Why Is It An Argument To Promote Religion In Schools?

Question

Why?

I Know Promoting Religion Is A Violation Of The Constitution ...

But We Still Promote Religion By Saying The

Pleadge Of Alligence

"One Nation Under God"

That's Promoting Christianity.

What's The Argument?
The Pro And Con?

Answer 1

I have a con-
It alienates anyone who, for instance, doesn't believe in God, or has a different word for God, or believes in more than one god….

Answer 2

We shouldn't be doing any of those things, either. We are supposed to be a secular nation. Contrary to the lies told by many religionists, the founders deliberately excluded Christianity from government. John Adams said we are no more a Christian nation than a Judaic or Mohammedan one. Thomas Jefferson stated that they had effectively erected a wall between church and state. Many of the founders took great pride in the fact that we were the only nation in the world inspired entirely by reason.

That's the main argument, but consider this, too. I in 6 Americans cannot read an average newspaper. That means they are reading below a sixth grade level. That's pathetic for a country that has free public education. People don't have the abstract reasoning skills required to address religious topics until their late teens, if they develop them at all. Most people don't. Do you really want to waste time during the school day on something that the students don't have the cognitive skills to process? Their brains simply don't have the neural networks needed for it.

Education has to be provided fairly to everyone, no matter what religion they practice. Children harass other kids who are different, so why create an environment where something like this becomes an issue? Children have been driven to suicide by religious taunting of Christian students.
A kid shouldn't have to worry about their religion - they should be concentrating on reading, math and science. We're rapidly falling behind the rest of the industrialized world in those areas.

Then there's this: A copy or the 10 Commandments, or a statue of them, is a graven image. The first commandment specifically prohibits use of graven images. If you really believe in the Commandments, you wouldn't want them posted. If you want them posted, you don't really believe in them enough to follow them, now do you? You can't have it both ways.

Then, suppose I decide to teach school as someone recently suggested? I'm Pagan. If I'm allowed to discuss religion in school, a roomful of kids is going to hear exactly what I think about it. Do you want me influencing your kids? I know I don't want you influencing mine. Shouldn't a parent have some control over their child's religious instruction? The best way to insure that is to leave it out of the schools and let parents do whatever they feel is best in their non-school hours.

Answer 3

I've heard the argument that the word 'God' is generic enough to suit most religions-not so. I believe those of the Islamic faith use the word Allah and Buddhism, Wicca and Hinduism are all polytheistic and hold strong beliefs in feminine power-they definitely don't have a belief in only one deity.
I think 'one nation' was in the original but 'under God' was not. That phrase is insulting to a large number of Non-Christians (who BTW, know exactly what it's referring to), it does go against 'separation of/from religion and state' (remember, the Protestant/Catholic 'cold war' was pretty recent history to them so they would want separation) and it also goes against the Treaty of Tripoli, sec 11 that specifically states this IS NOT a Christian nation.
Obviously, there needs to be a little more reality taught in History class w/o confusing the students by then making them swear an allegiance to something that can't be proven to exist.

Answer 4

"one nation under God" doesn't promote any particular religion. A truly religious person would be offended by the Pledge of Allegience - from a Christian perspective we should not be pledging allegience to anything but Christ - certainly not a country or flag.

Promoting religion is not in violation of the constitution, establishing religion is. There is a difference. By granting tax exempt status to churches, the government is in fact promoting religion.

Answer 5

There really is no pro other than that the vast majority of people are ok with it because they do believe in God.
The Con is that it is insenstive to those with different beliefs.
Personally, as an atheist myself, I have no problem with the "under God" part. It is just a pledge of allegiance that is supposed to unify us all. I think people are blowing this issue up way more than it should be. I don't think it is discriminatory against anyone.

Answer 6

Believing in a God does not equal christianity or any particular religion.

Some people think that if you dare to even mention religion or God, even though it was a prevalant theme in history and literature, is somehow preaching.

If you dont believe in God just dont say the under God part. Why does everything have to be an issue.

And I dont get why we need prayer in school. Pray at home, recess, lunch, afterschool.

Answer 7

You have religion on one side and government on the other. If you want religion on both sides, then you are violating the constitution by promoting religion and you should be sent to Argentina.

Answer 8

Look up "Ceremonial Deism." That's what the pledge is considered as... and get this... the Supreme Court considers Ceremonial Deism to not really support religion at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_deism

Answer 9

One nation under God does not promote any one religion, in your case "Christianity" simply God. Who's to say there is a specific denomination.

In the end it really doesn't matter. The pledge of allegiance becomes meaningless after you lose count of how many times you've recited it.

Answer 10

I would hardly call the Pledge of Allegiance a promotion of Christianity. It's only 1 sentence. Give me a break.

Answer 11

how is saying the pledge of allegiance promoting religion? i've never seen anyone hold a gun to anyone else's head and force them to say it. if you don't want to say it, then don't. i, myself, choose to say it. i am proud to say "one nation under God." it's my right to say the pledge. it's another person's right not to say it. that's why i like livin in the good old U. S. of A. peace. :)