Should the basics of the most widespread religions be taught in public schools? This is a topic that has been seen as very controversial. A small amount of religion is taught in humanities class, but what if there was an optional class or classes to take and learn about all the different religions? It could bring connection, more understanding of our peers, and overall improve the public school, but what do Rocky Mountain students think?
I asked a variety of Rocky Mountain students what they thought of this idea, and surprisingly enough, almost everyone I asked said yes, except with boundaries.
“Yeah, but only the surface level of the religions, and only in high school,” said one student.
“Yeah, like a quarter-long class, and shouldn’t be forced. Religion is an important thing to understand other people,” said another student.
I agree with both of these; skimming the surface level of religions in a quarter-long class would be perfect. It would give students the basics of the religions and enough information for people to choose if they want to look deeper into a religion on their own.
There were some maybes. The students that said maybe talked about how it would be important to get a good teacher who wouldn’t be biased and has a good understanding of the religions. Most importantly, no one said no. Everyone agreed that it could have the possibility of improving the public school system.
I am a little shocked that no one said no to this idea, religion is an important thing that more people should know about, with students maybe wanting to go into a world religion major or the possibility of helping students find themselves through a religion. Many religions give guidelines that could help students straighten out their lives and give them a sense of comfort in the afterlife. Public schools usually have a wide range of religious students, so learning about them would bring a sense of connection, less judgment, and telling the truth about religions instead of the possibility of knowing a corrupt version.
But then why isn’t religion taught in school more than just some in humanities? The Supreme Court says it contradicts the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion.” That’s related to teaching religion, not teaching about religion, which a lot of people get confused about.
Then I heard, “It could go against parent’s wishes,” and that is why the class would be optional, but I also met students with mental health problems from their parents pushing their religion onto them. “I felt forced upon a religion; I was confused,” one student said, so maybe this class could help the students view their parent’s religion with a better understanding.
Overall, there’s a mutual understanding among students that learning about religion could be beneficial. By asking different students I’ve concluded an optional quarter-long class in high school with a highly educated unbiased teacher that only skims the surface of the main types of religions would be perfect and would help bring connection with students and themselves in a public school system.
