How Can Religion Be Taught In Schools

Is it ok for students to express religious beliefs in class discussions, or through assignments? If you were Brittany Settle you would probably answer “No”. Settle v. Dickson County School Board, 53 F. 3d 152 (6th Cir. 1995), Brittany’s assignment was a research paper and her topic was drama approved by her teacher, which she later changed, without approval, to “The Life of Jesus”. The teacher refused her paper and Brittany received a zero. The teacher gave six reasons why she refused Brittany’s paper. Court ruled that Brittany’s free speech was not violated, by having to abide by a teacher's curriculum, and the teacher has control over the curriculum and classroom.

Since the topic of whether religion should or should not be taught in public schools is so controversial we can gather the importance of it. Marty and Moore discuss this very controversial topic in their article. Marty and Moore tell us the pros and cons to having religion in the public school curriculum. It’s such a controversial topic because both sides of the argument have good logical reasons. Religion is the most controversial discussion. Out of all the different topics why religion? One reason for this is because people begin with discussing, but then

In schools, the place where Americans first learned critical fundamentals and values of freedom, religion is separated from home life to school life. In the United States, 89% of public school teacher’s cannot lead a class in prayer, 36% can teach a class comparing religions in different countries, and only 23% can read from the Bible for examples of literature (citation). Without religious instruction in schools, students are not granted with the option to display their faith and practice their religion in a school setting. Despite the advantages, some Americans argue that teaching religion in public schools can be dangerous and harmful to students. Schools disapproving of students practicing

The First Amendment to the Constitution, freedom of religion for every American. Unfortunately, religious liberty is under attack in churches, schools and in the public area like never before in American history. Liberty Institute meets these attacks head on fewer issues in American public than religion and public education. Ninety percent of America's youngsters attend public schools.

Being taught and being preached to are completely different things. While one encourages religion the other simply explains the way different religions work. Students should learn about all religions to avoid future discrimination without fully understanding what a religion is. " There are many parents and educators who consider first grade too early to teach about religion in school(Wertheimer)". Many students do not begin to learn about religion until the eighth grade, this can become an issue because by that age many students are reluctant to learning about something that is not familiar to them or may simply not be interested. We live in a country where every time we go to the store we see people of all cultures and religions. It is important for all people to understand different religions to insure each one is respected. There are also other occasions where people may be comfortable with their children being exposed to one religion but not another. For example when a school in Kansas had a presentation sponsored by a United Methodist Church very few parents had an issue with it."If that community had a Muslim group come in and wanted to do that type of presentation, they would have been up in arms(Boston)". In our country Christianity is the most popular religion and many other minority religions, such as Muslim, are extremely

Issues involving public schools and religion have been topics involving intense debate. It is difficult for the government to elucidate the appropriate boundaries of religion in the public schools. It is true that teaching about religion is permitted in the public education systems, but the real question is where the margin should be set between teaching religion and simply teaching about religion. It is almost impossible to teach about the history of the United States without teaching that religious beliefs associated with the history, artwork, and literature. More than the public is lead to believe, The Constitution permits religious activities in and around public school buildings. It is unfortunate that the

This could result in taking more time to learn about religions throughout history rather than the history itself. Next, because of the variety, there are some that contradict each other and could result in confusion amongst students. This could also cause some that are less open-minded to become infuriated thinking that one topic is meant to denounce their own religion. Confusion or anger in itself could lead to another problem and that is the tension that could be caused between students of different backgrounds. We already have problems with bullying, someone of a lesser known following, that is already bullied could have an even harder time dealing with such issues. However the disagreement even goes beyond day to day classroom activity. Most religion teaches creationism which is argued to have no hard evidence so it could only be taught as theory or myth rather than fact. In some cases those that have lead institutions have demoted critical thinking and reasoning through teaching religions with an iron fist. Some would also argue that critical thinking is what allows our understanding of the world. In other words, critical thinking opens up the doorway to everything we can learn and progress at. Many believe that most forms of religion have oppressed critical thinking so it contradicts the learning process.

