Religion classes in school - Megathread

Sarah Hall53 said:But look, we live in a secular nation—the United States of America (Rhode Island style logic aside). It’s not the "Catholic Republic of America" (Kansas style logic),
even if some people seem a bit confused about that part. 🤷

Though, honestly, once you realize how religious education classes are scheduled right in the middle of everything—I mean, did you know even people from other faiths sign their kids up just so they don't get left out or stuck sitting alone in the hallway? It's a whole thing. And then you have computer science offered in the opposite shift... man, I sometimes wonder if we should just add that 'C' back in for 'Catholic' somewhere, just so everyone finally understands how things actually work. 👍

Nah... what people don't get is that we aren't even functioning as a secular US in any real capacity...
We’re basically acting like a CRA.
You can call yourself the US all you want, but when you have a deal with Vatican City like the one we do—where they're allowed to bleed religion into everything—it's a joke.
So who's to blame????
It's the voters who picked the government the way they did... you can't just blame religious studies classes for that...

Fine—so I'm the villain here because I'm part of the 86% who are fine with how things are (if they weren't, they probably wouldn't have voted that way), and I'm clearly not part of that 14% who are miserable about it...
And apparently, because my kids are independent enough to walk to school or go to gymnastics in the neighborhood or play at the local park by themselves...
People probably think mine are too young to handle that kind of freedom...

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Robert Rodriguez9 said:Because at the end of the day, this should primarily be a secular nation.

Seriously, why hasn't anyone filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court about this yet?

Larry Walker24 said:Seriously, why hasn't anyone filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court about this yet?

Exactly... someone needs to step up and file...

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Basically, over fifty posts later, I still haven't seen a single coherent argument explaining why it's somehow "great" that these non-religious kids are forced to be independent by sitting alone in the hallway during class instead of being in the room.

NON-RELIGIOUS KIDS?????
Honestly, kids today need to be way more independent than they already are...
Don't you think?

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Larry Walker24 said:Seriously, why hasn't anyone filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court about this yet?

They totally did. That joke of a Supreme Court just claimed they don't even have jurisdiction over it.

shadowcrane91 said:Basically, over fifty posts later, I still haven't seen a single coherent argument explaining why it's somehow "great" that these non-religious kids are forced to be independent by sitting alone in the hallway during class instead of being in the room.

NON-RELIGIOUS KIDS?????
Honestly, kids today need to be way more independent than they already are...
Don't you think?

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NON-RELIGIOUS KIDS?????
Honestly, kids today need to be way more independent than they already are...
Don't you think?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J3 using Reddit

NON-RELIGIOUS KIDS?????
Honestly, kids today need to be way more independent than they already are...
Don't you think?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J3 using Reddit
Are you really struggling with the concept of what makes sense?

shadowcrane91 said:Basically, over fifty posts later, I still haven't seen a single coherent argument explaining why it's somehow "great" that these non-religious kids are forced to be independent by sitting alone in the hallway during class instead of being in the room.

NON-RELIGIOUS KIDS?????
Honestly, kids today need to be way more independent than they already are...
Don't you think?

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NON-RELIGIOUS KIDS?????
Honestly, kids today need to be way more independent than they already are...
Don't you think?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J3 using Reddit

NON-RELIGIOUS KIDS?????
Honestly, kids today need to be way more independent than they already are...
Don't you think?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy J3 using Reddit
It’s got nothing to do with how independent kids are. I’m looking for actual arguments to prove why religion classes should be part of the regular school day (and not just because 86% of people want them there...)

Look, I've made my stance clear as a Catholic, but I don't think religion belongs in public schools. If we stopped forcing kids into these classes just so they wouldn't be stuck hanging out in the hallway alone, maybe the number of believers would finally drop to a more realistic percentage...

At the start of the school year, my kid ended up sitting right outside their classroom because some other grade was using the library for their lessons. 🤔
Since two of them don't take religion class, sitting out there wasn't actually a huge deal; they just chatted, and I guess the time flew by.
Then, they went ahead and shuffled the schedule around. Now, religion class switches between being first period one week and last period the next, so they're either sleeping in later or getting out earlier.

