Religion In Public Schools

Imagine a world where nobody knew anything about religion. No one would have the slightest idea what any religion was like, besides your own, if you even had one. That is the kind of world we would be living in if religion would not be allowed to be taught in public schools. Teaching world religions in public schools has been controversial since America was founded. We have come a long way from the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, who taught their children the Bible and the Christian faith. Now, religion has been made very difficult to exist in the classroom. Students should learn about world religions in school because “humans have always believed in natural occurrences through religion, used religion to go to war, and more times than not,
to cooperate with others you need to understand their religion” (Shapiro). First, human beings have always been religious.
“For thousands of years, we have inquired into the meaning of life, expressing our thoughts in the form of religious myth, ritual, and theology. Teaching religion can help children ask the core questions of life: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Why?” (Shapiro). Second, humans often use religion to justify warring against each other. Throughout history, many terrible wars have been fought over differences in religion. For example, the Crusades, fought in the Holy Land and Europe between the Christian and Islam religions. Another instance of war due to religion was the Nazi’s persecution of the Jews before and during World War II. Students need to learn about conflicts like these to prevent similar things from happening in the future. Third, “children live in a world where working with others often requires an understanding of their religion” (Shapiro). Nowadays, especially in the United States, it may be difficult to determine what the religion of your neighbor is, maybe even your friend. That is because we live in an incredibly diverse country, representing many different religions. Learning about just a few of these religions can help you communicate with others in everyday life or in the
workforce. Others might argue that when religion in public schools would be taught it would be ‘preached’ to the students and that some would not want to learn about world religions. However, the opponents are wrong because religious classes would be used only to educate the students. Students could learn about different cultures that are represented and their effect on history. Also, the religious classes could be an elective. Therefore, it would not be mandatory to students who did not want to take them. In conclusion, learning about world religion in the classroom would be beneficial to everyone. With an extended knowledge of different religious cultures of the world, any person could have a better opportunity at a job or in life. Students should learn about world religions in school, because “humans have always believed in natural occurrences through religion, used religion to go to war, and more times than not, to cooperate with others you need to understand their religion” (Shapiro). Personally, I wish that I could have an option to take a religious class in my school. It would be an incredible opportunity to express my interests in other areas of the world.