Prayer In Schools Essay

Teaching prayer in schools has been a controversial topic since Abington Township School District v. Schempp (1963) that removed prayer from the classroom. However, a Bible-literacy course at New Braunfels High School (NBHS) in Texas exemplifies the successful teaching of the religion without imposing it on the students. This is an ideal that would satisfy both conservative Christians and secular liberals. The consensus that David Van Biema comes to in his article “The Case for Teaching the Bible” is that schools should teach the Bible from a neutral perspective that allows students to understand the concepts behind the text’s arguments while observing and forming their own beliefs and opinions.

They may try to teach about other religions but always talk more about their own without realizing it. The problem with this is many teachers do not know enough about their religion let alone others religions to teach a child the correct information on the subject (Godfrey). This leads to parents not wanting their children to take a public religion course based on the fact the a teacher may be biased and not teach it right. It does not teach their children how to be tolerant and accepting of any or all other religion if a course is centered around only one

Providing students to explore one’s religion or spirituality can begin to bridge the separation that exists between faith traditions in institutions. Dr. Casey mentions repeatedly that “the term religion is problematic,” and although this is true, this perspective can change. Religion is so deeply engrained in individuals and this does not have to form a type of “war zone,” but instead, it can provide us with an opportunity to learn about other citizens, rather than creating a sense fear or anxiety within us. Although we may be living in “an age of chaos today,” building understanding amongst global citizens is the prominence of religion in this

For centuries, the debate has existed whether or not to allow prayer in public schools. Many Americans feel it is not right of the schools to teach religion. With all the diversity associated with the United States, public schools cannot select one standard religion to practice, due to the cultural and religious differences in the country. Not only are schools the storm center of controversy involving religious differences, they are the principal institution charged with transmitting the identity and mission of the United States from one generation to the next. If we fail in our school policies and classrooms to model and to teach how to live with differences, we endanger our experiment in religious liberty and our

Jews, but how does that differ from a small country town in Oklahoma where the

This experience was unlike that of previous experiences I have had in the classroom because there are no classes or programs set up in the education system that focus on spreading religion or one’s beliefs. Given this, the

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

but, so far no compromise has been agreed upon. This is due to the fact that

School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. The issue of school prayer is about whether the public school systems should let the students pray, at the start of the school day, as a class. The issue of school prayer began in the late sixteenth century when people in England did not approve of the way one religion was forced upon them, so the Puritans, known as the Pilgrims decided to come to the colonies. Even in the colonies the Pilgrims had problems with religion they had to sometimes resort to highly creative strategies in order to pray. When people were caught having a secret service they would have to face the consequences that the law enforced, whether it was going

When working with students assignments that deals with religion, we as educators have to take various things into considerations. We have to allow students the opportunity to express themselves even when dealing with religious

Educators need to understand the impact of religion on the lives of their students. According to Gallup poll data, nearly 95% of teens believe in God and 86% believe that Jesus Christ is either God or the Son of God (Gallup & Lindsay, 1999 as cited in Ream, 2003). These and other similar statistics demonstrate the importance of considering religion when dealing with young people. Ream

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.

By teaching religions in a positive attribute, schools can help prevent bullying over religion in and out of school. Many people have stated that teasing over their religious beliefs started as early as kindergarten (Wertheimer). Along with ending bullying, it could finish off ignorance towards others and types of offencive language. By teaching people about religions, we could end stereotypes like Jews being greedy or Muslim people being related with terrorists (Bradunas). Following this, America’s religious diversity is extremely high. This may lead to people interacting and meeting more with people who have different ideals and mentalities. By teaching people world religions, this can prevent awkward situations from arising and it is ideal for making friends and bonds with others (Wilson). Along with this, students have knowledge of most common world religions to use in the future. Going back to the bullying topic, the earlier we teach children about world religions, the less there will be bullying cause by religion. By teaching in extremely simple terms, teachers can prevent misunderstanding or confusion over what is being taught

In Andrew Hudgins’ poem, Praying Drunk, the speaker portrays the act of writing as something important, mysterious, and difficult when sober, and compares it to the act of praying, which, for him, is equally complicated. The entire poem is in the form of a prayer, which provides an insightful look at the motivations for faith, the pursuit of truth, and the struggle to come to terms with both. When these ideas are applied to the act of writing, they reveal the complex struggle that a writer faces in developing confidence in his own ideas, while maintaining a degree of credibility that will encourage an audience to care about what he has written.

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.