I actually sent a note to the school asking if they could adjust the schedule back to how it was... but the teacher basically told me they wouldn't change it just to be difficult. 😁

I'm not sure if some other parents complained and triggered this whole scheduling mess—that’s probably what happened—but honestly, it didn't bother me when they were sitting outside the room. My kid is an eighth grader, so it's fine. But if they were younger and left alone for a whole hour, I suppose I’d be complaining and insisting on better supervision.

Scott Miller4 said:At the start of the school year, my kid ended up sitting right outside their classroom because some other grade was using the library for their lessons. 🤔
Since two of them don't take religion class, sitting out there wasn't actually a huge deal; they just chatted, and I guess the time flew by.
Then, they went ahead and shuffled the schedule around. Now, religion class switches between being first period one week and last period the next, so they're either sleeping in later or getting out earlier.

I actually sent a note to the school asking if they could adjust the schedule back to how it was... but the teacher basically told me they wouldn't change it just to be difficult. 😁

I'm not sure if some other parents complained and triggered this whole scheduling mess—that’s probably what happened—but honestly, it didn't bother me when they were sitting outside the room. My kid is an eighth grader, so it's fine. But if they were younger and left alone for a whole hour, I suppose I’d be complaining and insisting on better supervision.

Personally, I'd be pretty upset if my child spent an entire hour wandering the halls—whether they're in second grade or eighth. I pay way too much in taxes to expect that when I drop my kid off at a public school—which is supposed to be the standard for everyone—they'll actually be looked after. Even if there's some scheduling mess-up because of religion class, I want my kid to have the right to a desk and a chair somewhere in the building where they can quietly study for their next test or finish up some homework. You can't just tell me it's okay for my kid to sit on a bench outside a classroom doing absolutely nothing just because someone needs to hold a specific class. And no, "go take a walk" isn't a solution—regardless of what grade they're in. They can go for a walk after school or with friends or while walking the dog! When they're at school, I want them to be properly taken care of with a place to work—because that's the whole point of education, right? It shouldn't be like they're just staring at a wall because someone decided to squeeze in a religious studies class during third period.

Honestly, if even 5,000 pissed-off parents showed up at the State Capitol protesting religious ed in schools, maybe—just maybe—the government would actually do something. Until then? Total radio silence.

Nah, I guess they’d just say they’re waiting for the bus 😬

Sarah Hall53 said:Nah, I guess they’d just say they’re waiting for the bus 😬

😂

it used to be Marxism, now it’s just religious studies

they’ll dismantle the whole family unit just to squeeze in two hours of Sunday school per week🤦

Personally, I’m a big supporter of the way religious education is structured here in the States—it's the same model my own kids follow in their schools.

Lisa Rivera said:My mother mentioned that one of her son's classmates told him today that the devil was going to kick him right in the gut and drag him straight to hell just because he doesn't believe in God. ☕
First grade...
It's funny how Catholics are supposedly known for their boundless tolerance, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. By next year, they'll probably be holding a class vote to see if they can burn him at the stake.

And they picked on my son constantly—just relentless bullying starting back in first grade. Eventually, I had to teach him one thing: when those kids corner you again asking why you don't go to Sunday school, or why you don't believe in God, and all that nonsense—don't engage!. All you need to say is, "I don't know anything about that. My mom handles all of that, so you should ask her." Even if they try to insult you by saying your mom doesn't know what she's talking about—do not get sucked into the argument! Just tell them you'll pass the message along and let her deal with it later. End of discussion.

And you think people haven't questioned me? 😁
I was actually invited to their school once to assist with a workshop, and the whole crowd descended on me. "Why don't you let him attend religious studies?" "Why don't you believe in God?" It was endless... basically, I told them exactly what any rational adult would have said in that moment: that we don't all believe the same things and everyone has the right to be different. Basic pedagogy, really.

The bottom line for me is that they don't pick on my son anymore. To be fair, he's a very tough fourth grader now, and he's certainly not an easy target for teasing.

Daniel Chase13 said:Personally, I’m a big supporter of the way religious education is structured here in the States—it's the same model my own kids follow in their schools.

Same here. I got absolutely roasted for saying that on this thread...

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Andrew Doyle said:And they picked on my son constantly—just relentless bullying starting back in first grade. Eventually, I had to teach him one thing: when those kids corner you again asking why you don't go to Sunday school, or why you don't believe in God, and all that nonsense—don't engage!. All you need to say is, "I don't know anything about that. My mom handles all of that, so you should ask her." Even if they try to insult you by saying your mom doesn't know what she's talking about—do not get sucked into the argument! Just tell them you'll pass the message along and let her deal with it later. End of discussion.

