Religion In Public Schools Report

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.

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

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government- lest it come to dominate the aspects of our lives, [religions, interests, and morals included]” (Patrick Henry). Our forefathers have explicitly demonstrated the pressing need of the separation of the church and the state in the constitution, but unfortunately this predestined wish fell through. In not only the United States but in the world as a conglomerate, the increase on a ban of religion within the public school system is becoming more and more evident and prominent. A few of the major reasons that this issue is becoming so prominent is that the world is shifting from a denominational

     Throughout history, religion has impacted the lives of millions whether at school, work, with friends, or by some tragedy. Religion can change the way people view their existence. Religion also plays a big role in the infiltration of values into the loves of many young people today. In a recent pole printed in the USA Weekend Paper, “34% of respondents [said] Religion plays a powerful role in their everyday lives.” These student respondents “cited religion as the second-strongest influence in their lives outranked only by parents.” Religion also surpassed the world-renounced media as an influence in their lives (Lerman. 1).

There are “more than 2,000 complaints a year by members of the public concerned about violations of the separation between church and state”, with many of the violations occurring within educational systems in the United States (Gaylor, 2014). This is an ongoing issue because many Americans honor the separation principle, while a small portion of the population does not. Religious references and moral values are an important aspect of a child’s life, but should not be taught in public schools. Annie Gaylor published a well written article called “The Dangers of Religious Instruction in Public Schools”, which describes what happens when religion is brought into the picture. In earlier times, it was proved that religion creates tension, inconsistency,

“The laws of Nature are the laws of God, whose authority can be superseded by no power on earth”-George Mason 1772(Founding Fathers 2). The presence of God is in every part of America. The Christian religion was brought to American shores by nearly all who immigrated to the United States. The American nation was built on the principles of “one nation under God” and now people want to erase Him from everything. ‘I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all’. By stating allegiance to the flag allegiance is given to country; a country founded on Christian principles and a belief in God. The words “one nation under God”

America's founders envisioned a nation whose government would allow for freedoms and rights to be guaranteed to its citizens. The desire for religious freedom was prominent, sine it was not a right granted to the early colonists living under Briti sh rule. Because England's government forced all of its citizens to learn and practice the same religion, America's first legislators made certain that government intervention in religious matters was prohibited. Therefore, religious freedom was ensured in the First Amendment to the Constitution, as it states, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . ." (Whitehead, Rights 49). This statement allowed

Restricting a Catholic school’s ability to teach specific religious texts infringes upon many constitutional rights and refutes the purpose of Catholic schooling systems. Prohibiting students from discussing these religious texts violates Section 2(b) of the Charter: “the freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression” (CCRF, 1982), which ensures that as long as pupils or teachers do not infringe on another’s rights, they have the constitutional freedom of expression, including the ability to discuss topics or issues. As Lauren Southern mentions in an interview with the Russian Times, students need opportunities to explore controversial topics, but cannot do so without free speech (Southern, RT), revealing the necessity of free speech in schools, and that prohibiting Bible texts infringes

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

Have you ever felt offended while in school because the teacher or a student was talking about your religion in a way you didn’t appreciate? Religion is one of the most talked about and controversial topics in the world. We don’t need religion to come into our time of academics. This is important because religion will only be a distraction. Bringing this disputed topic into schools is not a good choice because schools will favor certain religions over another, it will take away the time students can use to advance technological and practical skills, and even though religion was one of main ideas in history, history textbooks could create untrue and unneeded stereotypes about certain religions, which we don’t want.

Are you religious? Do you have children? What kind of environment would you like your child in while he/she is in school? A century ago, most of America’s public schools were religious schools. Over time the state has redesigned schools in order to make schools for all children and not alienate any students. The Supreme Court then accelerated the movement in 1962 when it declared that prayer in public schools was unconstitutional. Then one year later the court removed all bible reading from public school because it is a religious exercise(-------). There is no clear line between what instructors are aloud to teach in school and what they are not aloud to teach, so many laws have been written and changed. In

Many of our state and federal laws are based upon Christian religious rhetoric that remain on the books, if not, always enforced. These laws that shape how our country and schools operate, even define how educators are supposed to behave. Freedom of religion, a mandate of the U.S. Constitution, yet, religion has found its way into our laws and classrooms. A clearly defined part of the Alabama Educator Code of Ethics states the following, “Standard 3: Unlawful Acts: an educator should abide by federal, state, and local laws and statutes.” However, many of the laws that are on the books about moral and ethical behavior were created utilizing religious scripture and designed to foster a Christian way of life. Thomas Jefferson, an advocate of

Religion and public schooling, is one of today's most controversial issues in society . The question at hand is whether the teachers in the public schools should teach religion in America's school systems or not. This controversy has been the issue of many Supreme Court rulings within the past thirty-five years. Separation of church and state seems inevitable for this nation. Problems keep arising and court rulings are handed down nearly every day. The issue at hand has never been taken care of directly at the source. Why has religion in schools never been taken care of, and what will happen if it is allowed to remain a conflict? How much longer will this great

Around 1962 prayer was prohibited in school. The decision was made in the Engel V. Vitale case the New York Board of Regents believed it violated the first amendment because it showed establishment of religion. In schools bible reading became not allowed and anything related to religion was removed from teaching curriculums. Prayers must be left on the outside of school. The first amendment was passed on September 25, 1989 by Congress states. According to the first amendment freedom concerning religion, expression assembly, and the right to petition. The first amendment includes the Establishment clause and free exercise. The establishment of religion is covered under the “lemon test”. Under this test the government can only assist if the primary purpose of assistance is secular and it can’t promote or inhibit religion. Also, there is no entanglement between church and state. The Free clause ensure citizens the

Growing up in a public school system, I see that world a lot differently than a person that went to a private religious school. There were constantly issues popping up regarding religion. Is this allowed or is it not? These were the questions consistently being asked. I say what does it matter? Religion should be taught in schools; students should be able to wear any religious attire of choice, pray independently, and learn about world religions.