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Freedom of religion in public schools
Freedom of religion in public schools
Religion in public schools research paper
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Recommended: Freedom of religion in public schools
Presentation of the Idea Religion in school is a major no-no today. With all the Supreme Court rulings and laws that have been put into place it is impossible for the schools to support any type religion. Though the laws state that students have the freedom to pray and read whatever they want if it is appropriate, teachers and students cannot teach or impose their religious views on anyone else. As a student, I have had many teachers that feel like their freedoms are being restricted. When I was in 5th grade, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. One of my favorite teachers prayed for me and my family. It happened again in 7th grade when a teacher prayed for each class. To me and many others, this was a very emotional act. However, I can’t …show more content…
In the start of education many of those who were educated were either royals or religious men. As things progressed, more people were being educated but most of the time schools were in church’s. In those schools the base of the building blocks started with religion. However, as time passed and different religions began to spread across America many began to believe that education and church did not go together. Schools and states have been involved in many lawsuits regarding religious freedoms. Religious activities, such as praying in class, teaching of evolution and creation, and punishment for secular views, provoked many of these lawsuits. Today religion has been completely excluded from the schools. But why is letting schools have religion classes …show more content…
After studying the tools schools, they saw how the more religious school had to use secular activities to create connections between students, whereas the other school found that connections between students were better created when they learned about the different religions. This book helps show how traditional religious schools aren’t effective but religion is still important in school.
Johnson, Frederick E. American Education and Religion: The Problem of Religion in the Schools. New York: Institute for Religious and Social Studies, 1952. Print.
This book is against having religion in school, but it doesn’t disregard the idea of having class taught to educate students on religion. Harper believes that even though religion should be taught, there should be a separation of church and state, the helps keep everything fair, and doesn’t disregard the minorities. This book is surprisingly helpful because it helps provide an understanding of the counterclaims that I can use to make a stronger argument.
Moore, Diane L. Overcoming Religious Illiteracy: A Cultural Studies Approach to the Study of Religion in Secondary Education. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
The issue of prayer in school cannot be dealt with in a manner that will please everyone. The main thing that needs to be stressed is that tolerance of other people and their beliefs is the only true way to ensure that everyone has freedom and equality in America. Until that day comes there will always be groups of people who cause disruption in our schools and take away from what the focus really should be: quality education and an understanding of others as well.
It is crucial to recognize the critiques of this religious accommodation to fully understand its implications. The states interest in educating every child is a legitimate one as education leads to effective and intellectual participation in the open political system which otherwise would be compromised. Education also ensures that the child becomes a self-reliant and self-sufficient membe...
Mueller, Arnold C. "Religion in the Public Schools." In Church and State Under God, ed. Albert G. Huegli. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2004.
Praying in school was first addressed in the Supreme Court in 1962 in the Engle v. Vitale case. The Establishment Clause emerged and stated Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. The court ruled the Union Free School District in Hyde Park, NY had violated the First Amendment by directing the principals to cause the following prayer to be said aloud by each class in the presence of a teacher at the beginning of each school day: “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country” (Longley, "Public"). I agree with the courts ruling because not all students in a classroom share the same beliefs. To cause everyone to say this prayer surely violates their rights.
Prohibiting School Prayer Threatens Religious Liberty. Civil Liberties. Ed. James D. Torr. -. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003.
Amundson, Kristen J. Religion in the Public Schools. Arlington: American Association of School Administrators, c1986
On the other hand, Secular Humanists, have several arguments focusing on why prayer in schools is a bad idea. They state that public schools exist to educate, not to proselytize. Children in public schools are a captive audience. Making prayer an official part of the school day is coercive and invasive. What 5,8 or 10-year-old could view prayers recited as part of class routine as "voluntary,"? Religion is private, and schools are public, so the only appropriate situation is that these two do not mix.
"God help, I'm so lost!" If you listen carefully, this is a common thought that is heard throughout many schools in the nation. Is this thought appropriate? The following statement clearly shows that the law allows students and adults to practice religion, but at the same time be respective of others and their beliefs even if they do believe or if they don't. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, or to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (First Amendment, The Constitution of the United States). Prayer is not normally permitted as a scheduled part of classroom activities, because it would result in the violation of the principle of church-state separation, which has been defined by court interpretations of the 1st Amendment to the U.S, Constitution. The separation principle is extended to Public school as an arm of the government, with an exception which can be permitted if, during the school year, a mixture of prayers, statements, etc are delivered, using material derived from a number of different religions and secular sources. So far, this has never been tried in a school or ruled upon by a court (Religion in Public).
Religion is one of the most controversial issues in society today. The concern of allowing prayer in schools is an on-going debate and has resulted in numerous lawsuits. Religious school clubs, after school activities, curriculums, and moments of silence during school are just a few of the court cases that judges have administered. People in favor of prayer in schools believe that their children can only learn certain values through religious practice. On the other hand, an individual against religious practice in schools views this issue as an infringement on his or her children’s rights as Americans.
Religion was and is beneficial to schools because it sets a positive tone. Schools and teachers setting a consistent positive tone for students was broken when prayer was taken out of schools. Prayer helped teachers to set an enlightened tone among their students’ day, as well as aided them to push them in a positive direction. The positive tone in schools helped to promote unity. Teachers are supposed to be positive role models to children, as the absence of both mother and father in homes continually diminishes. There is also less bullying among students when religion is in schools.
University of Michigan. “Religion in Schools: A look at how religious practices influence education.” .
Many individuals believe that the first amendment prohibits religion to be taught or exercised in a public school setting. They believe this because they feel as if it infringes on an American citizen’s right. Often times there can be discrimination against minority groups. An example of this was after the 9/11 attack in New York. Discrimination against Sikh-Americans became increasingly worse because they were often accused of being allied with Al Qaeda. People are worried that if we do teach the religion in school, bullying will grow to become an even bigger problem (“Religion in Schools: A”).
School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. This issue has been a problem since America was first founded, in that the country was founded on religious beliefs. The Pilgrims wanted to be able to express their beliefs freely, but in England this freedom was not found, so they decided to come to the Americas, where their beliefs could be expressed freely. As time passed they realized that having this kind of freedom caused problems between different belief systems. Many people started questioning the founding of their nation and what the foundation was made of. This questioning is still going on today and people are torn between letting prayer in to the public school system or keeping it out.
While students are attending public schools they should be aware of their religion options. The student should have the right to practice their religion as they please, just on the own time. Yes, religion plays a huge part in molding a person but, should be practiced when the time is available, not in a classroom setting. The government should have the ability to control the protection of the students that just want to learn. The capability to regulate the religious practices while attending public educational institutions should be left to the government. Faith, religion and belief, usually are three words that are used to describe one situation, although these words have three different meanings. To have faith in something or someone you must first believe in it and also accept it as well, but have a belief without evidence. Religion is a belief in a heavenly superhuman power or principle, such as the almighty or creator to all things. Everyone has faith and belief, but not all believers believe in the almighty. Allowing religion into public schools while everyone attending not having the same belief is unfair, unconstitutional and is complicated to teach to a verity of students.
INDTRODUCTION “Sex and Religion”? Those two don’t really go hand in hand,” commented a freshman student from UF. Like this student, numerous people around the world believe this misconception to be true. Whether people argue for or against the importance of gender in religion, more than just what goes on in the bedroom has been heating up lately. Many debates have sparked due to the negative connotation associated with sex when confronted about its position in religious cultures.