Toonces wrote: ↑Wed Jun 22, 2022 5:54 pm
I have no problem with the government funding schools that teach religion, so long as they cannot discriminate.
I guess it depends on what "teaching religion" means.
I "teach (about) religion" ... I discuss religious studies from a social science perspective ... in a public university. I also have no problem with schools doing this in K-12. I have no problem with doing literary or other analysis of the Bible, teaching comparative religion, etc. in school but it seems some conservative (Christian) parents are the ones freaking out about the fact that their kids might ALSO be learning about the Quran, or doing Yoga, or having Halloween parties. (I guess that could be considered a neo-Pagan holiday.
)
I do not, however, try to teach theology or devotional study of Judaism, Christianity, Rastafarianism, or any other religion. I hold my own spiritual and religious beliefs. I do discuss them on this board. I would call myself an agnostic who acknowledges the cultural benefits of mythology and the social benefits of moral codes and religious community and who has a nondenominational interest in what people variously call spirituality and mysticism. I am not trying to get any student to share in my beliefs.That is most definitely NOT my job. I do NOT indoctrinate.
Again, the U.S. has the Lemon test and this is what I think government money should
not be used for: since many parochial and religious schools have a variety of devotional activities and studies ...
a) non-religious or students of a different religion should not be forced to participate in sectarian activities or these funds should be forfeit .. that is religious minority discrimination
b) yes, these schools can engage in teaching "the faith" and doing devotional instruction and daily prayer (they are exempt from Engele vs. Vitale). Fine. Students outside the faith should be able to skip those seminars, and most importantly, under the Lemon test, THAT instruction should NOT be government funded and supported. It should only be supported by private funds.