Religion In Public Schools Essay

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.

Religion is one of the most controversial issues in society today. The concern of allowing prayer in schools is an on-going debate and has resulted in numerous lawsuits. Religious school clubs, after school activities, curriculums, and moments of silence during school are just a few of the court cases that judges have administered. People in favor of prayer in schools believe that their children can only learn certain values through religious practice. On the other hand, an individual against religious practice in schools views this issue as an infringement on his or her children’s rights as Americans.

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

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

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 article analyzes the First Amendment of the United States Constitution in order to persuade the reader that religious education should be included in school curricula. However, Chaffee argues that public schools may not hinder nor prohibit the teachings of a specific religion over others, as “Public schools uphold the First Amendment when they protect the religious liberty rights of students of all faiths or none. Schools demonstrate fairness when they ensure that the curriculum includes study about religion, where appropriate, as an important part of a complete education” (Chaffee). Chaffee then mentions Professor Charles Haynes, a First Amendment scholar, master teacher, activist and change agent, whom he has spoken to about the matter.

Religion is by far the most controversial and non-debatable topic in the world. The topic of religion is hard to speak about and debate because it is solely based on faith. Faith is defined as having complete trust and confidence in someone or something. Everyone has faith in something whether it’s having faith that a loved one’s surgery will go well or faith that they will win a race at a track meet. Many have faith on some things, but not someone like Buddha or Jesus or maybe Muhammad. But why is that? The answer is because the schools aren’t giving these kids any education when it pertains to beliefs and religion. As a result, young children and young adults do not know what they represent. Many atheists say that religion should not be discussed in schools at all because it offends their beliefs of not having any beliefs at all, but freedom of religion should express every type of belief briefly so kids have a true shot at picking a type of lifestyle to live.

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.

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

Earlier in the semester, we had the opportunity to attend the Interfaith Winston-Salem tour. In just a few hours, we got a glimpse of the incredible amount of religious diversity present in Winston-Salem. Over the past ten years, Forsyth County has become increasingly diverse as businesses flock to the triad, bringing people from all over the country and the world into one community. This population boom has changed the religious landscape of Winston-Salem. As different religions continue to come together, it becomes increasingly necessary for people to understand their neighbors in order to create a cohesive society. Therefore, we propose that the academic study of religion should be offered in the Forsyth County public school

Many people today have their own personal beliefs. In a school setting, there have been many controversial situations that have been brought to court to help resolve individual rights. As National Coalition Against Censorship (2017) stated, the First Amendment guarantees of religious liberty include the freedom to believe or not to believe, to observe one’s faith openly without government interference, Freedom of speech encompasses religious as well as secular speech, but the Establishment Clause is where Thomas Jefferson described it as “a wall of separation between church and state”, because it has important implications for religious speech and observance in public schools” (Retrieved from http://ncac.org/resource/the-first-amendment-in-schools-resource-guide-religious-expression-in-the-public-schools). For this paper, legal issues regarding grading of assignment, appropriate of displaying student’s work, application of First Amendment to scenario, and conclusion will be discussed.

“This is an attempt to politicize the curriculum and promote an agenda over the education of nearly 5 million Texas kids," Quinn argues, implying that the students in Texas are somewhat being forced to learn religion, regardless if they are comfortable or not. An unknown author from a Mibba article entitled “Should Religion Be Taught in Schools?” agrees with the idea that religion should not be taught in the public school systems, as problems arise such as parent involvement, offended ideas/beliefs, and even confusion in the students that have separate beliefs or taught differently through churches and religious practices:

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.

Some teachers may have a personal bias against certain faiths or religion in general. These problems can be dealt with. According to this article, “To address the challenge of teaching about religion without proselytizing, we must explore the assumptions and causes underlying each set of factors…” (Passe, J., & Willox, L. 2009). We should ask ourselves what lies beneath the problems of teaching religion. We should look to see if prejudice and impartiality are factors motivating against religious teachings.

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