And you think people haven't questioned me? 😁
I was actually invited to their school once to assist with a workshop, and the whole crowd descended on me. "Why don't you let him attend religious studies?" "Why don't you believe in God?" It was endless... basically, I told them exactly what any rational adult would have said in that moment: that we don't all believe the same things and everyone has the right to be different. Basic pedagogy, really.

The bottom line for me is that they don't pick on my son anymore. To be fair, he's a very tough fourth grader now, and he's certainly not an easy target for teasing.

Everything is fine, actually. He’s moved past being an atheist; now he’s a Viking because apparently, he believes in Thor. It's his choice, naturally. I was fair with him and told him he can believe in whatever he wants—if that's what he feels like doing...☕
If the school tries to mandate religious education in his grade later on, I’ll certainly be requesting that they find someone to instruct him in Old Norse traditions during those same hours. As a member of a religious minority, he should be entitled to his own instruction... unless, of course, I should just sue the public school district for discrimination? 🤣

Lisa Rivera said:Everything is fine, actually. He’s moved past being an atheist; now he’s a Viking because apparently, he believes in Thor. It's his choice, naturally. I was fair with him and told him he can believe in whatever he wants—if that's what he feels like doing...☕
If the school tries to mandate religious education in his grade later on, I’ll certainly be requesting that they find someone to instruct him in Old Norse traditions during those same hours. As a member of a religious minority, he should be entitled to his own instruction... unless, of course, I should just sue the public school district for discrimination? 🤣

Fantastic! I mean, those Norse myths really do carry some weight, don't they? 👍

But does your guy even have a clue what atheism actually means? I tried explaining the whole concept to him the other day when he came home claiming he was autistic. Honestly, I was baffled—I had no idea where he was getting this from... so I asked him why on earth he thinks he's on the spectrum 🤷 and he tells me straight to my face that he's autistic simply because he doesn't believe in God. 🤣 Naturally, I had to sit him down and walk him through the actual definitions of atheism versus theism... though I didn't dive too deep into the clinical side of autism. 😬

Lisa Rivera said:Everything is fine, actually. He’s moved past being an atheist; now he’s a Viking because apparently, he believes in Thor. It's his choice, naturally. I was fair with him and told him he can believe in whatever he wants—if that's what he feels like doing...☕
If the school tries to mandate religious education in his grade later on, I’ll certainly be requesting that they find someone to instruct him in Old Norse traditions during those same hours. As a member of a religious minority, he should be entitled to his own instruction... unless, of course, I should just sue the public school district for discrimination? 🤣

I love it
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🙂

Larry Walker24 said:Look, even the Nazis took power legally through elections back in '33 because that's what the majority decided at the time.

If it wasn't for Mark, we wouldn't have had same-sex marriage in America, all because "the masses" supposedly spoke up.

Where exactly did this massive group of people decide in '91 that they wanted religious studies in schools? Was there even a national referendum on that? I don't think so.

That's... uh, quite the comparison. So, what, you think religious fundamentalists are out there handing out weapons and inciting hatred too?

Matthew Young35 said:But what about the Satanists?
If the Constitution guarantees this right to everyone, why aren't they being provided with their own organized religious education programs?

The issue here is a misunderstanding of the law. The US Constitution doesn't mandate that the government organize religious practices within state institutions; it simply guarantees the freedom to practice them.

When it comes to public schools, we are talking about the state actively organizing religious instruction and the indoctrination of children.
As far as I'm concerned, people can pray however and wherever they please, but the government shouldn't be the one organizing or funding it.

I mean, what would happen with them?

Robert Rodriguez9 said:Because at the end of the day, this should primarily be a secular nation.

How does an election issue factor into that, though?

Larry Walker24 said:Honestly, if even 5,000 pissed-off parents showed up at the State Capitol protesting religious ed in schools, maybe—just maybe—the government would actually do something. Until then? Total radio silence.

No, they wouldn't, because you still don't seem to get that this is an election matter—it was basically a compromise made for parents who can't just leave work to drive their kids somewhere else.