Should Religions Be Taught in Schools?

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

If schools are allowed to teach about religion, should they be able to be critical and point out the flimsy evidence behind some of the beliefs? The virgin birth, miracles, Muhammad flying to Jerusalem, mistranslations, things inserted into texts, later inventions etc.

[Region of Dwipantara]

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.

Lucky you. I meanwhile must know my limits, so I must be satisfied by asking my religion teacher about the mathematical error in the Quran during a lesson about inheritance, then hold my laugh with my two other friends (fellow closet irreligious) when the guy spectacularly stumbles.

[Thepeopl]

If schools are allowed to teach about religion, should they be able to be critical and point out the flimsy evidence behind some of the beliefs? The virgin birth, miracles, Muhammad flying to Jerusalem, mistranslations, things inserted into texts, later inventions etc.

And I would add: and include all other religions as curriculum.
If you want to teach religion, you should

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

more extensively.

[The Alma Mater]

If schools are allowed to teach about religion, should they be able to be critical and point out the flimsy evidence behind some of the beliefs? The virgin birth, miracles, Muhammad flying to Jerusalem, mistranslations, things inserted into texts, later inventions etc.

And I would add: and include all other religions as curriculum.

That's impossible - there are too many.
Hence why I suggested a minimum number like 5; where the 5 should be truly different religions, not merely different flavours of the same religion.

[Region of Dwipantara]

And I would add: and include all other religions as curriculum.

That's impossible - there are too many.
Hence why I suggested a minimum number like 5; where the 5 should be truly different religions, not merely different flavours of the same religion.

And it's probably should be covered as part of world history, tbh. Socio-economic conditions before its rise, development, relation with the state/empire that the respective religion is in, schisms, etc. But not too crazy on the detail, as school is not a history major; just like normal world history course.

[Thepeopl]

And I would add: and include all other religions as curriculum.

That's impossible - there are too many.
Hence why I suggested a minimum number like 5; where the 5 should be truly different religions, not merely different flavours of the same religion.

My school solved that problem by just teach a religion per lesson. Main ideas, concept of creation/ afterlife/ goals of humanity, where it is practiced and when.
I had "religion class", 1 hour per week for a whole school year.

[Region of Dwipantara]

That's impossible - there are too many.
Hence why I suggested a minimum number like 5; where the 5 should be truly different religions, not merely different flavours of the same religion.

My school solved that problem by just teach a religion per lesson. Main ideas, concept of creation/ afterlife/ goals of humanity, where it is practiced and when.
I had "religion class", 1 hour per week for a whole school year.

Specifically about religion? Huh.

[Thepeopl]

My school solved that problem by just teach a religion per lesson. Main ideas, concept of creation/ afterlife/ goals of humanity, where it is practiced and when.
I had "religion class", 1 hour per week for a whole school year.

Specifically about religion? Huh.

Yes, just about religion. I also had "society class" about politics and socioeconomic issues and gay/trans etc. We had rehabilitated convicts, junkies etc give guest lessons.

[The Alma Mater]

Specifically about religion? Huh.

Yes, just about religion. I also had "society class" about politics and socioeconomic issues and gay/trans etc. We had rehabilitated convicts, junkies etc give guest lessons.

This sounds like an excellent way to do it.
Although I imagine that for some religions finding a priest or expert willing and able to come over to school could be quite hard. Take Juche

[Thepeopl]

Yes, just about religion. I also had "society class" about politics and socioeconomic issues and gay/trans etc. We had rehabilitated convicts, junkies etc give guest lessons.

This sounds like an excellent way to do it.
Although I imagine that for some religions finding a priest or expert willing and able to come over to school could be quite hard. Take Juche

Those were explained by the religion teacher. And picture books...late 1980ties.

[New Visayan Islands]

Ignorance is the reason many a black legend exists. We (not intended to be personal) think people who abide by different religious beliefs are crazies because we either don't know jack about their particular belief system at best, or know only the black legends, blood libels, etc. at worst. Teaching religion in schools on a voluntary basis would, theoretically, clear the air and put paid to whatever black legends give the numerous extant creeds terrible terrible names.

[The Alma Mater]

This sounds like an excellent way to do it.
Although I imagine that for some religions finding a priest or expert willing and able to come over to school could be quite hard. Take Juche

Those were explained by the religion teacher. And picture books...late 1980ties.

Hmm. That is not entirely fair then. For religion A you get a man in a funny outfit and perhaps a fieldtrip, for B a regular class.

[Thepeopl]

Those were explained by the religion teacher. And picture books...late 1980ties.

Hmm. That is not entirely fair then. For religion A you get a man in a funny outfit and perhaps a fieldtrip, for B a regular class.

True, but some religions are no longer "active". So I don't think they'll complain.

