Why take religion out of the school?

Question

I don’t understand why we have to take religion out of the schools completely. The kids can learn so much about ALL religions. The law is that there can't be one religion taught in the schools. But there is no law that says religion has to be eliminated from schools. So why do we chose to take it out completely? How can we teach history correctly without any mention of religion? Religion is so much a part of our history and our past. The constitution says we have freedom OF religion not FROM religion. How can we really teach the importance of the separation of church and state if we don't teach our children the motivations behind the separation?

Answer 1

They should definitely teach comparitive religion. However, the schools that try to do so keep getting sued - by the Christians. Who think that it's fine to analyze other religions, but you can't compare that to THEIR religion, because their religion is the right one! You can't compare it to ancient Egyptians, or the native americans - those guys were wrong! You can't analyze Christianity as if it were a myth or a story - it's true!

And that's why most schools don't bother trying.

Answer 2

Seperation of church and state.

School is a place where children learn about the world and the things in it. It is not the schools job to indoctrinate and brainwash children one way or the other which is exactly what would happen if we were to allow ANY religion to be taught on state run property. Someone who believes one way is automatically biased towards the opposite end and is hell bent on proving how wrong the other side is i.e. Christians and Muslims. There is no way possible you could cut out I'm right your wrong bias if this were allowed. Judging from the current state of our country and of the world, I don't think teaching about ANY kind of religion in our schools is a good idea.

Freedom of religion is also freedom from religion. You have the right to be free OF it as you choose or to worship whatever deity you choose to worship. You can teach the importance of the church / state seperation without teaching about religion.

If someone wants to teach religion in school I think they have private facilities for that.

This is a very good question and I see your point, however, it never has been and never will be a good idea.

Answer 3

Seems a bit redundant and if not handled with kid gloves there is hell to pay as not all religions will like an objective historical view .
So I ask why put it in the first place when the complications could out weigh the benefits . Instead they should teach some thing much more important and contemporary as ethics and law that will be more important then the religion they were already taught elsewhere. less conflicting also. I don't think anyone ever objected to the major facts of religions role in history.

Answer 4

The problem is that public schools are legally incapable of dealing with religion with any sane objective view. Legally, a government school cannot favor one religion over another. Therefore, any comparison of religions in school must be devoid of value judgments.
Evangelical Christians as well as Muslims get testy when their faiths are presented from any perspective other than that of the true believer. Since a religion class in a public school would necessarily have to present all religions as morally equivalent, there is no way to please everyone.

However, any level-headed look at the world today would indicate all religions are not morally equivalent, as some religious groups are clearly more mellow than others with regards to violence, sexism, and bigotry, thus to enforce the moral equivalence of all religions the schools, one must effectively teach the children to think irrationally.

Perhaps a better solution would be to privatize all the schools and let them teach religion however they want.

Answer 5

While I think that "world religions" (showing all religions, warts and all) can and should be taught in school - as part of history, say - I don't think faith can. I have two reasons for thinking this.

1. Practical: When I was taught religion in school, it was done so badly that I thought I was going to hell for laughing at the Little Drummer Boy song. Pa rumpapum pum.

2. Spiritual: Religion is an intensely personal thing - and memorizing doctrine out of some "approved" textbook strikes me as one of the best ways to kill it.

And anyway, the best way to teach faith is by example, not by competitive examination. Christ didn't run a seminar.

Answer 6

Most schools DO teach about several different religions...public schools in my area do, without pushing a single religion on anyone. The only schools I know of that teach religion in an inapropriate manner are...well....religious schools, lol...I think you'll find that the religious sector is the most predjudiced sector of all, demanding that their religion be perfused throughout society. Mention in church that you learned about islam all week, and see how many people start asking "what did you learn about christianity" or see how many people take a sudden interest in it, to find out "what they've been teaching you in THAT school" and see how long it takes for that to become an issue in your area. It's perfectly acceptable to teach ABOUT religion, just not to TEACH religion, in state-sponsored school. You want lies in your cirriculum, you gotta pay extra.

Answer 7

Ever hear of seperation of church and state? It is part of the Constitution!

Schools are run by and funded by THE STATE! Since schools are paid for by the state then religion MUST be seperate! Religion in school is a violation of the United States Constitution!

The only schools that can have religion in them are private schools that get NO FUNDING from the state!

Answer 8

There is a big difference between teaching about religions and teaching a religion. Teaching people about how religions worked and what they said was shut down by the religionists as a secularist plot. guess why.

Answer 9

teaching that in schools would cause a problem because there are to many religions. And all the religions would be arguing about what to teach and what not.

Answer 10

You are right. In my country they are going to change religion from not mandatory to mandatory, but they will revise the program: they will teach all religions. It is important because kids have to know that you can have a spiritual life too (we are not just matter, we are more).