October 26, 2007
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Featured Question #80: Religion in Schools
Do you think religion should be taught in schools? Why or why not?
Yes, I do. Why?
Because there can be no respect without understanding.
All religions, not just Christian ones, should be taught in schools. Every religion, right down to the dead ones, should be taught in every level of school, from elementary school on. Let children share their beliefs with one another and learn to get along before they’ve grown into their parents’ bigotry. In elementary school, let children bring their religions to school like show’n'tell. In Middle School, let them announce and celebrate the holidays specific to their religions. In High School, let them study a specific religion every year.
In short, let them learn to accept that which is different by showing them the similarities inherent in addressing the divine.
If people are worried about their children adopting a different religion, let them teach them about their family religion at home. Or is it too much to ask parents to spend a little time teaching their kids any family traditions and history that might help that child discover something of who they are? I think one of the reasons people have become so destructive in the past century is because we don’t raise our own children any more, and we don’t impart to them any sense of personal history. There’s really not much of a personal investiture in religion these days, and kids see that. So let parents who care, teach their children about their religion on a regular basis, instead of maybe once a week. And then let the schools broaden the child’s understanding of religion and the world through a world religions class. If the parents don’t like it, let them provide the foundation for their child’s spiritual life early on, and then it won’t be a problem if they learn about the ways of other people.
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Comments (4)
couldn’t possibly agree with you more but the reality is that america has it’s foot up its ass so much that it can’t see the tree from the forest even if it was poking it in it’s Eye!
i have a feeling if something like this happened there would be a lot of home schooling because parents can be really stuborn when it comes to religion.
i know most holidays were pagen then converted to convert people. saying it’s not so different from what you do already. celebrate the true god etc.
thanks for commenting! (:
this makes so much sense. i absolutely adore ancient religions, they are so interesting, and you also learn so much.. and often times they are the creators of morals and ideals heard in the more modern branches.
i think i do take an active role in my life. i guess it does not seem that way when i mostly write of dreams.