can students be taught about religion without promoting conversion?

Question

this is my belief but i cant find the write words to answer this question

Answer 1

Sure. If the facts of the particular religion are presented without bias, the student can learn about the religion quite effectively.

Answer 2

The question is irrelevant in a public school environment,it has gone too far already. The government is not supposed to promote religion only allow it's free expression. That of course should not include morning invocations of gods name mandated by the state,yet it does when we force children every morning to state a pledge that invokes his name in a way that clearly infers his authority over us. And we require this of all students even if their parents object,with courts forcing it now thanks to the supreme court. at best you could have a religion class that was an elective,maybe, but I think it sets up a dangerous arena. Because it might not be long before some teacher wanting to force it on students might treat those who didn't take it differently than those who did.

Answer 3

Absolutely. Teaching about religious principles, whether it be baisc tenets of a specific religion or shared beliefs, is strictly an information exchange.

That said, I generally don't think a true believer in any single religion can be an objective conduit for that information - only a deist, agnostic, or atheist. Everyone else is biased!

Answer 4

I was raised as a Roman Catholic, but now consider myself Christian - without further denomination. After many years of world travel, I often researched the predominate religion of the areas I visited to help me better understand the effects of the beliefs on the cultures I encountered. With my teachers being as diverse as my locations, I rarely if ever felt pressure to convert. Most of these fine people were simply anxious to share their beliefs. Few criticized my own.

I believe your answer is yes - as long as the goal of the teacher is not conversion, but rather knowledge.

Answer 5

I agree that it is possible, but very difficult, and some will still inteperet it wrong.

the problem is that some religions, namely Christianity and Islam, claim exclusivity, that is, that if you don't belive as they do, you'll be horribly punished and whatnot...

and the impression I get is that for many people its profoundly difficult, especially as a kid (personally I never had this problem....) to discern their own beliefs and what they feel is so, compared to what others feel. so it could be rather confusing for some.

of course, and some would belive if you don't teach it as a matter of fact that they MUST belive this way rather than "so and so people belive so and such" then you are not teaching it properly.... its not a fundamental problem, but people make it one,

Answer 6

Sure, but I have a better question. Is it the public schools' place to teach children about religion? Or is that something best left to parents and clergymen? With the rampant obesity epidemic among kids and crappy test scores, it stupifies me that we continue to have people obsessed with shoehorning religion into schools. We need to be more concerned with our kids being out-of-shape idiots. Instead of worrying about religion classes or anything like that, how about having phys. ed. more than once a week? Instead of being concerned about things best taught on Sundays, how about putting more concern into improving graduation rates and test scores? Hmmm?

Answer 7

Well I had comparative religions in college and it was taught without any particular lean towards any one religion. I don't know if that could be achieved below the college level though.

Answer 8

Students can be taught about religions in the context of history, social studies, or literature.

Answer 9

Hmmm...

Teaching is learning. To learn is to change. To change is life... Life is living.

You can basically teach the different beliefs of religion, but to delve farther into it, by preaching or otherwise, you'd be subject to conversion...

For instance, if a foreign exchange student from plain ole America went to Japan, they wouldn't convert just because they learned the ways of the Japanese... Nor would a Japanese person forget their religion, just by comign to America and living for a school year with an American family, doing American things - like Christmas and Thanksgiving, and Halloween...

I know many religions celebrate these same holidays in their own way and I DO NOT claim them as "totally American" ... I am sort of trying to use them as an EXAMPLE!

My fiancee's boss is Jewish. I am Christian, Fiancee is Catholic. He has his holidays (which he doesnt celebrate)... But, his boss, did something his religion doesnt do... He bought our kids EASTER BASKETS because we couldn't afford to and Easter was coming up in a few short days. Totally sweet of him and his wife to do that and we appreciated the gesture.

It doesn't mean the boss converted to Catholic or Christianity...

And even I don't really do ALL THINGS Christian. I know about God. I know Jeus died for us. I know Mary was his momma, even thought she was supposedly a virgin... and blah blah blah blah... But I don't preach it, and I groan and walk as fast as I can in the opposite direction of anyone trying to preach to me. I hate it. But, I love my religion.

~Becca

Answer 10

Of course. How about comparing religions objectively? Key word is objectively.