Ryan Jordan

Professor Padgett
ENGL 102
April 12, 2016
Why Religion Should be Allowed in Public Schools?
Since a Supreme Court ruling in 1963, religion has not been allowed to be present in a
public school during school hours. The student bodies in America have only grown more diverse
in the years after the ruling, and now more than ever it is necessary to put religion back into the
public school system. Putting religion back into public schools would better educate people on
the cultural difference in the United States, decrease religious hate crimes, and lead to a
betterment of American society.
America is one of the most diverse countries in the world, and yet the government does
not feel the need to teach public school children about world religions, even though to most

Commented [AP1]: I think i mentioned this in your bib,

but the question implies that religion should be in schools
and you are simply seeking the answer to why. So I feel like
you are asking the wrong question for research purposes.
Commented [AP2]: Make reference to the specific court
ruling.
Commented [AP3]: What do you mean by religion not
being allowed to be present? Im not sure if this is entirely
accurate. Schools cant instruct students in a religion and
school-sponsored reading of the bible isnt allowed. But
your wording suggests something different.
Commented [AP4]: If im following your logic correctly
here: because schools are getting more diverse (so no
longer homogenous), we need to have religion in schools to
regain a religious homogeneity?
Commented [AP5]: OR are you just talking about having
religion education classes? In which case, I think schools can
teach religion as an academic topic, but not indoctrinate
them, right? I mean world history classes still make
references to world religions, right?

cultures religion plays a significant role. An article written by Joseph Laycock references a study
by the Bible Literacy Project, which stated, A 2005 study conducted for the Bible Literacy
Project tested teenagers ability to name the five world religions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, and Buddhism. Only 10 percent could name all five and 15 percent could not name
any of them. Only one out of every ten teenagers could name all the five major religions of the
world. Because of Americas diverse culture, the population is full of representation by people
from each of these religions. If a teenager cannot even name one of those religions, how are they
expected to understand or empathize with someone from one of the religions? An article written
by Annie Laurie Gaylor originally states that she cringes at the question of whether religion

Commented [AP6]: Fair point here.

should be taught in public schools. Yet later on in the article Gaylor states, In the best of all
possible public school environments, it would be ideal, of course, to include, at least at the high
school level, a class on comparative religion. Although at the beginning of the article Gaylor
questions whether teachers could be trusted with teaching religion, and states, What does it

Commented [AP7]: Good point here as well.

mean for our future when half our population rejects fact and accepts fable, she comes back
around to say that it is important for students to learn about world religion, that way students are
not ignorant of the world religions. This relates to what Laycock states in his article, because
both authors believe that it is important for students to know about world religions that way they
can be better connected to their peers. If we continue to be ignorant about the traditions, morals,
and lifestyles of a majority of the population, how do we expect there to be peace? Linda

Commented [AP8]: I like the exigency you create here:

global understanding would lead to less conflict.

Wertheimer wrote an article where she listed out seven reasons of why religion should be taught
in public schools, and one of her reasons stated, The Christian share of the population declined
from nearly 80 to 71 percent between 2007 and 2014, and the percentage of people from other
faiths and the unaffiliated rose, according to a Pew demographic study released this year. The
percentage of Muslims, and Hindus are rising the most. Children should learn about the growing
diversity of religion within their own country. Muslims and Hindus are the fastest growing
religious populations in the United States, and yet fifteen percent of teenagers could not even
name Hinduism or Islamism. This is why religion should be taught in public schools. Kids are
going to be ignorant of the people around them, and that is only going to cause more problems,
not solve any.
Over time, religiously motivated crimes have become increasingly more frequent in
America. An article written by Anthony Jackson provides a statistic from the U.S Department of
Justice that states, The percentage of hate crimes that were motivated by religious bias was

Commented [AP9]: Im not sure that you quite making

the connection between knowing a religion better and
understanding means less tension.

nearly three times higher in 2012 (28%) than in 2004 (10%). Many violent hate crime
perpetrators are school-age: in 2012, nearly one in five were under the age of 18. Religious
based hate crimes start early, seeing as how twenty percent of the perpetrators in 2012 were
under the age of 18. If children were taught at a young age about the differences in religion then
many of these crimes would not happen. The reason that they happen in the first place is that as a
country America is largely ignorant of the major religions of the world, and because of this,
stereotypes, and even fear, appear. Because of this fear of the unknown, people feel the need to
lash out, and the simple solution to solving that problem is just by teaching people. Another one
of the points written by Linda Wertheimer brushes up on how teasing on other religions starts as
early as kindergarten. She states, Around the country, I heard numerous stories from children
being bullied because of their faith. A young Sikh man recalled his first week in kindergarten
and how his peers tore off his patka (the religious head covering he wore). A Muslim boy stood
by his locker in fourth grade and a classmate said, Hey, is there a bomb in your locker? Jewish
children talked about middle school peers throwing pennies at them as a jab at the stereotype
about Jews and money. Another student said high school peers asked her if her family belonged
to a cult because they were Jehovahs Witnesses. Because these kids did not know about these
other religions, they lashed out at the other children. The bullying can start as early as
kindergarten, so should the teaching. Instead of knowing the stereotypes about other religions,
people would instead know the significance of them, and instead of bullying or being violent
towards them, could be peaceful and empathetic. Crimes are becoming more and more based on
religious differences, and one way to decrease that is to teach people about those differences. An
article written on the Knightly Herald states, Religion should not be allowed to be taught in
public schools because more controversy would be present if religion was permitted. I believe

that the opposite would in fact happen. Throughout history, many of the worlds major conflicts
have been because of religious ignorance. From the crusades, to countless other wars, people of
all nations have always been fighting other religions that they know little about. So why not put
an end to the fighting and just educate people? Instead of causing more controversies, people
would be able to see both sides of an issue, and it would not have to end in bloodshed. Learning
about other religions is not only going to decrease religious hate crimes that Americans commit
in the United States, but it will also increase Americans understanding of the world, and could
lead to a decrease in global conflicts.

