Thread: Teaching Religion in School

Do you think that religions should be taught in school? If so, to what extent?

Religion has no place in schools nor does it have any place in civilized society for that matter.

Preaching religion in schools is totally whack, but I think teaching all the different aspects of religions isn't so bad. That way, they'll understand why milllions of people have died senslessly over the past miilineums.... ~Inky

the world has been created around different religions and the history of the world is intertwined with religious ideals and principles. teach all religions if they want, but dont take sides and support one over another. let the kids decide. religion is a personal faith anyways...

It's when people take sides and support one over the othe rthat causes conflicts. Kinda like politics eh AB? ~Inky

very much so. it is easy to fall into partisanship in debates. but full equality is not in human nature...

I am not asking you, I am telling you: do not subject my kids to that fantasyland bullshit. I have ZERO tolerance for any sort of wacko religious lies polluting my children's minds. My personal religion is devout agnosticism, and I'll be damned if my daughter is going to come home from school one day and start asking me about total man-made horseshit like heaven and hell and Jesus and Muhammed. I taught her from birth that all such stories are attempts by humans to force their dynamic universe into some sort of static form that they can then make themselves feel comfortable with. And I don't want some primitive savage coming along and confusing her with this religious psychobabble gibberish. If you're going to believe in Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary or Santa Claus, at least have the decency to keep your pathology private like other psychos do.

A true defensive combatant should be taught the ways of the enemy, doncha think? ~Inky

The real issue lately wasn't simply the existence of religion in schools. (Which, on a serious note, I think is a perfectly reasonable thing for kids to study: world religions.) It was whether or not intelligent design or creationism should be taught alongside evolution as science. The issue was raised by idiot young-earth creationists who figured that if the definition of science could be smeared enough that creationism was considered science, then they could use that new scientific status to get in and re-argue Roe v Wade, among other things. In fact, if creationism is science, then the entire line between church and state is effectively blurred out of existence. It's a way to open the door for a resurgence of medieval ignorance. It's an assault on reason itself.

PS- google the Wedge Strategy of creationists for more info, if you're curious. It's well documented actually.

I think that you should be able to choose whether you want to take a Creation class, not specifying any specific religion, just that the universe has a creator, or an evolution class. I think it is disgusting to force anything down a students throat. The school systems are doing just that with evolution.