Should Religions Be Taught in Schools?

[New Communist Ontario]

People should be free to have access to form their own religious groups outside of school. However, schools are funded by the government and any hosting of religion would be against secularism. I do think religions are important to learn about, but students shouldn't be limited to learning about or doing projects on specific religions.

[Agarntrop]

People should be free to have access to form their own religious groups outside of school. However, schools are funded by the government and any hosting of religion would be against secularism. I do think religions are important to learn about, but students shouldn't be limited to learning about or doing projects on specific religions.

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[Hammer Britannia]

Learning about religion is a natural part of growing up, but public schools should not show favoritism. All religions (or the lack thereof) should be taught at an equal playing field to teach students about the religions of the world, regardless of which one is "right". Public Government-Owned institutions should not preach religion, nor show favoritism.

In other words, Yes to the title, no to the OP

[Necroghastia]

School teaches children about what is true in the world. Secularism excludes religion, thereby implicitly suggesting religion isn’t true or isn’t compelling enough to be taught. Once more, that’s not neutral.

Once you have evidence that your religion is the One True Religion, then you might have a point. Until then, the only thing you're right about is that religion isn't compelling enough to be taught, at least outside of an anthropological or historical standpoint.

[Albrenia]

It's depressing how often one hears 'Atheism is a religion!' or even worse 'Secularism is a religion!'.

No, no they aren't. Stop talking crap please.

Atheism is just not believing in any particular God. One can have other supernatural beliefs or not, one can take a light or heavy approach to said unbelief, or one can simply not care. It's not a religion.

Secularism is just keeping the state out of religion for everyone's benefit, including the faithful.

[Nakena]

I had only a few times religion classes in School. At all. It was kinda low on the priority list.

From what little I remember it was basically a history class by another name.

[Godular]

it shows it is an ideological system.

Ideology and Religion are rather different beasts altogether. It is important not to conflate the two.

[Neanderthaland]

It shouldn't be a forbidden topic, but it is one that has to be approached very carefully.

An education that doesn't teach you basic facts about common religions is a poor education. And education that encourages you to adopt unverified beliefs is indoctrination.

[Cekoviu]

neutral on student groups, definitely a no on classes. that's why sunday school exists.

[Senkaku]

Offering neutrally-taught classes to learn about religion and religious history or philosophy or whatever is fine by me, but prioritizing one or evangelizing in public schools is totally unacceptable

[The Federal Government of Iowa]

Yes, religion should be taught fairly and with good representation. The students should be allowed to do whatever they want with their religion, so long as it's not shooting other kids in said school.

[Katganistan]

Yes, religion should be taught fairly and with good representation. The students should be allowed to do whatever they want with their religion, so long as it's not shooting other kids in said school.

Except ram it down other people's throats.

[Geneviev]

Offering neutrally-taught classes to learn about religion and religious history or philosophy or whatever is fine by me, but prioritizing one or evangelizing in public schools is totally unacceptable

The classes might only be about one religion, which is what I experienced. I don't know if that can really be neutral.

Yes, religion should be taught fairly and with good representation. The students should be allowed to do whatever they want with their religion, so long as it's not shooting other kids in said school.

Except ram it down other people's throats.

As long as it's just kids, I think it's still okay.

[Palmyrion]

Comparative religion in the classroom, maybe. But evangelising as student groups? Perhaps.

[Region of Dwipantara]

Yes, religions should be free to evangelize in schools.

Yes! Let's turn all of our kids into Islamist radicals who believes that the secular system should be replaced by Sharia, gays must be killed, and anti-semitic tirades are openly taught to ramp up the 'Muslim Yes' attitude.

(Yes, this happens to me, starting from elementary school until even highschool where there was an event where we roleplay as Israeli 'invaders' and Palestinian jihadists)

[Region of Dwipantara]

it shows it is an ideological system.

Ideology and Religion are rather different beasts altogether. It is important not to conflate the two.

It's not that dissimilar, actually. Religion is consisted of two things: explanation about the world around you, and instructions on how you/the world should be run. The latter is pretty much an ideology.

[Jedi Council]

Ideology and Religion are rather different beasts altogether. It is important not to conflate the two.

It's not that dissimilar, actually. Religion is consisted of two things: explanation about the world around you, and instructions on how you/the world should be run. The latter is pretty much an ideology.

At least with ideology we can see results and modify policies.

Religion is insidious because no matter the contradiction, no matter how much it gets wrong, it still has adherents and always will.

