Religion and Its Effects on Children Essay

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

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.

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

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

Education plus God equals success. While this statement is true, the job of incorporating the truth about God into everything taught is becoming increasingly more difficult. Schultz charted public education’s view of reality, truth and value throughout the history of the United States to show how an unbiblical worldview has increasingly taken hold of society, the educational system and

When it comes to the education of children, there are numerous fundamental factors, to mention a few: parents, teachers, the student himself, curriculum, methodology, culture, and the Holy Spirit. Students must first take responsibility for their own education and desire to learn. Even though this key educational factor is not a prerequisite for learning, all students must eventually hunger for learning or it will never take root in their lives. Responsible teachers must use responsible materials and methodology in order for purposeful education to have a lasting impact. Teachers must use their divine calling and materials that “are not sugar-coated, censored, vacuous and dry, nor merely politically correct” (Holtrop) to challenge this current generation of students. While secular humanism views children as inherently good, we know that scripture teaches that all mankind to be innately evil, a

One of the most discussed topics in the modern world is children indoctrination into religion. Children aren't developed enough to decide in what to believe or disbelieve. Everyone is born without believing in a religion until it is either forced on them or they are developed enough to decide if one of the religions ''works'' for them or not. Mostly, parents are the most influential part in a child life. They decide what a proper education is to their successor and they impose their ideas to their child.

James Poses the idea of childhood takes on the identity of systemic cultural practices as they pertain to children's needs and maturity levels. (James 28). Thus there are many societal

An opinion piece written by Todd Starnes argues that a Tennessee middle school is guilty of Islamic indoctrination. The article asserts that students are forced to learn about the Islamic religion for three weeks, while ignoring other religions, chiefly Christianity. Relying almost solely on parent’s accounts of the controversy, Starnes allows the parents to argue against the school district’s policy. It is only towards the end of the article that Starnes interjects his opinions, like when he says that countrywide Islam is being accommodated and Christianity marginalized (Starnes 2). In this Fox News opinion piece, Todd Starnes writes an incomplete and fundamentally weak argument in regard to the teaching of religion at Spring Tree Middle School.

Clearly, religion had a negative impact on Lily Sabbath, but in the real world, does religion have a positive or negative impact on children? John Bartkowski, a Mississippi State University sociologist and his colleagues asked the parents and teachers of more than 16,000 kids to rate how much self-control they believed their children showed, how often they exhibited negative or unhappy behavior and how well they respected and worked with their peers (livescience.com). The researchers then compared their answers to how often these children’s parents said they attended religious services, talked openly about religion with their child and argued about religion at home. The kids whose parents regularly attended religious services and talked openly with their kids about religion were said to have better self-discipline, social skills and learning abilities than kids with non-religious parents. The children whose parents often argued about religion were more likely to have these problems. Bartkowski noted that “Religion can hurt if faith is a source of conflict or tension in the family.” If religion has such a positive impact on children, why is there so much crime? Are crimes often connected to religious preferences?

Donahue, M. J. & Benson, P. L. (1995). “Religion and the Well-being of Adolescents” in

Arguments can be extremely frustrating. Sometimes no matter how accurate a particular perspective appears to someone, it may be impossible to convince another to feel the same. The differences in fundamental values between people are responsible for the differences the formation of opinions. The manner in which people adopt these core beliefs is no mystery, and is explored in the documentary Jesus Camp. Humans are social animals, and cultural systems have been established since the beginning of humanity to strengthen the quality of interactions. Human babies are unable to raise themselves, and require the care of adults to foster. Throughout the process of development, children adopt the culture presented to them by adults. Children, who are psychologically developing, are extremely malleable in comparison to adults. This makes them an important focus for an adult generation looking to succeed their beliefs. This film inspects the strong Evangelical upbringing several families practice with their children, portraying this in an unflattering manner. All cultures are different, and these differences should be praised as well as made compatible with modern society as much as possible.

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

Religion in Schools has proven to be a very controversial matter as of lately. Even though teaching about religion is allowed in public schools, there are still many questions that are being asked in order to provide a basis of what is appropriate for school, and what is inappropriate. The first amendment to the United States Constitution says that 'congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof' which implies that you have the choice of exercising your own religion, no matter what it may be. However, this poses an interesting argument within the public schools of America because we have such a diverse population with

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