Should Comparative Religion Be Taught in School

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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?
There are several valid concerns in regards to making comparative religion part of the public school curriculum. The most obvious concern is that state and church in the United States are separate institutions. Since public schools belong to the government, many believe that religion has no place in them. In addition, religion is not a science. It is not factual, and cannot be proven to be right or wrong. Nobody knows for certain if there is a God or not, and if there is one, what his ideals are or how the ...

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...d02-ccf751783f5f%40sessionmgr11&vid=2&hid=21>.
Feinberg, Walter. "Teaching Religion in Public Schools: A Critical Appraisal of Dewey's Ideas on Religion and Education." Philosophy of Education Yearbook (2010): 266- 274.EBSCOhost. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. .
"Religious Beliefs Seen as Basis of Origins of Palaeolithic Art." Science Daily. N.p., 19 Apr. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. .
Ward, David. "Religion in Public Schools: America is religious, but also illiterate of religion."Deseret News 1 Dec. 2012: n. pag. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. .

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