Should Religion Be Taught in Public Schools?

             Religion is something that is very prominent in todays society and it should be taught in schools because it keeps students open minded. Firstly, it gives students the ability to learn about other cultures from around the world. This keeps them open to wanting to see and experience what things are like outside of their normal life instead of being confined to what’s going on around them. In classes these days, there is a huge debate about this issue because many people believe that when teaching religion, teachers come at it from a very biased point of view. However, I believe that there is a difference between teaching and preaching in a classroom setting, and that teachers can be mature enough to teach while being unbiased about the topic. After all, it is something that can be useful to know about today with everything happening around us. Secondly, it gives students a better understanding of current world events as well as things that have happened in the past. It can be difficult to grasp the severity of issues around the world that deal with religious groups if students are uneducated about it. A good example of a world religious issue would be the long feud between the Palestinians and the Jews over the control of Israel. The Jewish community are so adamant on occupying Israel because they believe that it is the land that was promised to them by God thousands of years ago. If people were to take the time to learn about world religions, such as these, it would explain why they are acting this way and fighting for it, giving context to show that they aren’t just doing this for amusement. Lastly, it teaches students about the diversity of religion that we have today here on earth. There are so many different religions throughout the world that make humans unique, so it is important to realize how diverse we all are. In schools, especially when students are younger, bullying is something that is prominent because some kids may look, act, or dress differently then others because of their religion. For example, girls that wear burqas to school are often stared at or made fun of. If students were educated about this issue and why some kids may be different from them, there may be less bullying. Religion is such an interesting thing to learn about no matter what your beliefs are, so I think that we as humans should take the time to learn just a little more about it.

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