Religion In Public Schools Essay

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Thomas Edison, well-known American inventor, once said, “I do not believe that any type of religion should ever be introduced into the public schools of the United States.” However, some arguments for incorporating religion into public school systems are strong. Two articles titled Teaching about Religion in Elementary School: The Experience of One Texas District and Teaching Religion in Public Schools: Review of Warren A. Nord, Does God Make a Difference? by Samuel Ayers and Shelly Reid and Walter Feinberg, respectively, explore the various arguments as to why mandating religion into public school curriculum in both elementary and secondary levels is beneficial to students. Samuel Ayers and Shelly Reid explore the effects of teaching religion in a public elementary schools in one Texas district. The article begins by delving into why religion should …show more content…
Nord’s article titled Does God Make a Difference? Taking Religion Seriously in Our Schools and Universities. Nord believes religion should be offered in secondary and post-secondary education facilities. In fact, he not only believes it should be offered, he believes it should be required. “He proposes that two courses, one in religion and one in morality, be added to the required high school curriculum…” (Feinberg, 2013). In post-secondary schools, he suggests a one-year introductory course be required “…with one semester devoted to the Bible, Christianity, and Judaism, and the other to Islam and Eastern religions” (Feinberg, 2013). Feinberg explains Nord’s three reasons his position on incorporating religion into everyday curriculum in public schools, with his strongest point being that public schools shut off to religion completely and deplete any openness they had towards the various world religions. Furthermore, “According to Nord, the religious point of view should be present in every subject matter, from literature and economics to math and biology” (Feinberg,

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