If we don't have religion in school....?

Question

then how are we preparing our kids for the real world?

Acting like you can ignore religion is an idiotic thing to do. Once they graduate from their sheltered enviroment called the US public schools they're going to face a big thign in their lives and have no idea how to handle it...

Should theology classes be manditory like gym class, math, and history? I think kids should have atleast 1 theology class in school so they can learn the basics of other religions so they wont have false prejudice against others.

Chippy....you're telling me you've never faced religious intolerance in your life time?

I BEG TO DIFFER!

Where did I say in here that they should only learn about Christianity?

I said theology, which does not just include Christianity.

I believe they should learn about the 7 main religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Confuscism. And then learn a little about Shinto, Sikhism, native religions, etc.

Neil, there is a difference between LEARNING about something and DOING that thing.

There are classes where kids learn about sex and drugs(atleast in my school) but there was not a class where kids learned about religions. Maybe if you would open your mind and took a theology class you would know that you just learn about the religion, not participate in it.

Answer 1

I agree, I think that children should be exposed to it, not forced to follow it, but that way they can get the information about it and say a kid who was raised Christian is learning about Buddhism really likes it, then they can change. Or a kid raised Atheist hears about Islam and what it teaches, really likes that, and then decides to convert to Islam.

There are lots of text books that people write about religion. All kinds of resources out there for information.

It's a great idea, controversial, but as you can see a lot of people who are against it do not see that a theology class isn't forcing religion to be practiced in school, or is forcing kids to become religious, but it's helping them to become more enlightened about other's lifestyles and therefore more tolerant.

Answer 2

Ok, so who's going to decide on the religion curriculum? And which religious theology are they going to learn? Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism etc?

And what version of each religion are they going to learn? Roman Catholic Christianity, Eastern Orthodox, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Assembly of God, Snake handling, Orthodox Judaism, Reformed Judaism, Sunni Islam, Shia Islam? Etc.

How are you going to approach subjects like the papacy, baptism, the eucharist, evolution, Jesus, the Crusades, the crucifixion, Muhammad, the Bible, the Koran, etc?

Which textbook from which point of view are they going to be given? Who will make that decision? And when you don't give equal time to Mormonism or the Jehovah's witnesses or the Scientologists, what are you going to do?

I don't think you understand how incredibly complicated something like you're proposing would be. I don't see how the public schools could all agree on one set curricula that would make everyone happy.

The fundamentalists of every stripe will protest to any teaching about religion that doesn't exclusively represent their particular, literal version of it while condemning all others. The less religious, more liberally minded would protest against any curricula that seems like it's promoting and indoctrining their kids into a particular faith.

I think the only way these subjects can be taught in America is at the college level when it's voluntary. Other western countries might include this in school for younger students, but Europe and America are totally different in that it hardly makes a difference in Europe, while the whole subject is live and potentially explosive in America.

Answer 3

There is not an absence of religion in school. They simply aren't allowed to teach one religion as being true over any other. You're free to practice and believe in whatever religion you want, in or out of school. You may pray, worship, and speak in tounges if you want. The school can't and won't stop you.

MOST religions are covered indiscriminately in World History. In fact the major portions OF World History all deal with events regarding religions impact on the world and what they believe. Most History classes start out with Islam, at least all mine have (And I've taken several different History classes in several different states in the US). Next time you come here with a soap box, whining about a problem, please make sure the problem actually exists.

"I believe they should learn about the 7 main religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Confuscism. And then learn a little about Shinto, Sikhism, native religions, etc."

I just covered ALL of these in World History. Information regarding them even got so far into detail as to explain the numbers of EACH of these main religions in various countries around the world and in general. What is your complaint?

Answer 4

Teach religion at Church, not in the public schools. Does any church really want to leave its religious education to someone else?

A public school should only consider religious studies IF all types of faiths are objectively considered, something I doubt many church would be happy with. And "theology" can't be taught because the existence of "God" is in dispute. The challenge is to get community support for a balanced curriculum free of proselytization. If that happens, it sounds like a great idea. But it's been pretty rare and tentative so far. Some parents don't WANT their children to be open minded.

Answer 5

School is the real world. We prepare our kids by teaching them--not by paying or expecting someone else to do it for us. Religion should not be handled since it is a personal thing and there are too many religions to possibly study. I am a Christian who has learned from my parents and Bible school about religion. School and theology mixed sounds like a lot of lawsuits just waiting to happen. The person who is Jewish will want equal time to the person who worships crystals and on & on. School should teach facts--the fact is that much religion is man-made and used mostly for entertainment in modern society. Prejudices between religions will not deminish based upon a skim over different major religions. Prejudices are fine--they separate people who want to be separate. We must teach our own children to reach out to their peers--not to avoid or persecute.

Answer 6

You cold teach the basic spiritual ideas, and beliefs, of traditional religions without getting into a lot of detail. Interpreting religious text can be extremely hard and comfusing, unless you are a believer. Also their are spiritual ideas, that are found in smaller group, and in individuals that could be taught. It is very difficult, not to promote one religion over another. I wish we lived in a world where people were not religious ideologues, who would believe everything within there religion and nothing outside of it. It would be better if people would search for the best spiritual ideas from whatever source, whether group or individual. The main thing is to have a good and a very moral God, who rewards those, who make the world a better place to live in.

Answer 7

First of all, no public school is a sheltered environment. Far from it. Private schools and religious schools are sheltered environments. Second, when in life do you ever need religion? What moments of your life do you need religion to handle? If you want something to complain about in our schools, ask why the literacy rate is actually falling, why our kids SUCK at math, why the average american knows next to nothing about science, or why I'm surrounded by idiots with no critical thinking skills. Give it a few years, and countries with much better educational systems (like Cuba, Russia, Japan, China, England, France, and dozens more) will put our overfed, overweight, and undereducated citizens to shame. Will you blame that on a lack of religious education?

Answer 8

I find it impossible to truly get any real understanding from studying history without taking into account anthropology. History does not exist without people. People have religions. Religion is a huge factor in their choices. Religions shape cultures and create new ones. A social studies class void of any religious aspect of the world's peoples is teaching a false reality. There is nothing wrong with teaching what people of different religions believe as long as the school does not endorse one over another or seek to establish one 'true' religion.

Answer 9

Comparative religion and theology classes are not unheard of in public schools. But it goes against the 1st amendment to require religious practices in schools. So most school systems don't want to split the hair between religious teaching and teaching about religion.

But I fail to see why a lack of this curriculum is doing a disservice to our kids. Our schools should be teaching reading, writing, math, history, geography, civics, and hopefully critical thinking skills.

Answer 10

I think that would be a great thing.

But it means parents and school administrators have to be brave and mature enough to allow students to learn about other faiths.

I know for SURE, some parents would NOT want their kids to learn about paganism or Islam or Hinduism etc.

Those who try to educate children about the fact that there are different kinds of families give the same arguement you just did. We need to prepare kids for the REAL world out there. But they face the same thing. Some parents do NOT want their kids to learn that there are families with two mommies or two daddies.

So since some are unwilling to compromise, you have to ban EVERYTHING save for the basics of math, english, science.