Religion In Public 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.

Many people have thought that religion is one of the most important aspects of our lives and that it is a structure for how we must carry ourselves. Some believe that a life without faith or religion is no life worth living at all because that is what allows them to give meaning or purpose to life. Many would agree that there are great stories about morals and traditions that each provides and we could learn a great amount of wisdom and understanding from them. As a result of this they also believe that it should be taught alongside our everyday classroom lessons such as math, reading, and writing. In fact, the Catholic Church had such a strong presence in Cincinnati during the 1800s

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

However, it would be more beneficial for schools to include religion in their curricula, for it prepares children for their futures. Since there are various religions in the United States, none of which are limited to a certain area, students are bound to come across someone who practices a different faith in their lifetimes. If public schools were to include theology, children would be more open-minded, aware, and tolerant of these religions, thus preventing discrimination, prejudice, and even violence and acts of targeted terrorism in the future because of these differing beliefs. Religious education would benefit children of all ages, religions and cultural backgrounds, as it would provide them with a better understanding of one another, and a sense of companionship and acceptance from their

I believe religion should not be taught in public schools because it brings all sorts of problems. Religion should be taught only in religious schools because the children who attend that religious school are sponsored by their parents. They are allowed by their parents. If teachers teach religion in public schools some students may not seem to care and take it offensive because it’s going against their free will and going against their parent’s statement.

The “establishment” or “religion” clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (Education Week, 2003, para. 2). It is from this clause that the idea of separation of church and state comes. It is also the basis for much of the debate regarding the practice of religion in public schools (Education Week, 2003). One of the big questions regarding the religion issue is where to draw the line between separation of church and state and religious freedom. The practice of religion in public schools can balance these two ends by allowing students to individually

For a variety of reasons, many educators are understandably reluctant to raise the topic of religion in the classroom. They worry about offending a student, misrepresenting a tradition, or favoring one belief system over another. Because of this and the Segregation of Church and State, we have become very uneducated in the subject area. This raises the heated debate, “Should world religion be taught or introduced in (public) grade schools?” Although the debate is split 50/50, research show that many parents and educators are supportive for unbiased teaching of the world religion in public schools.

According to Susan Black, in her article entitled “Teaching About Religion,” in the April 2003 edition of American School Board Journal, teachers need to know which topics are permissible in classroom study of religion, and they need to know which instructional techniques may be used. She states that unconstitutional instruction includes assuming that all students are Christian, teaching from a Christian perspective, and requiring students to define their personal relationship to God. This is a valid point, because many teachers are not correctly prepared to successfully explain world religions. Olivia Godfrey of The Knightly Herald, in her article entitled “Why Religion Should Not Be Taught in Public Schools,” explains how many teachers only know enough to teach about their own religion, but not the other religions that may be present. Clearly, this could make some students feel left out or uncomfortable, so it is a justifiable reason to not teach world religions in public

Why should Religion in public schools be banned when it is beneficial to the knowledge of students? In brief, Religion discussions have been banned from public schools for many years, and some are arguing that it should be reintroduced. Religion-based discussions and learning should be reinstated in public schools.

I strongly disagree with the fact that religions should not be taught in schools because teaching students to world religions can make them understand the cultures, the diversity of people around them and it lowers stereotyping in the future. For example, students will have a better understanding of people’s religions and beliefs and why they practice it.

As of the moment religion is included in most of United States school’s curriculum. Religion is permitted in the curriculum for public schools, all throughout the United States. With religion in public schools, the schools throughout the United States can and most likely will be more diverse and could be more accepting towards students who are different and do not fit in with other students because of their religion, which will reduce the amount of religious discrimination in the country. Religion in schools allows students to have a wider range of historical education, learning about what started theit faith. Religion should be included in the public school curriculum because it provides a more diverse group of students, if it is not included the students will not understand other’s religious beliefs, the power of religion should be embraced, students will be forced to conform to the rules of society’s norms, and students will have a wider range of historical education.

America is a very unique country. Considering America's diversity and constitutional beginings, religion has always been a red hot topic for debate; especially when it comes to its inclusion in our public school system. The first ammendment says this: "Congres shall not pass no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise therof". It is these words that caused religion in public schools to spiral into one of the most contested issues in America today. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has also created a divide among Americans on this issue. SCOTUS has protected the student's rights to pray, read from the Bible, wear religious headresses, express their religious view etc, but at the same

Religion is a part of culture, politics, economics, and modern relationships on every level, whether you attend church regularly , or whether you are a casual bystander, you simply cannot escape religion. Knowing this, our founding fathers had to make a decision on how to avoid making the same mistakes as great Britain by intertwining religion with its government. Thomas Jefferson came up with the policy of separation of church and state, which became part of the first amendment to the US constitution. It read “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..” (Jefferson). 220 years later, the issue is still controversial, especially in the aspect of conducting religious activities in public schools.

According the to the First Amendment there are two important clauses pertaining to religion. The establishment clause and the free exercise clause. The establishment clause prohibits the state from passing laws to aid a religion or show preference for one religion over another, the free exercise clause prohibits the state from interfering with the individual religious freedom. Schools are not exempted from these clauses as schools must maintain neutrality when it comes to religion. The school is in violation of the first clause; the Establishment clause. The school reciting of prayers and scriptures shows preference to a particular religion. Public school personnel on official duty and the daily running of the school acts as government official

Public schools should not be the place for religious practices for many reasons. Firstly, there a several different ways in which having those practices in public schools goes against the Constitution, and the Establishment Clause, which does not allow public schools to endorse any religion. Secondly, as children are minors in age, so are their minds. Children can easily be swayed in a certain direction if they witness an authority figure expressing a certain belief. Having religious practices in public schools also goes against many science classes with the