D.L. Dallman
New Member
I believe that the belief of the majority should be taught in public schools, as to thread out those who are intelligent enough to refute it.
-Dusty
-Dusty
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what RE should be tought in schools?
- Thread starter Mike182
- Start date
Booko
Deviled Hen
~Lord Roghen~ said:
You could never do that where I live. If the kids are being taught the equality of religions like Wicca and Islam and my own (not to mention LDS and JWs) there will be parents screaming on the streets outside school board meetings and invading classrooms. I kid you not.
You should see how some people here get worked up over a simple thing like a Halloween party. Devil worship!!! :fork:
lunamoth
Will to love
I think it is very possible to teach a comparative religions course in a school and do so without making judgments or proselytizing. The history of the different religions and the basic tenets of belief can be presented, guest speakers from those religions can be brought in to talk and answer questions, certainly there are unbiased comparative religion text available...
It's not a matter of Islam being given the same 'status' as Methodist Christiantiy, or whatever, it's a matter of presenting very important information so that students don't have to rely upon the biases they hear everywhere else when they make decisions and interact with people of differing faiths.
And yes, I would include religions like wicca and neo-paganism, along with the most well-known world religions. These especially are religions that kids are likely to get a wrong and biased view of.
Information dispels fear which reduces hate.
2 c,
lunamoth
It's not a matter of Islam being given the same 'status' as Methodist Christiantiy, or whatever, it's a matter of presenting very important information so that students don't have to rely upon the biases they hear everywhere else when they make decisions and interact with people of differing faiths.
And yes, I would include religions like wicca and neo-paganism, along with the most well-known world religions. These especially are religions that kids are likely to get a wrong and biased view of.
Information dispels fear which reduces hate.
2 c,
lunamoth
pdoel
Active Member
I believe there is a difference between teaching a religion and practicing a religion.
I think all religions should be taught in the public schools. It's a part of history and current events. It helps us understand different cultures. I think it's important for us all to know when and how religions started and what their basic beliefs are.
However, I do not think that public schools are the place to practice religions. If children want to pray silently to themselves, that's perfectly fine. But I don't think there should be designated prayer meetings, or forced prayer. With all the different religions and even denominations of the same religion, it's impossible to please everyone.
I firmly believe that if you want to practice religion, pray, learn of God, then go to Church. School is for learning math, English, science, etc. I wouldn't send my children to Sunday School to learn Algebra, and I wouldn't send my children to the public School to learn how to be redeemed in the eyes of the Lord.
I think all religions should be taught in the public schools. It's a part of history and current events. It helps us understand different cultures. I think it's important for us all to know when and how religions started and what their basic beliefs are.
However, I do not think that public schools are the place to practice religions. If children want to pray silently to themselves, that's perfectly fine. But I don't think there should be designated prayer meetings, or forced prayer. With all the different religions and even denominations of the same religion, it's impossible to please everyone.
I firmly believe that if you want to practice religion, pray, learn of God, then go to Church. School is for learning math, English, science, etc. I wouldn't send my children to Sunday School to learn Algebra, and I wouldn't send my children to the public School to learn how to be redeemed in the eyes of the Lord.
Ecclesiastes 3 said:
I think just a quick run through of the major Religions, so as to compare, but by way of learning about the world's Cultures.
Cultural understanding, IMO, is far more important, and Religion mostly goes along with the dictates of culture (or the other way around). We need far more understanding of everyone.
Cultural understanding, IMO, is far more important, and Religion mostly goes along with the dictates of culture (or the other way around). We need far more understanding of everyone.
I think that religion is important enough in human history and affairs that it should be addressed in one way or the other. I would be in favor of a survey of the world's religions. In practice, however, it would be difficult to implement this over the objections of parents who do not wish their children exposed to religions other than their own, and parents who do not wish their children exposed to any religion. Also, many teachers have strong views on the rightness and wrongness of, respectively, their own religion, and everyone else's religions. While a survey course on the world's religions might be the way to go, it would not be implemented without problems.