Should relgion be talked about in a public school?
84332
People will say no, but I defy you to find anywhere in the Constitution that separates church and state.  The constitution gives you FREEDOM of religion instead of where they came from (England) where the government ran the Church of England.  They did not want that situation, so they said in the Constitution that the government won't set up a church.\n\nI am a teacher, and I talk about religion whenever it is part of my lesson.  I cannot teach about Bach, the most important composer in regards to our system of harmony, without talking about his church work.
792885
As we live in a Christian Society I'm afraid like the rest of us Atheists you only have two choices.\n1 Go but sit quietly when prayers are said, and dont sing the hymns.(Most people wont notice if you sit and stand when they do) You support them by showing respect for their beliefs.\n2 Dont go to the church but attend the reception or party afterwards. If they are friends then they should respect your beliefs too.\nAs a teacher you could try approaching the Head-master. Most schools nowadays dont use Religion in Assemblies or make provision for pupils whose beliefs may conflict. You could perhaps supervise those pupils. If you must attend do as I suggest for a church service.\nDevout is usually not used as people tend to think of it in religious terms. It actually means devoted to your belief so is grammatically correct but most WONT see it that way!\nOnly you can choose how you will behave!
756747
You mean my two cents?\nI would agree that an elective course in, say, comparative religions should cover at least the five major religions and perhaps the next 2-3 as well. However, any course or "class" or "club" that promotes a single viewpoint belongs in a church context - not in a public school.
578657
If they teach in a religious institution, then yes.  If they teach in a public institution, no.  If they teach in a private school, then they should act in accordance with the school policy.\n\nI have a very simple rule for answering these questions.  I substitute Satanism in for religion and see how I respond since that is also a religion.  Do I want a teacher in a public school talking about his or her devil worship?  No.  Therefore, no to all religious talk in public schools.
24199
yes I definitely think you should bring your Bible to school. It's our job as Christians to share the Gospel to those we are around, so yes, you should share your beliefs. When you get criticized for it, just pray for God to give you strength. He will help you through it.
988692
It isn't.  Keeping religion out of schools promotes freedom of religion for *everyone*, of every religion and no religion.  It allows people to send their kids to school without worrying about whether they will be indoctrinated with religious beliefs that they don't agree with, presented as if they were facts.  That's why secular schooling is essential for everyone, religious and atheist alike.
580513
Schools should, in my opinion, when teaching something that conflicts with religion, tell what is commonly believed in from a scientific standpoint, and make students aware that some religions have a different idea of what happened.\nJust my standpoint.
802287
No. Children should go to secular schools. Sunday school should be at the discretion of the parent. The state should favor not one religion over any other, and perhaps frown on religion itself if one of the parents is not religious.\n\nIn cases of divorce, the court should choose whoever the best parent is objectively, without preference to gender, religion, or any other discriminatory category.
1165147
i think you're a little misinformed. the law just states that they cant make anyone pray, and as a public school (run by the government) they cant belong to any specific denomintation. you can pray all you want and nobody can stop you. \n\nthat way they cant force you to do anything against your beliefs. imagine if your teacher was jewish and made you say jewish prayers in class. well, thats wrong. but for years teachers (mostly christians, the majority religion in the US) lead classes in prayer sessions, and taught things according to their own religious beliefs. but thats not fair to students that are jewish, muslim, atheists, agnostics, taoists, buddhist, etc. thats why they made the law. but, thats not stopping you from praying. you can pray all you like and nobody can stop you, as long as you're still doing your school work, and you're not forcing others to pray with you.\n\nso, the best thing for you to do might be to create an afterschool prayer group. as long as its not during school hours, i bet that you could organize a group of other students with similar beliefs and meet maybe once a week or something, say some prayers, talk about your views, help each other with any issues you want to share, etc. the idea of having it led by a student is a good idea. you could probably do it in the school library or something. good luck!
875020
Unless this is a private school, you shouldn't say any prayer.  That's liable to get you fired.  If it is a private school, then nevermind.\n\nWait.... are you a student or teacher???  Judging from some of your other questions, I'm guessing now that you are a student.  Maybe you should pass this information on to your teacher.
712526
Employment law makes it illegal to force your employees into religious observance. So, if you are required to be there, then they are breaking federal law, regardless of whether this is a school or another work place. I would suggest to the principal that if he wants to have a private religious gathering for staff on a voluntary basis, he does so at some other location or time.
887385
No. Any structured prayer in public schools will favor one religion over all others.\n\nThe Catholic Church agrees with the U.S. Constitution as currently interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court and does not support "structured" prayer in public schools.\n\nIn the Vatican II document, DECLARATION ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, DIGNITATIS HUMANAE (Human Dignity), the Church states: \n\nThe human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.\n\nChildren will continue to privately pray before tests just like they always have.\n\nWith love in Christ.
781455
I have taught in "Brethren Schools". The students come to learn and treat each other and the staff with respect. Because of their religious philosophy, you get some interesting situations!\nA child drops or throws a piece of paper on the floor. The teacher asks," Who did that?".  The child IMMEDIATELY owns up!\n\nImagine such an episode in a state school.\n\nIt is one of the reasons that they don't want their children educated in the state system.
851925
In my opinion:\n\nCatholic schools provide a good moral and religious base for children. As a rule they are also safer than public schools.\n\nEducationally, most of them are about average. Some are exceptional and very few are dismal. Your school and/or diocese should have some test scores for comparison.\n\nIn general, Catholic schools do a good job with average and above average kids. \n\nHowever the resources of most Catholic schools are limited. If students need extra attention due to being way over or way under average, then their needs may not be properly met.\n\nWith love in Christ.
45368
Whether you are a student or a teacher, you have the right to read the Bible in public schools. However, you cannot, force your views on others nor can you use the Bible to teach religion. You cannot, if you are a teacher, force a student to read the Bible. You can also pray in public schools, again, as long as you do not force others to participate. You cannot hold a public assembly that involves religion. Sad but true.
470954
True, it doesn't say verbatim "seperation between church and state", however that somes up the 1st amendment nicely.\n\nHow would you teach a specific religion in a public school and not consider that to be a favoring a specific religion above all others?
383578
Hmm... I don't really think there is a war against Christians in public school. The christians in my school were allowed to pray and they even have an afternoon school prayer group. \n\nMost people think that the government made prayer in schools illegal but in reality you can still pray in schools. They just didn't make it mandatory for people to pray in school which is good because in public school there are a variety of people with a variety of religions and that should be respected.