If religion were taught in public schools, society as a whole would improve because
morals and values would be instilled into children, instead of possibly being taught by a parent.
Another article written by Joseph Laycock states, Studying the worlds religious traditions gives
students the opportunity to explore big questions and cultivate moral agency. This not only
enriches their quality of life, but strengthens our democracy. High school students who practice
asking big questions become citizens who can think critically about what makes for a good and
just society. By learning about religion, students will learn to think about more than just
themselves, but they will be able to think of society as a whole, and how they can better it. Yes
people think of this already, without religion in public schools, but more people can be reached if
everyone is learning about it. The way to becoming a better citizen is by having good morals
and values, and religion is the best teacher on that subject. At the core of three of the major
religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, is peace. With all the strife going on in the world,
children should be taught more about peace, and love, and respect, and that teaching should
come from public schools. An article written by Richard Schiffman states, The alternative to
learning about religions is remaining in ignorance, as we largely are today. And ignorance is a

Commented [AP10]: I like that you are engaging with this

source, but on what basis do you think that the opposite
would happen? On what basis does this source think that
more controversy would happen?

breeding ground for prejudice, stereotype and mutual suspicion. This quote supports the idea
that ignorance on religion is the cause for prejudice and stereotypes, and these issues are
detrimental to a society. It is impossible to kick prejudice and stereotypes completely out of a
nation, but it can decrease. A huge factor in why these issues are present is just not knowing, and
integrating religion into the public school system would take that problem away. An article
written by Richard Schiffman states, Religion ranks as one of the most divisive factors in the
world today. Religion can cause a division in society, because people do not like what they do
not understand. People fear the unknown, and that fear leads to tension among neighbors,
coworkers, or anyone that has a different religious background. But while not knowing about
religion can divide, having knowledge on religion can bring people together. Schiffman later
states, Yet it has also brought billions of people together forging a sense of shared belief and
unity of purpose across wide racial and geographical divides. The word itself comes from the
Latin re-ligre, which means to bind back together. Why would we not teach our students
about something that binds people together? Yes religion can cause divisions, but that is only
when people are ignorant about it. In a time when everybody is offended by everything,
shouldnt kids be more knowledgeable on the people around them so as not to offend them? One
of the major claims as to why religion should not be taught is that it is very controversial. Yet
politics and evolution are just as controversial and are part of core classes in many high schools
in America. People are trying to be fair to everyone, except when it comes to religion.

If we want this world to be a better place, should we not try and learn as much about it as
possible? Religion has, and always will be, a major part of every culture on the planet. If not for
religion, the Puritans would never have set sail for America, millions of people would not be
trying to live a better lifestyle, and there probably would have been less wars. Because religion

Commented [AP11]: Okay, so why would it be

controversial? Are those valid concerns and how might we
go about assuaging those concerns?

has been such a key part of history, it makes no sense not to teach it to children. Instead of
teaching them about some of the biggest factors in history, and the difference of each religion
and its people, we teach children that they came from monkeys. That is what is wrong with
America. It is claimed unconstitutional to teach religion in schools, but yet teachers are allowed
to force evolution down their throats. If we really want to make America the great country that it
was, religion needs to be put back into public schools once and for all.

Ryan,
I like the argument you are making here. It is certainly interesting and timely. Although Im not
sure you are making the case that ignorance is causing hate, and to disabuse our students of that
ignorance will lead to less hate. I dont think you are wrong here, but your sources do bring up
valid points about the complications, particularly in this country, would come about if religion
was being actively taught in schools, especially in any mandatory sense. These are valid points
that I would for you to address more directly. Again, I like the direction you are going, but Im
not sure youve fully made your case. Maybe you could point to instances where this has worked
elsewhere? Is this something you envision happening nationwide? At the state level? Is this
mandatory education? More clarity on this really interesting issue would be helpful.

Works Cited
Gaylor, Annie Laurie. "The Dangers of Religious Instruction in Public Schools." Religion Politics. N.p., 7
Jan. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Jackson, Anthony. "Four Reasons Why You Should Teach About Religion in School." Education Week.
N.p., 5 Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Laycock, Joseph. "If We Dont Teach Religion in Schools, Americans Will Never Understand the Rest of
the World." Quartz. N.p., 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Laycock, Joseph. "Should World Religion Be Taught in Schools?" Caring Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 03
Apr. 2016.
Schiffman, Richard. "Why We Need to Start Teaching About Religions in School." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Wertheimer, Linda K. "7 Reasons We Should Teach More Religion in Public Schools - OnFaith." OnFaith.
N.p., 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

"Why Religion Should Not Be Taught in Public Schools Olivia Godfrey." Knightly Herald. N.p., 23 Sept.
2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.