In recent years teaching or the individual practice of religion in school has become a very controversial topic. There are many different views on this matter and even more opinions on how it should be handled. There are people on both sides of the spectrum, there are those who believe that it should be taught and allowed in school, and there are those who believe it should not be taught or practiced in school. There have been cases brought to court about how religion should be taken out of schools, or if it should be allowed. There are many differences that cause concern between public schools and private or religious schools regarding education. For example, could it be that single – sex schools (which are only seen in private

Back in grade school, the day was started every morning with little hands over little hearts as the pledge of allegiance was recited by a bunch of little voices. There was a time where “Under God” was just as fluent to a child as saying “Can I have…” while in a store or “I don’t want to” when asked to clean their room. Every attempt at removing the reference to God within the pledge of allegiance has failed so far but some schools have made changes accordingly without the laws changing. However, within the school system I attended, they just stopped reciting it all together in order to avoid future conflicts. More and more over the years the battle of separating church from state has been a leading controversy. But what’s the big deal? What makes this separation between religion and schools so important? These are questions that have fueled the fire behind the battle and continues to help keep a flame. By separating church from state, it is teaching respect for diversity and allowing religious freedom that has been a part of the nation’s legacy for so long.

In America today we all have choices to make in regards to our religious beliefs. Many young children are brought up today confused about religion and the significance it plays in their lives. There are many sanctions and rules now on what can and can 't be thought or displayed to people on public property, but it wasn 't always like this. In this paper I will be discussing the American religious experience in regards to the impact religion has in the public schools.

Today, many Americans believe the expression, “separation of church and state”, comes directly from the U.S. Constitution; however, this is false. The expression actually traces back to a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 (Pearson). In his letter, Jefferson states that religion is “a matter which lies solely between Man and his God,” and the government should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state” (Pearson). For years, this dogma has caused major controversy within the United States public school system. One of the most heavily debated of these controversial topics deals with evolution, a scientific theory that has

Every job opportunity can have ups and downs within it. Teaching is not an exception; there are many different jobs involving teaching, including teaching in the government run public schools. Since the public schools are run by the government they have certain laws and restrictions that the teachers must abide by. One such law is influencing children to consider a certain religious belief during class time. Even though teachers in public schools are not allowed to mention their personal religion in the classroom, they can still share their beliefs after school or by fostering an atmosphere where the students ask for their personal opinion.

Compare rules the religion is big mistake that some people do. In America, there are diversity in religions and different types of people from around the world, so everyone have beliefs and practices in their religion. In America laws you can express your opinion that is called “democratic theory.” Also America allow to their own temples to feel them like they are in home. The main religion in America is Christian and many people there belong to it. The most public school teach religion, and every school has different type of religion. Choose a schools depend on way to understand the rules. There are reason and effect to teach religion in the school which are people urged mothed teach, kind courses there, diversity and exploit the faith. Summery

Feldman begins his article by giving multiple examples of instances where religious affiliation in schools has caused public outrage, claiming that the criticism of these actions comes from interpretations of the separation of church and state clause in the United States Constitution. He then claims that the majority of schools get away with various religious arrangements, saying, “the largest accommodations of religion are those that Americans rarely notice, precisely because the accommodations serve both religious and secular ends” (Feldman). Feldman then tells about a school in Wiscasset, Maine, that has added a ‘wellness room’ to their school building to allow students to relax in their free time, also allowing religious prayer as long

In this essay, I am going to discuss religious education under various topic headings including R.E and the R.E teacher, World Religions and morality and ethics. Through attending lectures and seminars, I have learned a lot about the Religious Education system in Ireland and further afield. Furthermore, in my reflective journal, I have reflected on a world of possibilities of what religion means to me. Throughout the year, my opinions on certain topics has changed, or has strengthen and I feel the reflective journal has helped me. In the essay, I am hoping to include reflections, readings and my experiences from the lectures and seminars to discover the various of topics.