Essay: Should Religion Be Taught In Schools

According to the U.S. Department of Justice 's Hate Crime Victimization Report, the percentage of hate crimes that were motivated by religious bias nearly tripled between 2004 and 2012. In 2004, ten percent of hate crimes were motivated by religious prejudice; whereas, in 2012, twenty-eight percent of hate crimes were motivated by religious prejudice (Jackson). Many of those responsible for these violent hate crimes were students. In 2012, nearly one in five of those individuals were under the age of eighteen (Jackson). How can this be justified? Allowing the act of bullying to be even more prevalent in society is due to discrimination based on religion. Bullying includes the physical, emotional, and mental aspect which allows one to form an opinion about a certain race or religion. September 11, 2001, is a prime example of the prejudicial distress that allowed Americans to make a derogatory assumptions about Muslims based on the small percentage of radical Muslims who were responsible for the bombing of the Twin Towers. After September 11, the question of religion being taught in schools should have been a moot point. It is imperative that religion be taught in schools today. Supreme Court Justice …show more content…
Students attended mass twice a week during school and were requested to attend mass on Sundays and religious holidays (Purciful).
During Purciful’s junior high school and high school education, the study of religion had a great impact on her and her actions in everyday life, She realized the importance of the different views of different religions and she chose to continue to be active in the Catholic church. She also made the decision to raise her children with the study and knowledge of religions so they would have the choice to use that knowledge as a source of comfort and example on how to live one’s life with God’s