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Fighting For Religion In Schools - Page 2

Yes, the majority of students probably do come from Christian cultures. But why are they ONLY required to study Islam? Why aren't the foreign students from, say, Saudi Arabia required to study Christianity, since they are now living in a Christian culture?

Because Islam is now a pampered minority. It is not PC to support Christianity, but it is PC to promote Islam.

Schools Religion Fighting

I would say that the majority of people in the US who call themselves Christian have really no formal education themselves regarding what is in the Bible. The average US citizen (at least from my part of the country) identifies themselves as Christian because they are christianed as such as an infant, but they don't ever go to Church or Sunday school. They have no more idea what is in the Bible really than does any member of another religious group. They aren't actually "practicing" their religion.

Fighting For Religion In Schools History & Civil Business Politics

True, but they don't lack knowledge of their own religion, because they don't have an opportunity outside the schools to learn about Christianity.
But if they don't teach about other religions at school, who else will make students aware of certain facts, like that the jihad for example is not condoned by most muslims, only by some extremists?
This and other misconceptions are things that the schools, in my opinion, should explain to students, so that prejudice and future misconceptions can be avoided. And the only way I think this can be accomplished, is by giving the students the complete background.

Page 2 Schools Religion Fighting

What schools require students to learn about Islam? I've been out of high school for a few years, but I haven't encountered a curriculum that requires any sort of religious teaching.

My feelings are that religion doesn't belong in a public school atmosphere--no matter what percentage of people are Christian, Muslim, etc. An estimated 50-60% of a school population are women, so should Women's Studies be a requirement? Maybe, maybe not.

The point is that you'll never make everyone happy. I think religious teachings are the responsibility of family. Had my high school coerced me into taking a course on religion, there would have been a revolt on my part (and I'm sure many of my peers would have gone along with it). It's enough that history was taught in such a bland, boring fashion.

That's just my opinion--maybe most people would be alright with it, but I don't think it heightens my education. At least in college there are options--go ahead and take a course on Judaism if it makes you happy. I took a course on the Reformation and Medieval History.. But these things are voluntary, not mandatory.

If anything, try to maintain some balance on religion-related education or just don't teach it at all.

Edited: rustedhope on 29th Dec, 2004 - 4:52am

Schools Religion Fighting

The issue of schools teaching evolution is not the issue among creationists. Rather, it is the gross misapplication of the interpretation of the ruling over the suit. The ruling stated that no school shall be required to teach creation. Instead of the literal interpretation, anti-religious groups used this to catapult schools to prohibiting creation from being taught.
So, the first issue is that creationism, an equally-possible solution to the age-old question, is prohibited from being taught, rather than just prohibiting that it be required. The second issue is that evolution is taught as a written-in-stone, bona fide fact with no plausible alternatives, rather than a simple theory with several equally-plausible theories alongside it.

It may not be directly related to the topic, but I think that the education system should be privatized. In such a case, education would be driven by competition rather than being politically correct. If a child or parents did not like what was being included or dismissed from a curriculum at a particular school, they could simply take their business elsewhere and find a school that taught the way they feel, or at least closer to, what they want. I think this, more than religion, is a major reason that many people across America have been going to the home schooling system.

I agree that a course in world religions would be beneficial to many people. America, from the beginning, was designed to be a melting pot of people from all cultures. The actual text of the First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing a state-sponsored religion; the phrase "separation of church and state" is actually an out-of-context quote from Thomas Jefferson that has pretty much been made a branch of government.
[ Jefferson's letter, from which the quote was taken, described in plain language the Constitutional prohibiting of the Federal government's involvement in religion.
https://www.newswithviews.com/Bill/sizemore8.htm ]

