suit against the State. 
In his examples of school prayer and abortion, someone
had to have the nerve to take a case that far, with the
successful combination of convincing testimony and a
social climate in which a majority of the judges would
see the sense in agreeing that the constitution had
been violated.

Sobran forgets that public schools did not begin to
proliferate until a century after the Constitution was
signed.  Many of the practices used in non-public
schools up to that time were simply transferred
wholesale to the public schools.  Due to this lack of
foresight, there were riots in Philadelphia over
whether the Protestant or Catholic version of the Bible
should be used in the public schools, resulting in many
injuries, deaths and church burnings.  Today we have
members of many more religions in our midst. 
Separation of organized, coerced religious practice
from public schools isn't just liberal, it's common
sense.


					Sincerely,
		Barbara Purdom            	Christopher Purdom
			Interfaith Working Group Coordinators