Teaching Religion and Science In Public Schools

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In the United States, the average child goes through public funded schools that have a basic curriculum. According to the Texas Education Agency, some of the subjects include science, mathematics, social studies, English, and more. Nowhere in the subject is religion included. The basic curriculum is made in order to give students skills, knowledge, and to help develop the minds of the future. In science class, evolution is taught either briefly or detailed. It is taught because it is a popular theory that did not seem to choose a certain religion. So why believe that religion and science can be taught together? The evolution of Earth and the universe can be believed in any way an individual chooses. Science and religion are subjects that can answer some questions but not all. Science is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation.” Religion is based on faith, but no one can describe a feeling and beliefs as evidence because it cannot be proven. The key word is facts, and the facts are concluded by experiments and observations. The view of a person can be a factor in how they define science and religion. The view can become narrow for some if siding with one. The two subjects are different and cause controversy, which is a cause for them to be in different classrooms. Charles Krauthammer was the author of Let’s Have No More Monkey Trials that was in TIME. This article gives the statement that to teach science and religion together would be a wrong choice because doing so “undermines” both subjects (Krauthammer 40). For example, liking ice cream and sour candy because they are both delicious might be why a person eats them.... ... middle of paper ... ...nce and religion should be in separate education classes so that neither is degraded in any form. Work Cited "Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills." Texas Education Agency. Texas Education Agency, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. Krauthammer, Charles. “Let's Have No More Monkey Trials” Elements of Argument: A Text and Reader. Annette T. Rottenberg 10th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 39-41. Print. Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Has Now Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print Audesirk, Teresa, Gerald Audesirk, and Bruce E. Byers. Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2011. 268-69. Print. University of California, Davis. "Comparing Chimp, Human DNA." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.

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