One of the PC hot phrases for the moment is "equal access" and all that stuff. I think equal access should be given to religious groups as well as non-religious groups.
Personally, I am a Christian. But if someone came up to me and wished me a happy Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanza, or other religious holiday, I would be fascinated to learn of another person's beliefs, not offended that they were trying to push their beliefs on me.
Some cases of PC are acceptable to me. Renaming "Christmas break" to "Winter break" is acceptable, because there is much more than just Christmas happening during the season. On the other hand, plastering "Merry X-Mas" everywhere is equivalent to telling a Jew or an African that they can no longer celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanza - they have to change the respective names to something else that does not impose their religious views on other people.
One of the grossest, but most amusing, stories of PC is a school board that decided they would celebrate "Asian New Year" rather than "Chinese New Year". An Asian attending the school, with ancestry from another country besides China, complained because Chinese New Year is only celebrated in China - no other part of Asia.

Fighting For Religion In Schools

You do not need to read the Quran to be taught this concept. In fact, the extremists themselves read the Quran and it hasn't taught them that. I simply do not agree that you can force members of one faith to study another unless you are going to force all faiths to study all faiths.

Fighting Religion Schools - Page 2

"Teaching about religion: Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion, the Bible (or other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries all are permissible public school subjects. Similarly, it is permissible to consider religious influences on art, music, literature, and social studies. Although public schools may teach about religious holidays, including their religious aspects, and may celebrate the secular aspects of holidays, schools may not observe holidays as religious events or promote such observance by students." -U.S. Department of Education

Full text at: https://www.ed.gov/Speeches/08-1995/religion.html

I would have no problem with reading the Qur'an. I have not done it yet, mostly because it has not been an important priority in my life, and I have very little time for independent study. As a committed follower of Christ and a student of religion, I would look for the following in the Qur'an:

-The actual doctrines of the Muslim religion. I cannot logically rely upon the uninformed, ranting opinions of my peers. I will never join Islam, but I should understand what Muslims believe.

-The ways in which this book and its followers have influenced the history of the world and current international events.

-A comparative religious study. I firmly believe that all religions contain some part of the truth, and many religions from different areas of the world have strikingly similar stories and teachings on certain points. By comparing the Qur'an with the Bible, I would be able to understand better where many of the Islamic beliefs coincide with modern Christianity and Judaism, and what foundations and stories they share.

If I were to undertake this study and teach it in a high school literature class, I would be in harmony with the standards set forth by the Department of Education. I would also willingly read the Guru Granth Sahib (also known as the Adi Granth), which is the scripture of Sikhism, the Apocrypha, and other books that claim to be scripture, for the same academic purposes. My Christian faith is not threatened by my understanding other people's scriptures. Although I may not believe these books to be revelations from God, they are useful to read for a deeper understanding and appreciation of history and the cultures that have shaped the world, as well as an appreciation of the ways in which modern literature and culture are affected by these religions and their holy books. They do not diminish my belief in Christ. I am not offended to study them academically.

Fighting Religion Schools Politics Business Civil & History - Page 2

My issue with schools teaching evolution is that they teach it as fact rather than theory. There is no science that proves either Creationism or Evolution. Yet, I know for me personally, anytime I have ever had a science teacher teach about evolution it was taught as fact. As sad as it is, even my science teacher at my Bible college taught it as fact. Of course, we said something to the Dean of Faculty because there is an issue that arises at a Christian college and its students being taught something that goes against all of our Bible curriculum. I don't have any problem with teachers teaching about evolution, even if it is against my faith and beliefs, as long as they teach for what it is: a theory that has never been proven.

As much as I want my Christian beliefs taught in a public school, I want equality. I wouldn't mind if schools were being legal about all of this and showing all religions equality like they're supposed to, but they aren't. They're persecuting against Christianity. If we're going to learn about and teach our students about the different religions, then all major religions need to be covered.

I think it's a wonderful idea to teach about different religious beliefs, even its done in a way that focuses on the three different main worldviews. The more people are exposed to different religions in a positive manner the more tolerant they are and the more respecting they are. Most of the time people persecute religions because they don't fully understand what they are about.