Essay on Religion in the US: The Conflict between the First Amendment and Public Schools

Introduction

Religion has been one of the most contentious issues in the United States over the years. While the First Amendment guarantees religious liberty, two of its clauses often come into conflict. In the same light, the place of religion in public schools has been debated over the years, as evidenced by the Engel v. Vitale, among several other cases (Marshall 339). The case sought to determine whether holding nondenominational prayers in public schools was a violation of the Establishment Clause found in the First Amendment (Colby 6). The roots of the contention can be traced to 1802 when the church and state law were separated. Ever since, different groups have argued on the benefits and downsides of teaching religion in public schools. Critics often argue that schools should be neutral, and hence religion should not have a place in them. On its part, the Supreme Court has allowed the studying of religion but has made it clear that no particular religion should be promoted as the singular truth. Rather, equal attention should be given to all religions. Some Americans, especially conservative Christians, feel that opposition to religious education is an effort to exclude God from public schools, a move they see as an infringement to the First Amendment. In contrast, civil libertarians argue that teaching religion in public schools seeks to impose certain values in students, which they see as a violation of the Establishment clause (Lupu et al.). In light of this debate, this paper seeks to discuss the various benefits of teaching religion in public schools.

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Enhancement of Tolerance and Respect

In their ruling in Engel v. Vitale, the majority held that religion is greatly important to most Americans. Similarly, religion is essential to the lives of learners. Owing to globalization, diversity in the country has greatly increased. Classrooms and workplaces are more diverse today than they have ever been in history. To thrive in such environments, high levels of respect and tolerance are required (Wolfart 63). To this end, religious education teaches learners to respect others regardless of race, beliefs, or social status. As mentioned in the introduction, different religions are given equal attention. As such, the learners get a chance to compare and contrast the religions not only to see the differences but also to understand the similarities. Religious education, therefore, opens up their minds to different world views. Resultantly, their discernment is enhanced, and they are in a better position to combat prejudice. Therefore, the levels of tolerance that religion imparts in learners are essential in a world that is becoming increasingly diverse. It can also help address extremism, hatred, and division that has been witnessed around the country in the recent past.

Character Development

Religious education is also important in the character development of learners. All the religions taught in school teach the learners various ethical and moral values. For instance, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism all emphasize the need for doing good and being kind to others. Through such teachings, therefore, the character of the learners is shaped, and their likelihood of becoming responsible and caring members of the society rises. The world is increasingly being termed as an unkind place. The emphasis of kindness and other virtues in religious education, therefore, can help bring back humanity in the world (Tan 14). Moreover, psychology holds that when learners are taught such concepts from an early age, they are more likely to accept and hold them throughout their lives as compared to adults.

Understanding of Other Disciplines

As mentioned earlier, religion holds a central place in the lives of Americans. Owing to this fact, religion plays a significant role in literature, history, as well as current events. To understand other disciplines better, therefore, learners need to have some religious knowledge. For instance, knowledge of Puritanism helps students understand The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne better. Similarly, an understanding of the principles of Judaism would help a learner understand Night by Elie Wiesel better. Besides, religion has played a central role in the history of the United States. For example, the Declaration of Independence states that Americans are granted inalienable rights by the Creator. While demanding equal rights in history, women also argued that all people are equal in the eyes of God. These are direct references to religion. The Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s was also fuelled by religious forces (Miller 3). As such, an understanding of religion can help comprehend these historic events better. Therefore, religious education helps learners understand other subjects better.

Dangers of Religion in Public Schools

As stated earlier, public schools are allowed to teach religion without giving preferential treatment to any of the religions. While this is meant to ensure that the learners get an understanding of the principles of all major religions, the threshold is not met in some instances. To this end, those opposed to the teaching of religious education in public schools argue that the opportunity can be used to pursue an indoctrination agenda. Their claims are supported by the fact that hundreds of complaints on violations of the separation between the church and states are filed every year (Gaylor).

Some teachers find it difficult to teach religion in a secular context, as is required by the law, and hence end up teaching religion instead (Gardner et al. 242). Teaching religion is seen as religious indoctrination, and hence is a violation of the law. In such situations, the preference of one religion over the others in the classroom may create the impression that some religions are inferior to others. When the learners grow up with such notions, the cohesion and tolerance that religious education is meant to achieve are jeopardized. On the contrary, the beliefs may lead to more hatred and division. However, while such violations are common, the law is very specific to the teaching of religion in public schools. By teaching the role of religion in cultural, historical, literacy, and social context, as required by law, religious indoctrination is avoided. Therefore, if the law is followed, religious education can undoubtedly achieve its target. As such, since there are sufficient measures to discourage religious indoctrination, religion should be taught in public schools.

Conclusion

As shown in the paper, the teaching of religion in public schools has been a source of conflict for decades. Those opposed to the practice base their argument on the violations of existing laws, which lead to religious indoctrination. However, religious education holds several benefits for modern society, such as increased tolerance and respect. It also helps learners understand other disciplines better and plays a critical role in character development. Therefore, the benefits of religious education far outweigh the downsides, and hence it should be taught in public schools. Moreover, as shown in the paper, the law has established measures to address the downsides.

Works Cited

Colby, Kim. "Religious Freedom in Schools." Christian Law 14 (2018): 6. <https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/chrilwy14&section=19>.

Gardner, Ryan S., Kate Soules and John Valk. "The urgent need for teacher preparation in religious and secular worldview education." Religious Education 112.3 (2017): 242-254. <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00344087.2017.1309113>.

Gaylor, Annie Laurie. "The Dangers of Religious Instruction in Public Schools." 7 January 2014. Religion & Politics. 18 May 2020. <https://religionandpolitics.org/2014/01/07/the-dangers-of-religious-instruction-in-public-schools/>.

Lupu, Ira C., et al. "Religion in the Public Schools." 3 October 2019. Pew research Center. 18 May 2020. <https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/03/religion-in-the-public-schools-2019-update/>.

Marshall, William P. "The Constitutionality of School Prayer: Or Why Engel v. Vitale May Have Had It Right All along." Cap. UL Rev 46 (2018): 339. <https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/capulr46&section=16>.

Miller, Robert J. "Religion and Faith–the Forgotten Factor of the Civil War." Civil War Book Review 21.2 (2019): 3. <https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr/vol21/iss2/3/>.

Tan, Wen Jie Fred. "The Secular Benefits of Comparative Religious Education." Brigham Young University Prelaw Review 31.1 (2017): 14. <https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byuplr/vol31/iss1/14/>.

Wolfart, Johannes C. "Increasing Religious Diversity: Historiographical Criticism of a Current Paradigm." Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 21.4 (2018): 63-87. <https://nr.ucpress.edu/content/21/4/63.abstract>.