Should religion be taught in public schools?

[skye]

not an expert here...

but you ask and I answer...

I would teach on day one that humans are insignificant - in this infinite Universe- and that humans can not create a speck of sand....and that SOMETHING bigger than us created all in this Infinite Universe .... all past present and future.....all time ... that...just for starters.


that's what I would teach on day one.

That took ten seconds. What else are you going to teach? Come on, you know what I'm looking for.



Something? What is this something? You don't know? Class dismissed

I would also teach that

Karma is a Law of human life.... that your actions have consequences and that you reap what you sow.....

that lesson alone can take several lives.

So you won't teach talking snakes and virgin birth events as fact? Is moses history or just a story?

thing is....I'm not a teacher..

I only know what I know!

Clearly your religion shouldn't be taught in school.

But you know what Skye? You are the perfect example of people who claim to be religious but don't really believe anything other than "there must be something". I wish you'd be honest and admit you aren't really a Christian and you don't really buy any religion.

Because I tested you. I wanted to see if you'd defend the virgin birth story. If that's not true, what else about the story is a lie?

I am not defending any virgin story.....or not defending it ok?

All I know is... what my heart and mind and gut tells me....

I trust my ...lets say...something inside.,,,ok?

 

[sealybobo]

Non-believers of almost any creed, secular or theist, love to tell believers what they believe.

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

From a historical, philosophical and societal aspect yes it should/could be taught. Religion is inextricably intertwined with society.

Sure but if you taught the Christian Muslim Mormon Jewish perspective then you wouldn't favor one story over the other. And I would give anyone who figured out its all made up an A+

 

[sealybobo]

That took ten seconds. What else are you going to teach? Come on, you know what I'm looking for.



Something? What is this something? You don't know? Class dismissed

I would also teach that

Karma is a Law of human life.... that your actions have consequences and that you reap what you sow.....

that lesson alone can take several lives.

So you won't teach talking snakes and virgin birth events as fact? Is moses history or just a story?

thing is....I'm not a teacher..

I only know what I know!

Clearly your religion shouldn't be taught in school.

But you know what Skye? You are the perfect example of people who claim to be religious but don't really believe anything other than "there must be something". I wish you'd be honest and admit you aren't really a Christian and you don't really buy any religion.

Because I tested you. I wanted to see if you'd defend the virgin birth story. If that's not true, what else about the story is a lie?

I am not defending any virgin story.....or not defending it ok?

All I know is... what my heart and mind and gut tells me....

I trust my ...lets say...something inside.,,,ok?

I lik

That took ten seconds. What else are you going to teach? Come on, you know what I'm looking for.



Something? What is this something? You don't know? Class dismissed

I would also teach that

Karma is a Law of human life.... that your actions have consequences and that you reap what you sow.....

that lesson alone can take several lives.

So you won't teach talking snakes and virgin birth events as fact? Is moses history or just a story?

thing is....I'm not a teacher..

I only know what I know!

Clearly your religion shouldn't be taught in school.

But you know what Skye? You are the perfect example of people who claim to be religious but don't really believe anything other than "there must be something". I wish you'd be honest and admit you aren't really a Christian and you don't really buy any religion.

Because I tested you. I wanted to see if you'd defend the virgin birth story. If that's not true, what else about the story is a lie?

I am not defending any virgin story.....or not defending it ok?

All I know is... what my heart and mind and gut tells me....

I trust my ...lets say...something inside.,,,ok?

Then you really have nothing to offer a classroom.

Would you like a teacher teaching kids that anyone who's not a born again and baptized/saved is going to hell?

If you think religion should be taught in school, I'm trying to figure out what you think should be taught. So far you don't want the Christian myths taught as factual. I'll assume you don't want to teach Mohammad talked to God as a fact, or Joseph Smith?

So do you want religion taught in school?

 

[Alex.]

Non-believers of almost any creed, secular or theist, love to tell believers what they believe.

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

From a historical, philosophical and societal aspect yes it should/could be taught. Religion is inextricably intertwined with society.

Sure but if you taught the Christian Muslim Mormon Jewish perspective then you wouldn't favor one story over the other. And I would give anyone who figured out its all made up an A+

Religion is a contrivance IMO and necessary for various socio/politico reasons which is why I find it necessary to teach and analyze.

 

[sealybobo]

Non-believers of almost any creed, secular or theist, love to tell believers what they believe.

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

From a historical, philosophical and societal aspect yes it should/could be taught. Religion is inextricably intertwined with society.

Sure but if you taught the Christian Muslim Mormon Jewish perspective then you wouldn't favor one story over the other. And I would give anyone who figured out its all made up an A+

Religion is a contrivance IMO and necessary for various socio/politico reasons which is why I find it necessary to teach and analyze.

