Sarah Hall53 said:Just a quick correction on what I said earlier: I actually started high school in the 98/99 school year, and back then, they gave us a choice between ethics and religion. 😉 (Though, honestly, our school handled it pretty smoothly—the other class and our class would have religion or ethics at the exact same time, and then we’d all just swap places afterward so everyone’s schedule stayed full.)
Ethics wasn't even an option at my school when I graduated in '98.
btw. does religious ed even exist anymore, and what do they actually teach in those classes?
I remember back in middle school, I had religion class from 6th through 8th grade, and it was hands down the worst hour of my week. This teacher used to absolutely tear into anyone who didn't show up to church on Sundays (and yeah, that included me). By high school, I was just done—I told them to shove religion, I'd rather be out front of the school grabbing a drink during that period instead.
Back in high school, we had Latin for the first two years, and both times it was scheduled on Saturdays—which was during wartime, so things were already tense. In our sophomore year, three kids in my class had zero way to get to school on a Saturday, so they’d constantly roll in about 15 minutes late. Our teacher was this incredibly uptight priest who wouldn't stop riding them about it, yelling that if everyone else could make it on time, they should be able to too. Eventually, those three just hit their limit. One Saturday, they basically just walked out of class, told the teacher they were done with Latin, and said "peace out." When the school tried to tell them they couldn't just quit, they stood their ground and said, "Fine, just mark us absent. We aren't coming back, so let's see who blinks first." Unbelievably, the administration actually folded and dropped the requirement for them. It was a total freak occurrence, though.
In our class, three of us skipped religion class entirely. I remember back in '98 when religion was held during fourth period, the three of us would just hang out right in front of the school building instead. Honestly? It was the best part of the day. Back then, they hadn't even introduced Ethics classes yet.
hiddendriver34 said:I actually know the deal. In our public schools, only Catholic religious education gets that official spot on the schedule. If you're looking for Islamic or Orthodox instruction, it doesn't even happen during school hours—it happens at local churches or mosques. Basically, an instructor from those faiths just drops by the school every once in a while to log grades into the digital portal.
It would honestly be pretty interesting to see Muslim or Orthodox religious ed integrated into the regular daily schedule. Imagine twenty-five kids hanging out in the hallway waiting for their turn while that one student is inside having their class.
Because let's be real, this is textbook religious discrimination. Only the Catholic curriculum is baked into the actual school day, right? 😉
proab's stoked that despite the church constantly preaching about how abstinence is the only way to go, kids couldn't care less and are out there blowing through cash on whatever they want
"When you first enroll in high school over in Denmark, you get to pick from four main tracks—you've got STEM (stuff like Geology, Biology, Chem, Math, Astronomy, Biotech, and CS), Classical which mixes languages with Philosophy, Social Sciences (History, Sociology, Economics), or Arts (Drama, Music, Design, Dance, etc.). Because the system is actually designed for the modern world, students in Denmark deal with way fewer mandatory subjects, giving them more freedom to mix and match classes based on what they actually care about," says this 16-year-old kid from Washington, D.C., who just got back from an exchange program in Denmark.
If Americans actually had to pay a church tax right away, the percentage of Catholics would plummet from 85% down to like 10%—and honestly, that’s probably the real number of Catholics in the US anyway.
William Bennett53 said:Even as an elective, the current setup isn't quite right. It ought to be an extracurricular activity offered on campus for those who actually want it. Why should someone who has no interest in religious studies—perhaps because they are an atheist or belong to a minority denomination that isn't large enough to warrant a dedicated program—be forced to sit through an ethics class instead? Why couldn't they choose to study trumpet, model building, advanced math, creative writing, or any of the other extracurriculars the school provides? Furthermore, why should a gradebook include a subject taught by someone who isn't even a standard employee of the school or the Department of Education—someone whose very position is secured by a Bishop and can be revoked at his whim?
I would happily suggest a course on world religions or something similar to my own child. However, I suspect organized religious groups would be the first ones to protest a curriculum that teaches children about the perspectives of other faiths independently.
Michael Lee75 said:My kid stuck with it for the first two years before deciding he was just totally over it.
Look, I’ve always felt that religious instruction shouldn't be baked directly into the standard curriculum, but I don't think it would be a bad idea to design some kind of "world religions" course or something similar—just a way to introduce kids to the foundational beliefs of the major faiths we see here in America, along with a bit about what people believe on the other side of the globe. No matter how much we might grumble about faith or organized religion, the reality is that it has shaped pretty much everything throughout history—our literature, our music, our art in general—and honestly, it wouldn't hurt for students to have a basic grasp of that if they want to actually understand how the world works. That said, I really do think it's far too early to even touch these topics when they're still in those lower elementary grades.
Man, I'd actually want that as a class—like a full overview of all the major religions.
shadowcrane91 said:And as long as most Americans still identify as Catholic, nothing is ever going to change... Amen
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So I guess people of other faiths in this country just have to deal with it, because as long as their votes stay in the minority, nothing changes... Amen
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but let's be real, maybe like 10% of them actually live like Catholics
shadowcrane91 said:And why is religious education being blamed for this now? No matter what country you travel to, things are going to work the way the majority wants them to...
Or am I wrong?
I mean, maybe there's some random country out there where the majority actually thinks like you... But damn... not here.
So the majority is always right? Just look at what happened in Germany from 1933 to 1945.
shadowcrane91 said:The man literally listed three different times you're supposed to show up for religious ed... Everything else is just too much effort for him.
And he also claimed you can find God under a rock, in the grass, or deep in your heart.
shadowcrane91 said:Look, as someone who actually practices their faith and hangs out in religious circles, I have never—and I mean *never*—heard anyone talking trash about people... not from adults, not even from kids. So, if there are people out there being hateful, they definitely aren't actual believers; they're just "believers" on paper.
What’s your take on this?
So, here’s the deal on why believers don't just go around spitting on people.
Matthew Young35 said:Claiming that America is a Catholic nation and that minorities must bow down to the majority is nothing less than an insult to everyone who isn't Catholic. It’s a direct slap in the face to me, as an atheist.
No. No, I don't want to "adapt" to you. God doesn't exist, Jesus was never real, evolution is a fact, and humans and primates share common ancestors.
Get lost. I refuse to conform to your fairy tales just because you happen to be the majority on some arbitrary list.
I mean, seriously? Adam and Eve were the first humans and had sons named Cain and Abel. Then Cain kills Abel and wanders off to find a wife. Who the hell did he marry??? I refuse to buy into such idiocy, no matter how large your majority might be.
I'm in! Count me in!
Nancy Martin93 said:So, go ahead and try to convince me why religious education belongs in public schools—because honestly, I can't see any reason for it at all. First you have First Communion—so you need the classes—then there's Confirmation—more classes—then you get married—and suddenly there's more training or whatever—so why on earth would we need twelve years of religious ed in school???
Let's be real, kids aren't even paying attention to religion class anyway. They're out there burning through life like crazy before they even hit puberty. By the time they're twelve, they’re already smoking, drinking, and hitting the drugs. It's a mess.