Beliefs Taken to the Extremes
Belief is a fundamental human trait. Belief in many things is what helps humans continue living their lives. Religious beliefs are one of the strongest forces of human emotion and often times those emotions can create dangerous situations. When people's religious beliefs are taken to extreme levels innocent people can be hurt. All throughout history there have been examples of just such incidents occurring. From the Inquisition, to suicide bombers in Israel, to the fighting in Ireland, to the recent events at the World Trade Center religious beliefs taken to extremes have been seen. In the United States many groups preach extreme beliefs that are harmful to the American people. One such
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This ignorance leads to many family problems but this is not a concern of Religious Right leaders. Some of the form of ignorance promoted by the Religious Right is the censorship of books in libraries, denying needed sexual education for children, and not teaching vital principles reducing children's understanding of the world.
On the subject of education the Religious Right takes the belief that only certain subjects should be taught in school and others, such as evolution and alternative sexualities, should be banned outright. Also the Religious Right promotes mandatory prayer in school regardless of personal preference.
When the Religious Right views an institution like the American library system it wishes to do nothing less than tear it down. The Religious Right views the library system as only a [word I can't think of yet] institution promoting the corruption of minors through the distribution of ides not in line with its own. What the American people see in the free exchange of ideas and material on many different, and at times controversial, ideas the Religious Right sees only sin and blasphemy. What the Religious Right would have in the library system is control over what is viewed by all people, not just minors, and censorship of materials they deem degenerate. Take the case in Virginia where a libraries board was stacked with Religious Right members and voted on, and passed,
The question of whether or not religion should be taught in public schools has been an ongoing debate among parents and teachers for decades. In the article “Religion and Education: The Pitfalls of Engaging a Complex Issue” Martin E. Marty and Jonathan Moore express their views on the matter. They express that religion in public schools could potentially bring conflict to families. They also support the other scenario that religion classes would inform students of the different beliefs of the people they will meet throughout their lives. Religion in the public school system is still an ongoing debate, one that needs to be resolved. The children that will be affected by the outcome of this debate are the future leaders of America, therefore, we should not take this decision lightly. Children everywhere and in all schools need to be taught about different religions so they can make a firm stand for what they believe in.
Banned For as long as people have been printing their ideas onto paper, there has been conflict. Anytime someone voices their opinion, there will be those who disagree. This is an unavoidable truth. However, through the practice of banning books, it has been possible for certain individuals to deny others their right to freely choose what they wish to read.
Fundamentalism is a strict adherence to a set of ideas or beliefs that are conservative in nature. It is a pejorative term usually associated with religious fanaticism. Usually, this is what comes to mind when there is mention of a fundamentalist. However, in Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist starring the protagonist Changez, a Pakistani Princetonian who is a top-ranked employee at a prestigious New York valuation firm, turns out not to be an Islamic fundamentalist, but a reluctant fundamentalist of US Capitalism. Hamid challenges readers to reevaluate their preconceived notions and prejudices of people different from themselves in post 9/11 America by employing the use of motifs, aphorism, and suspense, to create a conflation
Children may have to attend a school that is associated with their religion. It is always possible that this gives the child a different quality/balance of education. They may struggle to understand other people‘s religion or lifestyle choices. They may become confused or isolated and
Religion in the Public School Curriculum: Questions and Answers, which was issued by a coalition of 17 major religious and educational organizations,...describes the importance of religion in the curriculum through this statement: Because religion plays a significant role in history and society, study about religion is essential to understanding both the nation and the world. Omission of facts about religion can give the students the false impression that the religious life of humankind is insignificant or unimportant (Haynes, 2). Thus showing that religion was a vital part of the foundation of the United States. If we no
Today our theology is changing. We are less tolerant to religion. An academic scholar believes, “Tolerance is a uniquely human phenomenon, construct and concept. It is therefore of import that the inculcation of (religious) tolerance in terms of culture, religion, habits, customs, clothing, cuisine, manners et cetera should start at an early age” (Potgieter et al. 6). Americans, as a whole, seem to be in a race of religious dominance. Americans, and people in general, do not like believing or thinking our perceptions are incorrect. We corner and judge others who do not share our ideology. This comes from fear. People fear being wrong and fear unfamiliar thought and actions. A teacher of mine, Mr. Carter, believes we live with “blinders” over our eyes. When the majority of us see a woman wearing a hijab or a man of Indian descent we automatically assume they are a terrorist. We know absolutely nothing about the person except that they follow a religion that is assumed to be consisted of terrorists. Isn’t our country supposed to be founded on religious freedom? This is not the only case of religious misjudgment. Our country experiences a multitude of these infractions daily; however, many of these infringements do not require federal action. Unknown or misinterpreted moral issues are resolved in