What reasons is it necessary? Don't beat around the bush.

 

[Alex.]

Non-believers of almost any creed, secular or theist, love to tell believers what they believe.

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

From a historical, philosophical and societal aspect yes it should/could be taught. Religion is inextricably intertwined with society.

Sure but if you taught the Christian Muslim Mormon Jewish perspective then you wouldn't favor one story over the other. And I would give anyone who figured out its all made up an A+

Religion is a contrivance IMO and necessary for various socio/politico reasons which is why I find it necessary to teach and analyze.

What reasons is it necessary? Don't beat around the bush.

In order to see where society is today we must look to yesterday. The study of religion is a fertile ground for how mankind has evolved and how societies have progressed.

 

[Disir]

The 80 year old is not wrong, and no one can prove that she is.

That is one of the geniuses of our Constitution: we can believe and speak as we want about these things, whether believers or not.

I was thinking more along the lines of don't be a class A Jerk but ya, the Constitution.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Non-believers of almost any creed, secular or theist, love to tell believers what they believe.

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

We do teach religion in public schools, though, is the fact.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Non-believers of almost any creed, secular or theist, love to tell believers what they believe.

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

From a historical, philosophical and societal aspect yes it should/could be taught. Religion is inextricably intertwined with society.

Sure but if you taught the Christian Muslim Mormon Jewish perspective then you wouldn't favor one story over the other. And I would give anyone who figured out its all made up an A+

You, having been easily confounded earlier, are now just being silly.

Yes, religion is taught in public schools.

Yes, it should be taught objectively.

Yes, you can do nothing about it.

 

[sealybobo]

Non-believers of almost any creed, secular or theist, love to tell believers what they believe.

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

From a historical, philosophical and societal aspect yes it should/could be taught. Religion is inextricably intertwined with society.

Sure but if you taught the Christian Muslim Mormon Jewish perspective then you wouldn't favor one story over the other. And I would give anyone who figured out its all made up an A+

You, having been easily confounded earlier, are now just being silly.

Yes, religion is taught in public schools.

Yes, it should be taught objectively.

Yes, you can do nothing about it.

The only religion I ever learned in school was Greek mythology.

Anyways, I am glad I haven't seen one of you say "Christianity should be the only religion taught because its the one true religion". Im glad none of you believe enough to think that. Im OK with people believing in generic God. And I'm not OK with Christianity taught as fact and no they don't teach it in school. Why do you claim it is?

You saying its true doesn't make it true. Similar to your belief in gods.

 

[Disir]

We are in a situation where the majority of americans don't understand Islam or the reason people "over there" are so angry. We have even seen many muslims don't know their own faith and believe that america has to change to adapt to them, where the only freedom of religion is for muslims and no one else or even change politics to be compatible to Islam.

If people know a bit about what is and is not islam there will be less fear and more understanding when address philosophical differences. Right now everyone is scared of the PC police and saying something offensive.
It is not about teaching faith but teaching about how faith effects other aspects of history, politics, law, culture, literature, etc. Teaching a few points where there might be commonality to help communication or differences that need to be discussed frankly.

Right now it would seem that if you speak up or criticize there is a threat some radical will "kill you", so everyone has to say nothing.
We need frank exchange of ideas, fear and questions, without hate. Muslim have to question what others are doing in their name or making them feel like heretics for not sharing extreme views and practices.

The conversation cannot begin if we know nothing about the faiths we each share, or not. It is not teaching faith but having an intellectual discussion. We need to have a fundamental knowledge of the faith, the people it was addressed at, the time period it was written in and the way those people spoke to better understand the words they put so much meaning it.

If we can't speak to each other how do we find common ground for peace?

Learning about religion is not the same as teaching religion. I don't thing most people even understand that.

Religion can not be separated and put in a box on the shelf, it has to be included in understanding others. We should not be afraid of knowledge or free speech with others, not hate speech but frank open honest exchange.

Muslims need to do the same with their faith, question what they have been taught and how it fits in modern society and the US/west in particular. They need to disavow the hate and violence and speak of the inner peace they find in their faith and respect of other people they share this small planet with.

Islam has many different interpretations--the same as Christianity. Many Muslims have spoken out. Not that it is warming my heart any but it has been done for years. Now, this didn't seem to bother anyone during the 70s and 80s when the cash was rolling in. So, if you are an adult then you can pick up a book for those further interpretations. If you are a 7th grade student then you will have to incorporate the political and economic context and the involvement of the "West". Ain't never gonna happen.

Interfaith dialogue has been happening for years.
Interfaith Dialogue | Events | School of International Service | American University, Washington DC

Sometimes it's effective and sometimes it's not. Clearly it cannot address other issues.

