Religion and Schools
I do now declare victory over every advocate for the removal of religion from schools. I have a way in which I could teach “religion” and NO ONE could get me fired without a healthy debate.
The Founders intended religion, morality and knowledge to be taught in schools:
I have also found a nice little loophole to the no religious literature or discussions in the classroom policy. It is simple enough: If it has to do with the lesson say, as, historical context, then go for it! Say I’m teaching an elementary school class about the first Thanksgiving. I could teach them the ugly falsehood that the total sum of what the pilgrims were thankful for was the help of the Native Americans. Or I could tell the truth: That the Pilgrims believed God had sustained and prospered them and sent help in the form of the natives and in the form of crops coming forth bountifully after a summer of hard work and faith. Who could argue with that when it is the Pilgrims’ own tale of how things were?
I’m on my soapbox here, but you see if I don’t sit my kid down when he comes home and tells me he learned about the first Thanksgiving. See if I don’t supplement his education with a large helping of, should I say it, Morals. Actually, see if I don’t home school my poor, socially backwards kid until he decides he wants to move halfway around the world just so he doesn’t have to be anywhere near the home where he lived 24/7 for the first 2 decades of his life!
That oughta teach society a lesson.
The Founders intended religion, morality and knowledge to be taught in schools:
“Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” -The Northwest Ordinance Article 3In keeping with this declaration I can teach religious morals that are universally recognized as characteristics of good law-abiding citizens. Additionally, in keeping with laws that state schools cannot promote a single religion over others or even religion over non-religion, I can encourage students to be active in their own religions or, if they have no religion, to be active in their own lives. This applies, as far as I have studied, to ALL sound religion. An example of an unsound religion would be the Islamic extremists who are looked down upon by the VAST majority of Muslims and who cannot, in any way, represent a cohesive picture of what Islam is. I know for a fact that Christian principles are a primary part of Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. I also believe that these same principles form a set that is found in all major religions of the world and that each of these religions, ultimately, have the same goal: raising the individual to a higher plain of existence, whether socially, morally, or spiritually.
I have also found a nice little loophole to the no religious literature or discussions in the classroom policy. It is simple enough: If it has to do with the lesson say, as, historical context, then go for it! Say I’m teaching an elementary school class about the first Thanksgiving. I could teach them the ugly falsehood that the total sum of what the pilgrims were thankful for was the help of the Native Americans. Or I could tell the truth: That the Pilgrims believed God had sustained and prospered them and sent help in the form of the natives and in the form of crops coming forth bountifully after a summer of hard work and faith. Who could argue with that when it is the Pilgrims’ own tale of how things were?
I’m on my soapbox here, but you see if I don’t sit my kid down when he comes home and tells me he learned about the first Thanksgiving. See if I don’t supplement his education with a large helping of, should I say it, Morals. Actually, see if I don’t home school my poor, socially backwards kid until he decides he wants to move halfway around the world just so he doesn’t have to be anywhere near the home where he lived 24/7 for the first 2 decades of his life!
That oughta teach society a lesson.
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