It has been a controversial topic from both parents and school admins if religion should be taught in public schools. Some parents have a problem with it, but it turns out that kids are completely fine with it. But regardless of the endless debates, only one thing matters: how affects the students.
How Children View Religion
Gary Laderman of The Huffington Post shared his experience with 8th graders on the subject of religion and its relation to kids. He asked some of the students he met at a middle school in Georgia about how would they define religion. The answers of these students shocked him, especially when they shared deep and philosophical insights.
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One kid defines religion "as a way of life, how a person lives their life and understand what's important." Another answered saying, "Religion can be whatever you want it to be; everyone has their own individual religious values that give life purpose and meaning."
Belief In A God
Based on those answers, one can see that children are fine with talking about religion. But one thing that is noticeable when they shared their thoughts about the subject is that they didn't even mention God in their definition.
Usually, people -- especially adults -- would define religion as something that is connected to God or a deity whom they should worship. It is interesting how kids see religion as more of a lifestyle and a choice more than just a mandatory belief system.
Religion In Schools
The topic of religion makes a lot of adults cringe when it comes to incorporating it in schools. Some institutions refuse to include it in their curriculum because they are afraid that they have might teachers who won't be objective in teaching it.
But not all schools in America are against the idea of teaching religion to their students. Faith Street shared that a high school in Modesto, California even requires their students to take their world religion class for them to graduate. An elementary school in Wichita, Kansas start teaching their students early with three different religions.
It is understandable why not all schools embrace teaching religion in their class. One of its main reasons is that back in 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that public school teachers should not lead and start their class with a prayer.
How about you -- what do you think about this subject? Share your own insights in the comments!