 

[Disir]

Non-believers of almost any creed, secular or theist, love to tell believers what they believe.

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

From a historical, philosophical and societal aspect yes it should/could be taught. Religion is inextricably intertwined with society.

Sure but if you taught the Christian Muslim Mormon Jewish perspective then you wouldn't favor one story over the other. And I would give anyone who figured out its all made up an A+

You, having been easily confounded earlier, are now just being silly.

Yes, religion is taught in public schools.

Yes, it should be taught objectively.

Yes, you can do nothing about it.

The only religion I ever learned in school was Greek mythology.

Anyways, I am glad I haven't seen one of you say "Christianity should be the only religion taught because its the one true religion". Im glad none of you believe enough to think that. Im OK with people believing in generic God. And I'm not OK with Christianity taught as fact and no they don't teach it in school. Why do you claim it is?

You saying its true doesn't make it true. Similar to your belief in gods.

Comparative religion is taught in middle schools. Hence, the topic.

 

[JakeStarkey]

No one says that Christianity should be taught (proselytized) under the cover of a secular course in liberal arts or humanities or comparative religion, sealybobo.

You should rest assured if that is your worry.

 

[Meriweather]

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

Of course, my view is that each faith/denomination should teach their own elective class--IF there is interest. For me, that would be the Catholic faith. There are a couple of approaches that could be used. One might be to follow the outline of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which begins with the Desire for God. (For those who are not aware, each page of the Catechism contains references to scriptures which support each theme.)

Another approach is to study the Covenants, Sacraments, and Worship to understand how Jews see, approach, and react to them--and how Christians do. Once again, this would take quite a bit of scripture study as well.

Towards the end of the year, I would want students to understand the arguments against faith and effective ways to respond.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Utah does just that, I believe, for Mormons and Catholics: they get to teach an elective class or several that counts for school credit, taught from the faith's view point.

That is a bad waste of tax payer dollars in my opinion.

 

[TNHarley]

Hell no! Nor indoctrination of any kind.
Kids shouldn't be learning opinions and beliefs in school. They should be learning history, languages, science and arithmetic
And at a certain age focus on skills.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Hell no! Nor indoctrination of any kind.
Kids shouldn't be learning opinions and beliefs in school. They should be learning history, languages, science and arithmetic
And at a certain age focus on skills.

Thank you. Religion in America is part, and should be, of American history. It is inextricable with who we are, but I agree that it should not be taught as religious class. That's stealing taxpayer money.

 

[TNHarley]

Hell no! Nor indoctrination of any kind.
Kids shouldn't be learning opinions and beliefs in school. They should be learning history, languages, science and arithmetic
And at a certain age focus on skills.

Thank you. Religion in America is part, and should be, of American history. It is inextricable with who we are, but I agree that it should not be taught as religious class. That's stealing taxpayer money.

FACTS of religion is ok. Like you said, THAT is history. But nothing else.

 

[sealybobo]

Well here's the deal. The question is, "do you think religion should be taught in school?" Right?

Ok, so give me an example of what you would teach on day one?

This is one reason we don't teach god in school. Everyone thinks differently about it. It's personal.

Of course, my view is that each faith/denomination should teach their own elective class--IF there is interest. For me, that would be the Catholic faith. There are a couple of approaches that could be used. One might be to follow the outline of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which begins with the Desire for God. (For those who are not aware, each page of the Catechism contains references to scriptures which support each theme.)

Another approach is to study the Covenants, Sacraments, and Worship to understand how Jews see, approach, and react to them--and how Christians do. Once again, this would take quite a bit of scripture study as well.

Towards the end of the year, I would want students to understand the arguments against faith and effective ways to respond.

Then go to church to learn this stuff. Why waste time teaching catholics about catholicism in school? Aren't there better things we could be spending our time on like math or science?

 

[Meriweather]

Then go to church to learn this stuff. Why waste time teaching catholics about catholicism in school? Aren't there better things we could be spending our time on like math or science?

An elective class is just that: Elective. As part of the school day, perhaps some would prefer to learn more about their faith than singing or drawing. This, instead of adding to their school day by going somewhere else to take another class after regular school hours. Many of the schools in the District where I teach also have "Zero" periods for students who wish to take more than one elective. For the students who wishes to learn more about his/her religion, having a class during the school day makes sense and is more efficient when travel and homework time are factored in to picking a child up at school and taking him/her somewhere else.

I'm merely saying, if there is a demand, supply it. If no demand, no worries. I don't think people should freak out about students choosing to enroll in a religion class. Faith is a huge portion of many lives--more than evolution is for example. (I am NOT saying evolution should not be taught, but after graduating, who cares, because how does evolution (which moves so slowly) become a part of everyday life?) Faith is something about which many do care and is a part of everyday life.)