i was taught about evolution in science in school , which is a given , however why is religion banned to be taught? when i say religion i am talking about all religions, is religion not apart of history ?
* sorry for the spelling errors
2007-06-21 03:35:33 · 39 answers · asked by delana 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
im not saying it should be taught in science, but as for a history class, science has nothing to do with it
2007-06-21 03:47:24 · update #1
I think that a history of religions class might be a good thing to have in a curriculum, but it would be difficult to create one in a public school below the university level.
2007-06-21 03:40:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I went to public school in the fourties and fifties and the history classes did teach about many religions as history not as theology. I have no idea what they teach now but one thing for sure if a person wants to know something then it is most always at their fingertips.
Many nations the religion is a very big part of the school lessons. The USA has no oficial religion and should never have. MOst nations of the world do and it is part of the teachings of the school system. It is not good and causes a lot of problems.
I have been to many nations and I know how the schools operate in many places. Feel very lucky that you are in the USA and not where I am now. People here with what they call a masters defree in fact are not as qualified as most of you graduating frim the twelth grade. This is a fact. The teaching system here is the rote system. By the time the students are ten they have stoped asking questions and even stoped thinking for themselves.
The religion here is the cause for most of this being so far behind the times.
2007-06-21 04:52:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The christian religion ALONE has something like 22,000 different sects. Other religions have hundreds or thousands of branches too. To teach one, and not the others would rightfully make it seem that certain religions are favored by the government. Religions instruction (It's actually more like indoctrination) should be a choice left to the parents, not the government.
Religion shouldn't be taught in schools because, for one thing, nobody can agree on which religion to be taught. Parents have the option of sending children to the parochial school of their choice, but public schools, to be blunt, have more important subjects to teach in their short school day.
People who think that religious instruction by the government is a good idea will quickly change their minds the minute a religion is taught that is different from the one they choose to believe, or when any certain doctrine is taught that they disagree with.
It should be up to the parents, not the public schools, to decide what is taught to their kids, and how.
El Chistoso
2007-06-21 03:45:43 · answer #3 · answered by elchistoso69 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
As an atheist, I could say this-- I wouldn't as much have a problem with religion being taught in schools IF it was taught as a sort of a world history subject, and IF they included at least the top 10 world religions, and they were taught in an unbiased way. (Meaning no teacher is to teach any belief as if it is fact, or as if it is superior to any other belief.) Unfortunately, we have too many people in this country who would take advantage of any opportunity that opened up, and next thing you know we'd have some teachers using the class to proselytize. It's a case of a few people ruining it for everyone. I actually WISH for my children to be educated about the beliefs of others. I just don't want someone to take it upon themselves to try to preach to my children, or to start demanding that they pray according to THEIR beliefs.
2007-06-21 03:43:53 · answer #4 · answered by Jess H 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Religion is NOT banned as a subject in schools. Unfortunately, so many people are ignorant as to WHAT is actually illegal and WHY.
It can be taught in an elective World or Comparative Religions class, as long as MANY religions are included and the class is not biased towards or against any one particular faith. It DOESN'T belong in History class, though.
I took a Comparative Religions in high school and learned about religions I had never even heard of. It was one of my favorite classes.
2007-06-21 03:54:03 · answer #5 · answered by gelfling 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Religion is not science, so it should not be taught as an alternative to evolution. Religions should be taught in history or literature classes, not in biology classes. That is the issue.
2007-06-21 03:46:03 · answer #6 · answered by miyuki & kyojin 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I don't think there is any objection to teaching religion in school. The objection is to teaching religious hypothesis as fact, in the absence of any supporting evidence or credible peer review. There is no ambiguity in an RE class - you are being taught about a faith system which you can choose to dismiss as irrational (though the style of teaching could make this hard and could be tantamount to indoctrination). In a science class there is an ambiguity - there is a presumption of legitimacy and an assumption of factuality. Evolution passes these.
2007-06-21 03:42:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Per the separation of church and state, it would be illegal to teach religious precepts in any class in a public school, if ANY preference for one religion or another were even so much as hinted at. However, it IS legal to teach ABOUT religion in appropriate classes (such as history) as long as all of the major religions are discussed on a completely equal footing, with NO endorsements or proselytizing whatsoever.
And many public schools already are doing that, and have been for decades, with no problem.
2007-06-21 03:53:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Teaching ABOUT religion is not banned... for example, history classes address religion, and classes in comparative religion may be taught, pointing out the beliefs of various religions, and their differences. However, the USA is a secular nation, not a christian nation. The 1st Amendment of the constitution keeps government out of religion, and keeps religion out of government. Public schools are an organ of the state, and therefore enjoy the coercive powers of the state. Therefore, teaching a PARTICULAR religion in a public school, or allowing special privledges to a particular religion in a public school... such as recitation of the Lord's Prayer... is forbidden by law.
Rearding evolution... it is science, and is taught in science class. Creationism is religion... not science. 'Intelligent design' is creationism is creationism tarted-up in a 'science' costume... it is not science. Anybody that wants to learn about creationism can do so at home, at church or in Sunday school... it has no place in public schools... particularly in science class.
Finally... don't go to scientists to learn about religion... don't go to clergymen to learn about science.
2007-06-21 03:47:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Evolution is not a religion, it's scientific theory-and a scientific theory which has been tested and retested.
I don't have a problem with a comparative religion class in high school as an elective, but I think that religion should be kept out of the science classes.
2007-06-21 03:40:37 · answer #10 · answered by Julia Sugarbaker 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I took both mythology and anthropology classes which taught religion. I think you might be looking for a specific religion, because pretty much everyone was taught about Greek and Roman Gods in high school.
2007-06-21 03:56:49 · answer #11 · answered by Take it from Toby 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