If you love your religion so much move to a country that endorses it, or found your own.
Let's found a nation for Christians! We could put it right around the city where Jesus lived. Oh wait, the last time that happened it didn't go over so well.
I hereby claim the moon!
America isn't about your religion. It's (or should be) about freedom, and if other people worshiping how they want to worship bothers you, maybe America isn't for you.
Agreed
As for teaching about religion in schools. This is a problem area. The majority of literature taught in schools has references to the Bible, which are supposed to be understood by the students. It's not annoying when they tell people that religion can't be forced onto people. It is annoying when they try to remove every last trace of a belief system in the name of "fairness".
"Sorry Susie, we don't teach Shakespearre anymore because he was a Christian."
Not really, education and practice of religion are two separate things. I have nothing against a class in a public school on Christian theology. Or any other theology. You can teach about religions without endorsing them. It's just a presentation of facts and understanding.
None.
Being a Canuck atheist, I know that prayer is important to people of faith, even if it doesn't do anything but provide possible placebo effect (despite the fact that a study ran a few years ago indicated that people who thought they were going to be prayed for before undergoing surgery had a slight but noticeable increase in mortality and complications). I'm not one for wanting one's rights taken away, particularly if they are private. They have the right to pray in solitude, on their own time. In the context of the debate being focused in the US, it cannot and should not be required or mandatory considering the US Constitution plainly says it shall not promote or force religion, particularly a specific one.
The people that yell about school prayer being disallowed (such as Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort of Way of the Master) simply seem to either want it forced or want people to be able to ignore whatever the teacher is giving instruction for (Such as math or language) to pray. And from my understanding, some of those people want it out loud, contrary to their own book (Matt 6:6 lol). A funny side note: Remember a few months ago, Rick Perry issued a prayer convention called "The Response"? Same problem. LOL
Also, as the topic kind of shifted to teaching of religion, no one religion should be removed for the sake of "fairness" particularly if it's in literature. I may not like it's existence but I surely cannot doubt it's effects on humanity and history. In order to understand history, one must understand the catalysts behind what happened. If someone wrote something and was inspired by religion, one should know what the religion was and what it stated or contained that caused the writer to be inspired.
None.
"Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth." -Thomas Jefferson
I do not think most of the founding fathers would have supported prayer in schools.
I see prayer in school as a waste of school resources since it is an institution of learning.
I am a Mathematician
"Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth." -Thomas Jefferson
I do not think most of the founding fathers would have supported prayer in schools.
I see prayer in school as a waste of school resources since it is an institution of learning.
Forcing people to do something isn't going to teach people anything. It only causes resentment and destroys any kind of social tolerance that should be taught in schools. I wouldn't ever force someone to share my beliefs, but I should also have the right to share my beliefs with others if I choose to do so.
Education is one thing. Advocation is another. Coercion is also another.
Where should the line be drawn?
Education | Advocation Coercion
Education Advocation | Coercion
None.
Were you gifted with making false dichotomies or is it something you've worked at over the years?
Were you gifted with making false dichotomies or is it something you've worked at over the years?
Were
you gifted with making false dichotomies or is it something you've worked at over the years?
So much win.
"If a topic that clearly interest noone needs to be closed to underline the "we don't want this here" message, is up to debate."
-NudeRaider