Teaching Relgion

As I looked through the results of the surveys, I was really surprised that 38% of the people questioned strongly agreed that the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. Since the United States is a secular nation, it’s strange that people believe that the constitutionally national religion is Christianity. After reading the overview, I became more curious about how religion is taught and why. I read the article called “Teaching about Religion” which explains why religion should be taught in public schools and in what way. The article explained how without learning about religion, students would not be receiving a complete education because of the significant role religion has played in the history of the world and the culture within our own society. Before reading this, I hadn’t really considered the positives of learning about religion and the different religions found throughout the world. When I think about all my years of schooling and how much we have actually learned about religion, I realize that I cannot imagine if that knowledge was never available to us. Learning about religion helps students gain a better understanding of the world and the people within it. It contributes to a better society, teaching students to understand each other’s religious differences instead of making fun of them for things they do not know anything about. The guidelines of teaching about religions in public schools are simply to be sure what is taught is in agreement with the constitution, educationally sound, and sensitive to the beliefs of both students and their parents. Although I am not religious myself, I think that it is very important for students to learn about all the different religions. With the right to practice any religion of our choice, Americans also have the responsibility to educate themselves on all religions, even if they believe in something different.