Religion and Schools

These two readings presented what I see as two starkly different sides of the religion in schools debate. One told the story of children who believed they were violating their religious principles when they obeyed their school’s rules. When Billy Gobitas refused to salute the American flag and recite the pledge of allegiance, I wonder if he, or more especially his parents, knew what a chain of events he was setting in place. As members of the Jehovah’s Witness church, this ten-year-old boy and his twelve-year-old sister believed that when they saluted the flag or said the pledge, they were violating God’s law against bowing down to a graven image. I can just imagine how the community rose up in anger and accused this family and other members of their church of being unpatriotic and even treasonous! The reading shows that the Supreme Court justices agreed until they, through newspapers, considered what these people actually believed.

The other article told about a legal ruling on a moment of silence during the school day and about teaching evolution and creationism in Texas’ public schools. An outspoken atheist and his daughter, who attended a public high school in Illinois, filed suit over that state’s law requiring students to observe a moment of silence at the beginning of their school day. A federal judge ruled that indeed this law violated the principle of separation of church and state. In Texas, the State Board of Education is hearing the debate over teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution versus creationism. Texas’ current law requires exploring the strengths and weaknesses of all scientific theories, but scientists argued that since there are no weaknesses in Darwin’s theory, this law gives teachers the opportunity to teach creationism.

God and church and religion have always been a part of my life and, as I have gotten older, I can add spirituality to that list. I recognize and deeply respect each person’s religious and spiritual views whether they agree with my own or not. I don’t begin to agree that saluting or pledging to the flag can be equated with the worship of idols, but I firmly defend any person who does. As a teacher, I have had students in my classroom who preferred not to stand and recite the pledge at the beginning of the day. I respected their decision and politely defended their actions to other students who questioned the behavior.

The other article didn’t inspire such noble thoughts in me. Really? A moment of silence at the beginning of the school day is just a step away from teaching baby Jesus stories? I can understand and respect a person’s objection to prayer in a public school, but objecting to a moment of silence makes me think someone is just looking for a fight. The evolution versus creationism discussion is not so easy for me. So many people involved in the debate believe in all good conscience that their side is right and the other side is wrong. Parents, especially those who believe strongly in creationism, are concerned that their children will go against what they were taught because of a teacher they like and respect. I’m glad we math teachers don’t have to walk the tightrope that science teachers do! I don’t guess you guys can just skip that chapter, huh? :)