School and Religion-EDAD 7060

After reading both articles, I am still torn on the subject. I was born and raised in southern California and went to church for the first time when I attended graduate school at Lipscomb University in 2003; I was 25. As I am sure you can imagine, it was total shocker. It was the first time I had ever experienced Christian learning. To the best of my ability, I tried to keep an open mind and treated the teachings like a history lesson. During the two years I spent at Lipscomb, I started to develop some definite opinions about religion and learning, and I can see how and why religion in schools is so controversial. Though I would probably not go to Lipscomb again, the experience was unforgettable, and my understanding of religion has greatly improved as a result of my time there. Because of my background, I found this subject to be extremely interesting.

Both articles are essentially fighting the same battle, to me, it is about fear and intolerance. The article about the Gobitas family, for me, was far more interesting. It was part about religion in schools, the first amendment, and about respect. Regarding the first amendment, it seems folks are misusing it to their advantage. To better make my point, let's take a look at a completely different example. Cop Killer "is a 1992 song by Ice-T's heavy metal band Body Count, from its 1992 self-titled debut album. The lyrics are sung in the first person of an individual who is outraged by police brutality and decides to take the law into his own hands by killing violent, corrupt police officers. The song, which lyricist Ice-T referred to as a protest record was written in 1990, and was partially influenced by Psycho Killer by Talking Heads. The song provoked much controversy and negative reactions from politicians such as George Bush, Dan Quale and Tipper Gore; although, some defended the song on the basis of the band's First Amendment rights." This song lead a mentally unstable teenager to get a gun and shoot a police officer. The officer died. The First Amendment notes that states could punish words that "by their very nature, involve danger to the public, peace and to the security of the state." Cop Killer is an extreme example, but it clearly demonstrates that the First Amendment is being misused. Isn't this the same thing the Gobitas family is doing? When should we draw the line? What are we teaching kids when we allow people like the Gobitas family to have their way?

One of the most important things I learned between kindergarten and high school was how to respect others. That included respecting my classmate's beliefs, their physical being, their possessions, attitudes, and so on. Your parents can only teach you so much; they simply can't expose you to everything. That's why public school is so important. Public school brings people together from all walks of life. It gives children a chance to share ideas, listen, and, hopefully, learn about each other. During this time together, in a perfect world, these children will find common ground, become less afraid of each other's differences, and learn to enjoy and respect each other's attitudes and backgrounds. In the Gobitas situation, the kids did not want to salute the flag because of a passage in their readings. It seems hypocritical. The American flag is a symbol of freedom and thousands upon thousands of men fought and died to protect those freedoms. Out of respect for those who lived, fought and died before us, we should all salute the flag. I can see how this conflicts with the first amendment, but learning to show respect is and should continue to be an important part of K-12 education. At some point, we have to draw the line. If we don't, what will happen to our country, our children, and our future?

The beginning of the second article about the young atheist girl who was unwilling to participate in a moment of silence to pray or self-reflect is a good example of people taking things to an extreme level. What is this father teaching his daughter? Does he want her to be completely and totally disrespectful and intolerant of others? Does he want her to learn that if she doesn't get what she wants to scream and cry like a 2-year old? Just because some folks can yell loudly and have deep pockets to to fight a court case, doesn't mean their views should become law. There have always been and always will be folks who take things to extremes. Should they have the right to express their opinions? Of course they should, but that doesn't mean their word should become law.

The views presented in the two articles are nothing new and will continue to be argued and debated for decades. These articles are much more similar than they are different. What's alarming about both articles is that they scream fear and anger. What are biologists, religious believers, and atheists so afraid of? If an atheist's child learns about the history of religion, would that be so wrong? Would his child be damaged goods? If the daughter of a religious parent is introduced to evolution, will she turn on religion? If she did, would her parents still love her? What are we all so afraid of? Isn't school supposed to teach us about life? When I went to church for the first time at age 25, I did not turn green. I am the same person; I am better educated. I am tolerant and respectful.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cop_Killer_(song)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution