why is it my kids cannot discuss god in class but they can teach him greek mythology?

Question

sounds like it is christianity that is not allowed not religion...i have also HEARD...that they are allowing the muslim children class time to go pray to thier alah. yet we cannot have gods name in the pledge of allegence anymore. uh, our money does say "in god we trust"...i think somebody got confused...

Answer 1

"Only in Christianity had God reached all the way down to man and said, in effect, 'All that I require of you is that you believe in My Son, Jesus Christ, and you shall have the gift of eternal life.' (John 3:16).
Only in Christianity had God said, 'I'll do all the work - all the dying, sacrifice, ritual, saving, regenerating, renewing - and all that I ask is that you receive what I have done and what I offer to you as being personally applicable to your own life.'"

Dr. Charles F. Stanley



This is for EVERYONE! For the entire WORLD!

Answer 2

Hi,

This is an interesting analogy but some will point out that Greek mythology is studied like fairy tales and is not believed any more; however there is some revival of the Greek and Roman religions around the world over the last few decades worth noting.

Furthermore if religious objects and symbols cannot be in court or federal buildings anymore then the Statue Of Liberty which is the Roman goddess Libertas, ancient Rome's goddess of freedom from slavery, oppression, and tyranny should be removed from her pedestal on federal property as well.


Mike K

Answer 3

Christianity is a religion. In Greek Mythology, yes, there is religion. But they are describing it more as a story than any religious beliefs. Money says "In God we trust" due to your local freemasons. There are even Pagan symbols on the dollar. In classes, everyone is to say the pledge that believe in this country. What would a Buddhist kid do? He wouldn't say God, it's just fair for the other students. About the Muslim children - they attend prayer because it is part of their religion. Nobody else is asked to do it, they are probably taken out of class to do so.

Answer 4

Because it's disruptive to have them talking god during maths?

I for one think that christianity should be discussed along the other religions. I just don't think everyone should be forced to pray to a god. See the difference? Christian mythology is just as valid as greek mythology. And they do fit nicely in comparative religion or first millenia history...

Judging by your answer, I'm guessing your kid tried it already, right? During a discussion of greek mythology he jumped up and claimed his god is the real one? And you're really thinking that should be allowed? It's disruptive, and disrespective.

Answer 5

Has someone actually prevented your child from discussing God in class?

I taught for nearly two decades. If someone wanted to discuss his own religious faith IN CONTEXT OF THE LESSON BEING PRESENTED, say, to illuminate his understanding of a theme in a story by quoting an appropriate scripture, then it most certainly was allowed.

If a child wanted to commandeer the floor during a classroom discussion to steer it toward preaching his or her own beliefs that didn't really coordinate with anything in the lesson, say quoting scripture about forgiveness when we were actually discussing word choices made by the author, then I guided the discussion back to the LESSON at hand.

However, if someone wanted to simply distract from the LESSON by saying something intended to provoke debate not related to the LESSON, then I told them it wasn't the time or place for the debate, and they could come by outside class time if they wanted a discussion of that nature. (An example of this that happened more than once would be the child ignoring the grammar lesson in front of him, raising his hand and saying, "Why can't we discuss God in here?" )

Who told you we can't have "under God" in the pledge said in school? We included those words since they were included in the officially sanctioned version.

As long as there are pop quizzes, there will be prayer in school. You simply may not stand up and disrupt my class with it.

As far as Greek Mythology, we used a few in the "oral traditions" section of the lesson plan. We also collected stories from our own families as part of that unit. If your family story was about how faith in God got your family through the depression or how God intervened the time the creek rose and your Auntie Mae didn't drown after all, then that was perfectly fine. It was also okay if you told the story of how Allah lead your family to settle in Oakland or Jehovah called you to witness in the wilderness. As long as it met the criteria for the LESSON, it was acceptable.

By the way, when I taught poetry, I routinely used some of the Psalms. Never once did anyone find an objection in the use of the text as the basis for analysis of poetic devices, and I had children of many faiths, some of whom had never read the King James version we used in class. For a few, I think it was the first time they read anything from a Bible at all. Other than objecting to the formality and occasionally archaic wording of the material, no one had a problem with the educationally sound LESSON objectives.

Check your facts. You may have less to object to than you have HEARD.

Answer 6

There is a matter of free will. To a given extent we have this here in the US. But one of the great ideas with the start of this republic was to have a speperation of church and state. Look at every other country or republic that does not have this aspect to their systems, and boy what a differance in how you may or may not be able to worship!!!!!!!!!! Look into history when whatever church or geligion was in control of the school & the government. Remember does not the bible say that belief in God is a personal and individual choice and relationship?

Answer 7

It is fine to talk *about* religion in school, and they should. A teacher can discuss the differences between Protestants and Catholics for example, or explain that Hinduism has multiple gods.

What a teacher cannot do is teach that any religion is the right one.

P.S. "under God" is still in the Pledge, but a student cannot be punished for not saying it.

Answer 8

Because they would have to teach it as mythology, and I think a lot of poeple would have a hard time with that. Also, the Muslim religion REQUIRES that it's followers pray at very specific times in the day. Christianity does not.

Answer 9

There's no confusion... Greek mythology is history, not religion. It's perfectly acceptable to teach the history of other religions (including Christianity) in American schools as well. Christians are also allowed to pray during school, however it would be unconstitutional to have an organized, school-sponsored religious event (like asking students to proclaim their status as "under god").

Answer 10

If you enroll your kids into a religious school, there's plenty of god discussion. Otherwise, it's generally OK to discuss "gods" in the classroom as part of a history curriculum but not as outright religion. We have religious freedom in this country - everyone has the right to choose what, if any god they pray to. A singular god ratified by a public school should not be acceptable unless it's in the context of all the different gods, i.e., in a history class. Greek mythology is taught in the context of history, as is Roman mythology. AS far as Muslim children praying to Allah during class, this is a slippery slope. Their religious practice is to pray periodically - i think at sunrise and sunset. Christian religious practice is to pray at church, at meals, and before bedtime. People should be allowed the freedom to practice their religion without impeding any other's right to a non-religious education.

Answer 11

They don't teach Greek mythology in science class smart. You would teach Christianity the same way and call it "Christian mythology" for the sake of the non Christians and then the Christians would have a fit.
Someone was confused when they put the word "God" in the pledge of allegiance and on legal tender. It was not always there so it's not like it's a founding ideal of the country. It was due to religious influence to put God in and on these things. Do your research.