Religion plays a tremendous role in society, history, literature, and current world events. Religion also shapes morality, politics, and life styles, and it is central to the lives and cultures of most people in the world. As our society becomes more and more integrated with religion and the number of students with various religious orientations and affiliations continue to increase, it becomes more crucial for students to understand and respect the beliefs and traditions of others through unbiased educational teaching and training. Religion is a system of faith and worship to a personal God or gods and can be found in almost every society throughout history. Thus, it is going to be an inevitable factor in the future as it will always be …show more content…
The late Justice William Brennan, stated, “It would be impossible to teach, meaningfully, many subjects in the social sciences or the humanities without some mention of religion.” Numerous educator groups agree with Brennan. In fact, The National Council for the Social Studies Curriculum Standards declares, “Knowledge about religions is not only a characteristic of an educated person but is absolutely necessary for understanding and living in a world of diversity. Knowledge of religious difference and the role of religion in the contemporary world can help promote understanding and alleviate prejudice.” Religion is a complex subject and can be very confusing to those who have been poorly exposed. Understanding religion can be made much easier by teaching the numerous religions in …show more content…
Students need to understand religion’s impact on history, politics, society, and culture, to function as competent citizens. Many people think that religious subjects are only about the Bible, but there are approximately 313 different religions being practiced in the United States, today. All students should have a basic knowledge or understanding of the principles within each religion, as well as recognizing the diversity that exists within each belief across its time and its place. Having a basic background helps students understand current issues and religious conflict. Religious issues are constantly talked about on various news stations around the world. How can anyone understand what is happening in the world or understand what has happened in the past without a basic knowledge of world
Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply
California school with about 1,000 students) I learned a lot about how religion is taught and how religious issues are handled. Raised in a Christian home, having my father teaching at the same school I attended, and practicing Christianity my entire life, I watched carefully throughout my high school education to see how my teachers would deal with the world and U.S. religions that play an enormous role in the history of our world and country.
Religion has a great influence on people, providing faith and direction to each individual while controlling a co...
When I was younger, my parents gave me some advice: “When talking in public, avoid discussing religion.” I took this advice because I didn’t want to offend anyone or cause drama. Overtime, I’ve grown and realize this “controversial” topic can bring about the best conversations. Talking about religion has allowed me to explore my faith, along with other peoples’ faith. Signing up for Religion and Popular Culture this semester allows me to understand a common query: What is religion? Shortly after the first week, I learned there isn’t a set definition, along with comprehending other elements of religion in different points of view.
In conclusion, it is important to study religion off campus as Smart (1994) has said one must “walk a mile in [the] moccasins [of religious people]” in order to gain a real understanding of how belief has an impact on people and how it motivates people to live their lives, this cannot be obtained through textbooks or media reports. It is how Harvey (2013) suggests that belief has to be learnt and is enacted by others through witnessing, speaking, reading, ritualising, congregation and acceptance. Studying off campus does not mean challenging the traditional understanding of religion. Historical and textual books should still be used to provide foundation knowledge but one must go beyond this and engage with living religions in order to obtain a rich first-hand experience.
In recent years, teaching religion, or the individual practice of religion in school, has become a very controversial topic. There are many different views on this matter and even more opinions on how it should be handled. There are people on both sides of the spectrum; there are those who believe that it should be taught and allowed in school, and those who believe it should not be taught or practiced in school. If the practice of religion were an option in public schools, students may become more tolerant, as well as knowledgeable, of religions and cultures beyond their own. Secondly, a time interval during the day may be implemented into the school schedule to allow the practice of student’s personal beliefs. Finally, since prayer was eliminated from public school systems, the nation has seen a decrease in education and the increase in crime rate. Even though public schools today are without school prayer, most schools have replaced prayer with a "silent moment of reflection." Prayer should be established into schools, because it generates the exposure to other cultures, allows a calming period for students, and creates well-rounded individuals in society.
Nord, Warren A. Religion & American Education: Rethinking a National Dilemma. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1995.
