This publication consists of the papers presented at the first national symposium of the Public Education Religion Studies Center (PERSC). The purpose of PERSC is to encourage and facilitate increased and improved nonsectarian teaching about religion within constitutional bounds at the elementary and secondary level. It emphasizes the natural inclusion of the study about religion within the regular curricular offerings such as history, art, English, music, and geography. PERSC also conducts workshops, maintains a resource center of available curriculum materials, publishes a quarterly newsletter, evaluates existing curriculum materials, and develops new materials when necessary. The papers presented at the symposium address themselves to the legal and educational dimensions of religious education in the past and near future. Titles include: (1) Religion Studies in the Curriculum, 1963-1983; (2) Personal Reflections on the Schempp Decision; (3) The Decisions of the Court; (4) The Definition of Religion; (5) Objectivity and Teaching the Bible; (6) Imagining Criteria of Curriculum Design for Learning about Religion in Public Education; (7) Religious Education versus Academic Religion Studies; and (8) Conclusion: Status and Prospects. Appendixes include criteria for evaluating curricular materials, guidelines for teacher education programs, and guidelines for teacher competency. (Author/DE)