Shouldn't there be a class in school that teaches religion and the arguments against it?

Question

I believe that we should have a class in school that teaches about each and every religion and the culture that surrounds it. I also believe that evolution and the atheist arguments should be taught. I believe children are smart enough to know what feels right and good to them. We can't expect our children to follow what we say is the truth without giving them the opportunity to make their own educated choice. If we have open discussions in such classes where everyone is givin their personal right to choose I think man kind will evolve spiritually in a more loving and honest manner. What do you think about your child being taught beliefs that are different from yours? Are you open to this kind of thing or not? Sooner or later each child will go out into a world full of people that think and believe differently. Why not give them a head start?Teach them tolerance and freedom to believe and live as they choose.
Love & Light to all
Sharon

I am saying a class like what happens here on Y!A. Open discussion, sharing of personal beliefs. Not a teacher standing in front of a class telling them what to believe. More of a discovering what works for each individual person. A Muslim child being able to discuss openly without fear of ridicule what he believes to a Christian child who also will have an opportunity to discuss what feels right to him in that belief system.No looking down on one another. If you know of an english,science, or history class that is that open to communicating freely please let me know. That is where I would like my kids to attend school. I've never heard of a class that allows such open discussion here in the USA public school system. I am here to learn so enlighten me. You could be the one that changes my life.

Answer 1

I totally agree with you. People should be given free choice. Religion should not block a person from getting to know the world, to learn about other religions, other cultures.

Probably I only think like this, because I was raised in the same manner, as you suggest in your question!
I am Unitarian-Universalist - this religion is one of the protestant branches of Christianity that are based on the freedom of choice of one's beliefs.
Before confirmation, we learnt about each world religion in detail - in the Sunday school... but we also had classes in our normal highschool schedule for that. You were expected to know about all options, before you decide to be an Unitarian, or anything else.

This education helped me a lot in my life, ever since!
I can find the way to talk to people of all backgrounds and religions, because tolerance was poured into me as early as at the age of 11-13. And I never found contradiction between my beliefs and real world, ever in my life. Hm, I think I made a good choice.
:-)

Are you a Unitarian, too?

In my country (and that is not US - the one so famous for its "freedoms"), no... it is a little simple European country... so, over here..... this thing WORKS in all public schools!

Back to some answers up there... I was never confused in this education process. I was 11 at the time, I don't think it makes sense earlier than that, though. But when I met Muslims, Budhists, Taoists, Falun Dafa practitioners, or anything else later on... I always knew where to pick them from... where to start even a religious conversation from! :)
It is like having a key to the world in my pocket, and I find it great.
By the way, professionally I am not a priest, or anything of the sort... I am a normal everyday person like anybody else. I don't know everything so deeply... and in so much detail as someone with a religious major may know, but those classes were good enough to keep me on track so that I don't lose my way in diversity......

Answer 2

I don't know about you, but beginning philosophy and religion was an option at my middle school. I didn't take it; I was more interested in history at the time. I'm not so sure children are ready to accept more responsibility much earlier than middle-school age anyway, and if they were than they should also have the freedom to choose not to take this class.

I worry, though, that presenting too many options to early on, while increasing the spiritual diversity of the child, could also increase feelings of confusion. The children of some hippies, raised in anarchic environments, typically ended up as vaguely confused adults with weaker social skills. It seems to be an unfortunate fact that children have to be molded before they can effectively learn to break that mold on their own, and the molding is begun long before the state has a say.

If this plan worked, however, I would not have trouble with my child learning about other beliefs. I am atheist, but I would not mind a religious child and as a parent I would be obligated to help facilitate her beliefs, provided they do not bring my family undue risk of harm. As a human being, naturally I have certain values, and as a parent and contributor to my species I have a reason to transmit those values to my child (and anyone else who'd listen), but I value the process by which I became atheist (which is similar to the situation you described) and not the atheism itself.

Answer 3

do you know how many religions there are out there? there are some 65,000 Protestant denominations alone, plus all of the Catholic. Then once you go to the far east you're getting into completely different lines of thought and philosophy, having a class that just hits up the big ones is hard enough to finish in one year much less semester. Plus schools do tend to teach about evolution, if you're doesnt it's kinda' backwards. But I do think that children do need to be taught about different thoguht processes out there as like you said it will help the human race evolve into a more holistic, and tolerant entity

Answer 4

Comparative religion classes do teach about different religions, but aren't usually available until college.

Given the outcry for teaching religion to children, comparative religion should be taught about the sixth grade. And should not include children preaching, it should be a critical analysis of each major religion based on historical evidence.

The books that people use to support their claims should not be used except to compare with the historical record to demonstrate the fallacies of each.

Of course, bible thumpers would never support an objective analysis of their fairy tales because children would be leaving their religion even faster than they already are.

Answer 5

Great concept, and although I think that many students would be open to this kind of class, the majority of parents are too closed-minded to ever allow it to become a reality. People are so worried about being "offended" by other beliefs that somebody would be suing or organizing a protest march or something assinine like that before it could even get off the ground.

Answer 6

Dukalink has a good point. I think the closest we can get is Comparative Religion classes. When taught properly, this subject can give students a much broader perspective on the subject of religion.

Answer 7

No, I don't think its a good idea.

Stuff like this would breed too many problems, because people wouldn't want their kids to be taught something that they don't believe in. Furthermore, most people just wouldn't care to learn it, so why bother?

Instead, how about everybody just keep their mouth shut about their religion and not push people who don't agree. Just know your religion, and only talk to those people; shut up around people who don't agree, and ALL the problems will be solved, don't you think?

Answer 8

And who is going to be religiously neutral enough to teach this? Or, if we can't find this and are instead going to have multiple people teach this class, where are you going to find all of them? And how do you stop people who teach this from attacking other religions vs. presenting only the positive aspects of their religion?

Sorry, but wouldn't work in a public school.

Answer 9

They have religion classes like that in college, where the students have the freedom to choose to learn about religion.

Answer 10

Because of the separation of church and state, it could be giving implied approval to one religion over another.