Christianity as the main religion taught in schools?

[Shadow__Dweller]

Before we start I know the education system in America is very different than here in the UK...so I'm not discussing any education systems specifically, just in general...and I'm also not talking about creationism or the evolution theory either...

I know that here in the UK, between the ages of 5 and 11 (which is what we call Primary School) most schools have nativity plays at christmas, and also have christmas parties and sing christmas carols...now some children are not allowed to take part because they are of a different religion. (it is the parents who decide this, not the school.) But I was thinking, instead of having a nativity play every year and a christmas party etc, shouldnt the school put on a play celebrating an event in a different religion every year, so as to teach children about all the different religions?
I think it's very cruel for a child to miss out on a party because of it's religion, because I don't think the child would understand this, and may think it's because it's been naughty or something...or because it's "different"...
I know at my primary school we did special things for easter too...why can't the school do special things for hannakah or Eid?
I think the main religions, like Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hindu and Buddhism should all be taught equally...

what do you think?  

[Altae]

Well sheesh, they're just elementary school kids. I don't think they understand christianity much at that point at all. Kids learn religion on their own, outside the classroom, not from christmas parties and pageants.  

[Shadow__Dweller]

hmm..I dunno...I was never taught anything about religion from my parents cause they're not religious, or from my friends either cause they weren't  

[Altae]

Hmm, my friends were never that religious, but my parents realy were. I did a little exploring on my own though and found what I was looking for.

My previous post seems kind of funny now though, because I go to a Catholic school. sweatdrop  

[Cornelius loh Quatious]

It's very discriminatory of your schools to have those programs in my opinion. Since they are kids, these kinds of things will affect their mentalities for the rest of their life. You may as well tell them that their non-Christian religions aren't as good or important as the one taught in school.

In the American school system, it used to be like that, but complaints from concerned parents haev made subtle changes like "Christmas Break" to "Winter Break," and the changing of lyrics of Christmas carols to be more "Holiday" friendly. I'm not sure how far is too far, and some really conservative people will tell you that this kind of stuff is destroying America, etc.

Personally, I believe that it's a step in the right direction, and that schools should embrace all religions, rather than just the popular ones. Then again, I would be fine with a totally secular school system, so take that as you wish.  

[loli-poo]

My school was exactly like yours, EndlessDark. In fact, most schools still are like that in America. Only because this nation was built on Christian beliefs, and therefore, school officials feel the need to show that to the children. I don't agree with the reason, but it doesn't really affect me and it never did. I'm not Christian, I never really was, I've always kind of been Agnostic. Religion has never been a huge priority in my life. But that's just me.

I do feel that schools really should focus on all religions and not just one. They should teach the children about them so, sooner or later, the children can choose which fits them most or perhaps, not choose one at all. Teaching just Christianity does affect a child in a sense that either, if they are Christian, they will believe that it is a superior religion, better than the rest; and if they are not Christian, they will believe that they are "different" like you had said.

It's a shame that most schools do still teach just one religion.  

[Domo-Kun Chan]

I think it would be best for schools to teach on all religions at an early age. It would be more for knowledge sake than anything else, that way people can be more enlightened.  

[Suzuna]

Well, it dependson where ya live. It's mainly about what the minority of the country is. For example, America is mostly white people, so there's gonna be a lotta Christianity.  

[Javinus]

Eh, white doens't necessarily mean "Christian."

Now, I was raised in a very mixed culture. There were people every color of the rainbow living in my neighborhood, bringing in a plethora of cultures and religions. Because of this, my public school system knew they had to teach more than just Christianity.

But for the sake of education, the process of gaining knowledge and information, why would a school system neglect to teach religions from another culture? This information should be passed out freely, but just as information. The lines start getting crossed when the school systems start imposing the Christian beliefe on those who aren't Christian, and that's just to respect the separation of Church and State discussed in our federal constitution. At first, they did the "everyone Christian" thing all over the USA, but they're letting up on it significantly. I know it has become a rule for my orchestra winter concerts that it become a requirement that we play at least one Hanukkah-theme piece every year. The Jehovah's Witnesses people were allowed to step off the stage and refrain from playing when we got to the Christmas Carols part of the program also.

Now what really suprised me was that I was hardley taught anything "Christian" in my public school setting. The most was when I got to highschool, and my World History Professor compared Christianity with Judiasm and Islam. I guess I can attribute that to the fact that the majority of people went to Sunday School and learned their Christianity there. Since it was already in our heads, there was no real need to beat it in there as they did for us to understand Confucianism.  

[Dilettante]

Sounds like a good idea to introduce multiculturalism into our schools; the problem comes when religion is involved. Since many parents are convinced that religion is the most important aspect of a child's upbringing, they are bound to object when teaching Christian children about the Hajj, or Jewish children about Easter. It would have to be done with sensitivity by the teachers and students, and even then some parents would object and remove their children. In the end, I think we'd be back at square one - except that more students would get to see more of different faiths.

The other problem could be defining what constitutes a 'major faith'. If your school has Wiccans, Jainists or Druze students, is it fair to deny their festivals just because they don't make the top 10 religions by population? Do you divide Christians into Orthodox and Western because they celebrate Christmas and Easter differently? It gets complicated and steps on people's feet (metaphorically).

I wouldn't want to be the one to suggest it, but I'd applaud someone else willing to be a target propose it.  

[NickCpointless]

i think its crule to force those kids to be in the plays my school forced me and my friends to be in the play despite the fact we didnt beleive in the religon but we didnt beleive in anything else and our parents put christanity down as our religon i think the kids should choose weather they want to be in the play or not  

[DartStriker]

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[Cornelius loh Quatious]

Well, what do you consider "too far?"

From your argument, it seems like it's unfair for Christian students to have to sit through learning about other religions just because there happens to be a minority in the school of a different faith. But does that mean it's fair to ignore their religion in favor of the majority?

Also, there is a big difference between the Evolution/Creationism debate, as the "theory" of evolution is rooted in science that has been experimented and tested, whereas Creationism has not, and therefore has no place in a science class.

It's not really difficult to bring up the Bible in school, it is a piece of literature like any other, so doing research on its meaning, themes, and symbols is perfectly acceptable.

The main point is the message it sends the children. If we only teach one religion, not even having to bluntly say that it is the "best" religion, students don't get any other perspectives, and learn things only in that specific way. Is that fair to them?  

[DartStriker]

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[Heavens_Black_Roses]

Okay Im in 9th grade and I have gone through 2 yrs of world history
In this subject the Five world main religions are taught (( Christianity, Islam, Hindu, Buddist, and Judaism ))
I think they teach them all equally, but in Christianity their are more churches in it other than the others...like Catholics and Protestants....so thats why they might seem to teach more of Christianity because more happened in that religion.
All the other religions we got into depth also