They believe there needs to be more separation between students with higher knowledge compared to students that need a little more help understanding concepts. When separating gifted students they will end up getting more out of school which will transfer to their career and help them a great deal in life. They also encourage the ability for parents and students to be able to choose from multiple schooling options including private schools and homeschooling. Many children find it hard to learn with such large class sizes in some areas, or when having to deal with bullying everyday. Offering the option of homeschooling can help those children learn and succeed. Another option republicans are fighting for is the aptitude for children to be able to voluntarily express their religious beliefs. Many religious groups feel praying for the correct guidance, and if they do so in such a way that it doesn’t disturb others it shouldn’t be a problem in my opinion. Finally republicans believe that we should eliminate federal loans, and switch to only private loans. When the federal government is giving out loans it is hurting our economy excessively. Even though we are already many trillions of dollars in debt the government is still giving out student loans, in return it causes our nations debt to keep skyrocketing. Considering our nation’s current academic status, it is evident that we need to
Christianity has a history of being laced with education in the United States. From colonization of the United States with Christian textbooks, to laws written to maintain Christianity in schools, and to now with Supreme Court cases banning Christianity from schools; it has always been a persistent force in America's education. The foundation of the entanglement of religion and education began with the creation of the nation’s first universities. After that, laws were mandated to maintain the religious mix, like the Northwest Ordinance. Significantly, the New England Primer and the McGuffey Readers were the basis of all basic education, as the religious contents influenced multitudes of American generations. Supreme Court cases have proven
Religious ignorance is an imperative issue throughout the world because it is fundamental to billions of people’s lives. It is tremendously relevant and the underlying reason for some world issues and society today. In addition, it can also be the solution to problems. For example, in the United States, white Christians assisted in the election of Donald Trump as president based on his religious stances. It is a civic problem that affects American politics domestically and abroad. We need to understand the importance and value of religion in order to understand how the world
For the entirety of the United States’ existence, freedom of religion has been a guiding principle for the nation. Despite, or perhaps because of, the deep, varied religious heritage of many Americans, America was the first country in history to abolish religious qualifications for civic engagement. However, paradoxically, the United States also has a history of discrimination based on religion, as seen in historical bigotry towards Catholics, some Protestant sects, Jews, Atheists, Mormons, Muslims, and other marginalized groups. Indeed, a common theme in American history, continuing to this day, is the conflict between America’s secular ideal and its often faith-dominated reality. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, religious
Contrarily, forcing society to follow a religion leads individuals to oppression. Religion reflects one’s ideals and beliefs. Society cannot be peer-pressured into religion; it holds a more spiritual value. When forced into a religion, some may begrudgingly accept the religious values; others may fight to defend their beliefs opposed to society’s. Powerful passion towards religion leads to protests, wars, and other acts of violence.
In the American political spectrum, there are mainly two directions, to the left being liberalism and to the right being Conservatism. Yet, the universal reality accurately phrased by Barrack Obama states, “There’s not a liberal America and a Conservative America - there's the United States of America”. Although Liberalism and Conservatism fall under the same umbrella, they've each made their own game-changing dents throughout time. Liberalism has changed the course of history in such events like the Civil Rights Movements and The Health Care Reform. Consequently, Conservatism has not only impacted religion, but public education as well.
Religion in public schooling is a major controversy proven by the fact that Americans have been debating the place of God in schools almost repeatedly since public education got its start in the country nearly two hundred years ago. As the United States becomes more religiously diverse, its shared doubt on this issue becomes more prominent. Not even the Supreme Court, with its muddled and unclear ruling on the establishment
The subject of religion in public schools is one that has been debated vigorously and passionately. The warriors from the Right and Left fail to appreciate the facts because they are caught up in the rhetoric and have difficulty viewing this emotional topic dispassionately (Haynes, 2011). Both sides are right about one thing: this is an important subject.
One of the avenues of influential learning is in school. The place where students spend half of their life. Going to school aids students in acquiring knowledge, establishing rapport and developing skills. When students attend school, they showcase not only their characters traits and attitudes, but they also carry with them their cultural differences and religious practices. (Green & Oldendorf, 2005). Looking at how diverse our society is, the question of teaching religions and their ideologies at a school-level rise. Whilst the state practices neutrality towards religion, there are still issues and challenges when it comes to accommodating religious diversity and its integration in the education system (Berger, 2013, p.104). Therefore, integrating religion in the education system can lead to