[The Alma Mater]

Religion should indeed be taught in schools, since it has a profound impact on humanity.
However, schools should mention there are hundreds, pick at least 5 different* ones to teach about, and teach about them equally. So if the lesson about christianity is 200 hours long and includes a talk by a local priest and a visit to a church, they cannot shoehorn Hinduism or Islam in with a 15 minute talk, "any questions, no, good".

Is that evangelisation? It can be. But at least then it is fair.

The alternative is to treat religion like alcohol or sex and attach an age limit to it.

* And different should be actually different. So no "Today, we are going to learn about Lutherans. Tomorrow Calvinists" etc.

[Godular]

Ideology and Religion are rather different beasts altogether. It is important not to conflate the two.

It's not that dissimilar, actually. Religion is consisted of two things: explanation about the world around you, and instructions on how you/the world should be run. The latter is pretty much an ideology.

All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.

Similar situation here. While religion might inform an ideology and serve as its basis, religion is not by itself an ideology, as evidenced by the fact that similar branches of Christianity can have different and irreconcilable views on abortion, the death penalty, and gay marriage.

[Nobel Hobos 2]

The system my (primary) school used was to let volunteers from the Churches come in and teach one lesson of the week.

I was the annoying atheist kid and I absolutely destroyed the volunteers ... except the Greek Orthodox priest who managed to shut me up by preaching in Greek, then entirely drove me out of his class by leading the children in song. In Greek of course.

I did every religion available, and after that I was finally allowed to read in the library instead. That became the non-religion class.

[Kassaran]

Religion should not be evangelized in schools. They can be taught, the known history and claims they make, but there will be no evangelism. A school is a place of learning empirical data, facts, and concepts. It should not teach the results of generations of humans belief and why it should be kept. Religion was useful to Humans at a time when cracking the gene was still far away and we were more worried about disease and illness. Now it holds us back from scientific progress and while it deserves a footnote in the annals of history, it should not be given a place at the seat of government or education.

[Parcia]

I do indeed like the idea of a "Theology" class, were children (Likely highschoolers) are taught the basic principles, secular history, and impacts those relgions had on the world in a Matter of factually style.

No Evangelizing, no brow beating as to which religion is better, a Factual assessment of religions, their effects on Humanity, (Both Good and Bad) and various related aspects.

I believe in the principle that Children be allowed to decide which faith to fallow (Or not, I have no problems with Atheists), how ever I also believe that they should be properly educated on each faith from as unbiased and impartial a source as possible.

Do I think that children be allowed to be brow beaten in to religion by a volunteer pastor/Rabbi/Imam(Whateverashintopreistiscalled) Hell no. Perhaps a History teacher, some one who can be held to a academic level of impartiality and hopefully be trusted not to fuck with their mind? Yes.

[Nobel Hobos 2]

No Evangelizing, no brow beating as to which religion is better, a Factual assessment of religions, their effects on Humanity, (Both Good and Bad) and various related aspects.

Good and bad is going to get divisive quick. Is the caste system following from belief in reincarnation BETTER OR WORSE than slaughtering citizens for apostasy or adultery?

[Czechostan]

Sure. But as an elective for anyone interested in learning about religion. Though the aim should obviously be to educate students about a religion's background, customs, practices, etc., not indoctrinate them. Probably would have been helpful to my community (home to a diverse student body ranging from Christians to agnostics to Muslims to Hindus) for students to understand the religions of their peers.

[Jedi Council]

Religion should indeed be taught in schools, since it has a profound impact on humanity.
However, schools should mention there are hundreds, pick at least 5 different* ones to teach about, and teach about them equally. So if the lesson about christianity is 200 hours long and includes a talk by a local priest and a visit to a church, they cannot shoehorn Hinduism or Islam in with a 15 minute talk, "any questions, no, good".

Is that evangelisation? It can be. But at least then it is fair.

The alternative is to treat religion like alcohol or sex and attach an age limit to it.

* And different should be actually different. So no "Today, we are going to learn about Lutherans. Tomorrow Calvinists" etc.

Therein lies the problem however. We already have issues teaching children simpler, less controversial topics like history. Why add a new topic when most kids only have the basics of the original ones?

Similarly, who decided what 5 religions you focus on, even if there is also mention of the existence of others. What happens when the religion that is left out gets uppity that their children, and other children,n are learning about Islam, but not hinduism, or about Zoroastrianism but not Christianity?

Religion in public schools, especially primary and secondary schools is just a pandoras box and should just be left until students get to Theology or comparative religious studies classes in University.