Pro-religion in school people, do you want this to happen again?

Question

In the 1950's when religion was taught in school, racism, sexism, anti-semitism were rampant. Do we want to return to this?

Mona, your point?

Shedevilang--tell parents to start parenting at home. That is the real reason society has had these issues. How many parents take their children to church? Religions are not necessarily anti-violence--remember learning about the crusades?

And the American Psychiatric Association labelled homosexuality a mental illness that needs to be cured through therapy in the 1950s

Answer 1

Hey the south wasn't the only place there was racism! And that isn't the reason there shouldn't be religion taught in school. If you can not offer a elective class in every religion in the school then you can't have just one. It is unfair.

Answer 2

I think Mona's point is that if you were NOT around in the 1950's you have no basis to make the wholly falacious claim that "religion was taught in school" during that period.

And BTW, you forgot to include in your list of 1950s horrifics that the American Psychiatric Association labelled homosexuality a mental illness that needs to be cured through therapy. Did that fact have anything to do with "religion in schools" [sic]?

Answer 3

I went to school in the 40s. Catholic school for 8 years and public high school, at a time when discipline reigned; when you needed a pass to go to the lav; when the halls were empty because everyone was in class and accounted for, when one period of study hall was mandatory (today it is called "restricted study), where we sat in every other seat, no talking, and a teacher at the front of the room; where you didn't go home and tell your parents the teacher didn't like you - or you would find out was trouble was. I did not learn racism, sexism, or anti-semitism. Hate is usually taught at home, where parents carry on centuries-old issues. In my family, religion and politics were not to be discussed. People were welcomed on their own merits. A little religion and much more discipline in our schools couldn't hurt.

Answer 4

Well, yes and no. I saw my daughter's school values a long time ago that I could go right down the list with and tie to Buddhism. Fair? No. On the other hand, so what, they were virtuous thoughts that I saw as an opportunity to not raise a stink about, perhaps setting an example of tolerance instead of hammering people over the head. We have a long way to go toward bringing Bibles back to school, maybe it can start with a little openness, yes?

Answer 5

I'm not sure that you can equate one with the other. But lets look at the flip-side of your argument. When prayer and religious values were removed from the schools drug use sky-rocketed, premarital and extra-marital sex increased, abortion increased, pornography increased, crime increased, the incidence of sexually transmitted disease increased, the amount of sexual perversion within American society increased, the divorce rate went up, and oh, the Red Sox won the World Series (though this last one may reflect an increase in prayer - particularly in Massachusetts.)

Answer 6

Are you suggesting that the public schools are better now? Let me remind you that the LEADERS of the CIVIL RIGHT ERA were mostly men of RELIGION.

I don't necessarily want "religion" taught in school, but I do find it ironic that free speech is supposed to be sacred UNLESS it happens to do with ones faith. It is a shame that a teacher who might be a really good person, can't share their their faith.

Answer 7

So you where around in the 1950's?

Answer 8

If you want your country back and in good health, yes. We've learned a lot since the '50s, and taking God out of the equation is one of the things we should have learned to avoid.

Answer 9

Students should freely express their religious beliefs, not be surpressed for it.
This doesn't mean though, that teachers should enforce any kind of religion (such as making the students pray before lunch, ect.) But students should not be punished if they want to pray or a group of them want to pray or worship freely.

Answer 10

no but what we need is classes on religion for the real people who have a real good i.q.
and are non prejudice.
in other words classes for religion for serious minded people who really want to learn about religion'for this will help them to prepare for the seminary.