Should Religion Be Taught In School

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

Whether religion should merge with the school curriculum is in question. It is in the best interest of the community that church and state stand separated. Within public schools pupils should feel both protected and comfortable expressing their freedom of religion, regardless of their belief structure; religion has developed a social stigma that may provoke students to suffer discrimination, and separation has helped prevent this from being a reality.

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 one of the largest controversies in the world, due mainly to different people with different backgrounds and cultures are in America. Religion creates positivity and brings people together, but can also cause arguments and debates. America founded its nation on religion; however, society has slowly pushed it away year by year. Religion is being pushed out of our classrooms, schools, and communities because of the miniscule percentage of people in America who aren’t religious. People are becoming offended easily by religious topics, which is causing the negativity among American citizens. America’s youth are being deprived of an education that includes world religions and culture. There hasn’t been a single successful effort to reinstate religion into schools despite efforts to slowly take away the changes that have been made to take religion out. I propose to reestablish religion into Athens High school because it forms good morals that will help America’s youth become better contributors of society.

To counteract the changes that America is experiencing, as the framers of the constitution foresaw, certain laws such as the first amendment are able to be applied differently in special situations like towards the public school system. Banning religion in public schools is such an important issue, because the school curriculum is unable to accommodate every child’s religious needs or offer the same amount of coverage to each religion represented in America. If parents feel as though the instruction of religion is such a pivotal aspect that should be in their child’s life then perhaps a private school that is tailormade to teach and interpret religious aspects would be better suitable. The principle of religious neutrality forbids schools to give religious objectors a substitute that is, from a secular perspective, superior to what other children get. The material instructed in public schools should enable “the minds of school children to be open to various possibilities [in which allowing] that both creationism and evolution be introduced, without religious applications” (Phy-Olsen 98). Modifying the school curriculum for any such child or group creates not only isolation but also negatively emphasizes the differences between students. Students are unable to achieve their full potential with religion in schools, because they will be lacking the sense of

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

In America today we all have choices to make in regards to our religious beliefs. Many young children are brought up today confused about religion and the significance it plays in their lives. There are many sanctions and rules now on what can and can 't be thought or displayed to people on public property, but it wasn 't always like this. In this paper I will be discussing the American religious experience in regards to the impact religion has in the public schools.

An extensively debated and extremely controversial issue throughout the entire United States is whether or not world religions should be taught in public schools. While some people believe that the instruction of world religions in public school classes is very important to the education of students, others suspect that the school is attempting to force a certain religion upon students. While it is legal to teach about religions in public schools, it must be done in a neutral and secular manner; if a teacher is able to give information on religions without bias, it may be acceptable. It should be completely tolerable for public schools to teach about world religions. First of all, it is crucial to teach about religions in schools because religiously motivated hate crimes are increasing.

When America was founded, America’s Founding Fathers created the separation of church and state so the government would not be allowed to control the type of religion the American people preferred. In recent years, though people continuously taken that out of context and twisted the words of our First Amendment. Many people believe since public schools are a government facility, they cannot contain anything related to religion, including history topics, prayer in schools, or even religious clubs. Although there might be a fine line between church and school, having a basis of religion in education will help teach students more historical facts about America as well as help them grow morally. Religion in its entirety should not be taken out of the schools, but instead should be looked at to help better students educationally and ethically.

The subject of religion in public schools is one that has been debated vigorously and passionately. The warriors from the Right and Left fail to appreciate the facts because they are caught up in the rhetoric and have difficulty viewing this emotional topic dispassionately (Haynes, 2011). Both sides are right about one thing: this is an important subject.

ii) There is an ongoing debate on whether or not it is appropriate to permit religion in public schools.

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

Students could benefit from a religious focused course in high school. Despite religion in schools being highly controversial, public schools should be allowed to teach religion in school. Specifically this could negate religiously motivated hate crimes, help the student body become more familiar to religion as it is becoming more diverse, religious literacy is key to a well-rounded education, and students have a first amendment right to religious expression in school. All religions should be encompassed equally. Religion is school is not to be “rally” or a “life altering moment”, but a way of understanding cultures around the world and between one’s neighbors.