Is Religion Affecting Your Child's Education ?

Since the shooting incident at Columbine High school, some have been urging us to merge church and state.

A Virginia public school district requested that the superintendent require district schools to post the Lord's Prayer and have a daily moment of silence at the request of a local evangelist and his supporters.  What about the non-believers?  Should they be forced to participate in something that doesn't mean anything to them?  Is a stigma  going to be put on them when they refuse to take part in this ritual?  After all didn't the FBI recently release a report on common characteristics of problem kids and wasn't one of the three labels that were to be watched out for the kid who doesn't participate in group activities?  And what about the little kids who's parents don't believe in God?   I am sure that they will feel a little out of place when they are in a class filled with a bunch of kids who are praying.  With the political power of religious groups on the rise, non believing kids and their parents may be looked at as lesser individuals.

In a Kentucky school district representatives have elected to post the ten commandments in order to promote good morals and prevent school violence.  The Jackson County school board and superintendent have allowed plaques with the Ten Commandment engraved on them to be posted in district classrooms.  Betty Bond, principal of Jackson County High School says that it is "an effort to start having good morals in school ... because of all the violent issues that have been showing up."  All this is doing is saying that if you don't believe in a god then you are not a good, moral person.  We agree that this is a basis for moral values but what about other lists such as the Buddha's' Eight-Fold-Path or his sixteen precepts or maybe something from other religions such as Hinduism or Native American beliefs.  The reason is because of the fact that these other lists are pagan according to Christian theism.  More schools around the country are thinking about putting more religious stuff in the classroom.

Don't think that people of a theistic religion are bad.  They are  well intentioned individuals but are they really doing what's best for the kids?

For more information and comments please visit the Free Thinkers of  Upstate New York home page at http://www.funygroup.org.