Religion is intertwined with culture, economics, politics, and modern social relationships on every dimension. Whether you attend a cathedral, a synagogue, or a mosque, habitually, intermittently, or abstain entirely, you simply cannot escape religion.
Understanding religious beliefs other than one’s own is a key element of tolerance, since faith traditions often define a significant part of a person’s identity. In the United States, the spectrum of religious diversity is a part of our culture as a whole, and religions can sometimes be at the center of political debate. By examining these different religions we can better begin to understand what motivates certain people and learn to hopefully live together in peace.
* Anderson, Ronald D. “Religion and Spirituality in the Public School Curriculum.” New York. Peter Lang Publishing. 2004.
Throughout the world, religion is a significant factor in the relationships people build and how people react to situations in the world. Each religion holds true to their beliefs of what is right and wrong. Some of these religions have more in common than others while some religions may not have anything in common. No two religions are exactly identical. For example, they may differ in their beliefs of a god or gods, they may disagree about how the world was created or they may simply interpret literature differently. Each of these religions is based around certain ideas and practiced by those who believe those ideas to be true. By comparing religions, we can identify what the people who practice that religion may find sacred and how they function in the world.
As a science teacher that is charged with teaching controversial topics such as evolution, genetically modified foods, and human impacts on ecosystems, my heart rate increases when religion is brought up within my own classroom walls. As I read the chapter, it was interesting to see that the focus on spiritual development has immediate ties into the positive habits of mind I want for my own young child and the adolescents in my own classroom. I can imagine if some of Baumgartner’s and Buchanan’s (2010) elements of spirituality--a sense of belonging, a respect for self and others, and an awareness and appreciation of the unknown--were of greater focus at all ages (both in school settings and family settings), the impacts of a stronger, more spiritual generation would be huge (as cited in Rivkin 2014, p.
Whether religion should be part of the public school curriculum or not has been issue for debate in the USA for the past 60 years. Religion has always played a significant role in people’s lives. Archaeologists found that, even as early as 300,000 years ago, Paleolithic art was already based in religious theories (“Religious Beliefs”). In Egypt, ancient Greece, the Roman Empire as well as more recent civilizations, the influence of religion has been ingrained in countries’ governments and citizens’ everyday lives. The settlers and founders coming from England to America a few hundred years ago were largely Christian believers. Their biblical inspirations were all-present and helped shape the USA. Religion has always been a major motivator for political decisions, both positive and negative ones. Wars have been fought over religion, and peace has been made over religion. The overall goal in today’s global world should be to provide a thorough education to America’s students which will result in well-rounded and well-educated adults able to lead this country into the next century. In light of religion’s historical significance, the question is raised: Should comparative religion be incorporated into the public school curriculum?
E: Establish Evidence: “Schools may teach about religion, explain the tenets of various faiths, discuss the role of religion in history, literature, science and other endeavors, and the like, as long as it has a secular purpose to promote educational goals and there is no effort to promote or inhibit any religious belief.” (NCAC) E:
I honestly thought it would be an easy credit and something fun to take. I thought the study of religion was just learning about other religions to see what they were like and why they are different from our own. I guess I thought that studying other religions would help me understand my own better. Now, I understand more and the study of religion is much, much more important than I could have ever thought. Learning about other people’s religions and their cultures helps us become better people in this world. If we can better understand someone’s point of view, then we can respect their decisions and them as a person more. Not understanding a culture or religion can lead to stereotyping and just hatred for others. If everyone in the whole word learned about other people’s culture, religion, and ideas; then the world would be a much better place. I think this class should be mandatory just for that reason alone. I think the reason that my view on the study of religion has changed is because of what we have learned throughout the textbook. Learning about these different religions that have been taken out of context really puts a spin on things in your mid. I mean, take Muslims, a few Muslims did some very bad things, but now people think that all Muslims are terrorists or bad people. Learning about the religion helped me understand that they are vey peaceful people and just a few did