[LiberNovusAmericae]

They should really teach creationism first... if not Christianity will be basically a book of fairytales for the students. You have to show there is a God and then show who He is.

Creationism is not true, so it does not belong in school.

[Honeydewistania]

No, they belong in church school or wherever. If you're going to mention it in class, remove all the dangerous nonsense (like creationism)

In religious schools its fine as long as they're not brainwashed

[The Alma Mater]

Hmm. That is not entirely fair then. For religion A you get a man in a funny outfit and perhaps a fieldtrip, for B a regular class.

True, but some religions are no longer "active". So I don't think they'll complain.

How did they prevent complaints from parents btw ? Here a fieldtrip to a mosque caused parents to flip. For one, because the boys and girls were seperated. And shit really hit the fan when they heard a few had also been kneeling during a demonstration of an Islamic prayer; saying their kid had been tricked into paying tribute to a false god...

[Rojava Free State]

True, but some religions are no longer "active". So I don't think they'll complain.

How did they prevent complaints from parents btw ? Here a fieldtrip to a mosque caused parents to flip. For one, because the boys and girls were seperated. And shit really hit the fan when they heard a few had also been kneeling during a demonstration of an Islamic prayer; saying their kid had been tricked into paying tribute to a false god...

A christian calling Allah a false God is like one homeless man calling another one a broke ass motherfucker.

[Rojava Free State]

They should really teach creationism first... if not Christianity will be basically a book of fairytales for the students. You have to show there is a God and then show who He is.

It already is a book of fairytales and creationism is a myth. Evolution has been proven, more than creationism.

[Eudea]

How did they prevent complaints from parents btw ? Here a fieldtrip to a mosque caused parents to flip. For one, because the boys and girls were seperated. And shit really hit the fan when they heard a few had also been kneeling during a demonstration of an Islamic prayer; saying their kid had been tricked into paying tribute to a false god...

A christian calling Allah a false God is like one homeless man calling another one a broke ass motherfucker.

AFAIK they worship the same god, just with different interpretations or something like that. Which is kind of funny.

[Hanafuridake]

Yes, especially if it's taught by bhikkhus.

[Rojava Free State]

A christian calling Allah a false God is like one homeless man calling another one a broke ass motherfucker.

AFAIK they worship the same god, just with different interpretations or something like that. Which is kind of funny.

I think the name is a major part of what throws them off. Allah is Arabic for God and even Arab Christians call God "Allah" (I know an Iraqi guy named Joe who is a Christian and he said "I love nothing but Allah"). But because we live in the dumbest western nation, people here think Allah means "different God than our God." Yeah, I guess Mexicans worship a different God too. Bet the same dickheads think latinos worship Ronnie James Dio.

[Nakena]

They should really teach creationism first... if not Christianity will be basically a book of fairytales for the students. You have to show there is a God and then show who He is.

It already is a book of fairytales and creationism is a myth. Evolution has been proven, more than creationism.

Myth or not, for a lot of people in most western nations and beyond it still has an enormous pull. Not necessarily because they pro-actively believe in it but because it's still a very strong cultural and religious under current. It may have been vanished and weakened at the surface, but the codes and elements of this memeplex still run strong.

I've had a couple of years a big discussion about this with an dude about this point exactly, he tried to tell me the same. Basically saying I couldn ignore it. Well I disagreed. And I still do, but at the same time he had a point. This memeplex can be deconstructed, or turned around, it still has inertia. For many people it has, indepdenently how legit it is, a lot of sway. (I personally believe it to be an very elaborate scheme/lie)

[Hobbes Dystopia]

They should really teach creationism first... if not Christianity will be basically a book of fairytales for the students. You have to show there is a God and then show who He is.

Lies and Pseudoscience do not belong in schools. We already have too many ignorant adults.

[Eudea]

AFAIK they worship the same god, just with different interpretations or something like that. Which is kind of funny.

I think the name is a major part of what throws them off. Allah is Arabic for God and even Arab Christians call God "Allah" (I know an Iraqi guy named Joe who is a Christian and he said "I love nothing but Allah"). But because we live in the dumbest western nation, people here think Allah means "different God than our God." Yeah, I guess Mexicans worship a different God too. Bet the same dickheads think latinos worship Ronnie James Dio.

Knowledge of linguistics and foreign terms for familiar things would be a very useful thing in lessening the stupidity of such idiots I think. That could be something to maybe mention in schools, so youths can say to their idiotic parents “well, actually...”

[Hanafuridake]

A christian calling Allah a false God is like one homeless man calling another one a broke ass motherfucker.

AFAIK they worship the same god, just with different interpretations or something like that. Which is kind of funny.

While the Islamic Allah is *supposed* to be the same as the Christian God, some Christians would probably argue he's an amalgamated character between the true God and the false figure who Muhammad proclaimed he received revelations from.