Religious instruction in the public schools....

[Dittohead not!]

....is dangerous and un American IMO.

[h=1]Islam in America's public schools: Education or indoctrination?[/h]

With fatal terrorist attacks on the declineworldwide and al Qaeda apparently in disarray, it would seem a time for optimism in the global war on terrorism. But the war has simply shifted to a different arena. Islamists, or those who believe that Islam is a political and religious system that must dominate all others, are focusing less on the military and more on the ideological. It turns out that Western liberal democracies can be subvertedwithout firing a shot.

I'm at least reasonably certain that no one here is going to argue that the sort of "education" described in the link is anything positive, but there may be some sympathy for similar instruction in Christianity.

Religious instruction in any religion is dangerous to freedom when it is conducted in the public schools.

Your thoughts?

 

[MaggieD]

....is dangerous and un American IMO.

[h=1]Islam in America's public schools: Education or indoctrination?[/h]


I'm at least reasonably certain that no one here is going to argue that the sort of "education" described in the link is anything positive, but there may be some sympathy for similar instruction in Christianity.

Religious instruction in any religion is dangerous to freedom when it is conducted in the public schools.

Your thoughts?

Hmmmm....I have mixed feelings. If Islam is being discussed in order to differentiate between this radical Islam out there today and "real" Islam, I don't really have a problem with it. Where are we supposed to learn about other religions if not in school? I think there should be Comparative Religion classes in every public school -- dealing with, perhaps, the top ten religions in the world. Why not?

Edit: Do the still spend a considerable amount of time teaching Greek Mythology? Can that **** and teach things that matter -- major religions of the world would certainly qualify.

 

[TheNextEra]

I have no problem with religious texts being the basis for a class in religious literature. When in high school, I had taken a bible literature class and it was taught quite well without any indoctrination. The same can be done for other texts as well.

The part where I think you cross the line is when you go from teaching a religious text from a literature sense to a "This is factual" sense.

 

[Gardener]

There is a difference between being taught about a religion and being taught that religion. The examples given in the article clearly cross the line into the latter.

I believe schools should include a curriculum on comparative religion, but the program should be adhered to with strict oversight and without ANY guest speakers.

 

[Sharona]

Hmmmm....I have mixed feelings. If Islam is being discussed in order to differentiate between this radical Islam out there today and "real" Islam, I don't really have a problem with it. Where are we supposed to learn about other religions if not in school? I think there should be Comparative Religion classes in every public school -- dealing with, perhaps, the top ten religions in the world. Why not?

Edit: Do the still spend a considerable amount of time teaching Greek Mythology? Can that **** and teach things that matter -- major religions of the world would certainly qualify.

The programs on Islam .. and the Arab world.. lasted 3 days.... answering questions such as information about music, cuisine, mode of dress... Pretty tame stuff.. I don't know if the program is still in place, but at one time you could contact the Saudi Embassy and get a kit.

 

[Sharona]

Maggie.. We had this discussion the last time I was in KSA.. The Americans scolded the Saudis for being so circumspect.. rather than opening up about their culture and traditions.

 

[Dittohead not!]

Hmmmm....I have mixed feelings. If Islam is being discussed in order to differentiate between this radical Islam out there today and "real" Islam, I don't really have a problem with it. Where are we supposed to learn about other religions if not in school? I think there should be Comparative Religion classes in every public school -- dealing with, perhaps, the top ten religions in the world. Why not?

Edit: Do the still spend a considerable amount of time teaching Greek Mythology? Can that **** and teach things that matter -- major religions of the world would certainly qualify.

I think the schools here do actually teach comparative religions. I know that they used to. I can remember asking a group of sixth graders who were studying religions which one they belonged to, knowing that they went to Catechism every week.

They didn't know.

which says a lot about the sort of instruction they were getting in Catechism, but anyway....

Are the examples in the link merely teaching comparative religion, or do they cross the line into indoctrination?

 

[HonestJoe]

There is a difference between being taught about a religion and being taught that religion. The examples given in the article clearly cross the line into the latter.

Some of them do if (and it's a big if) we assume they're being reported accurately and honestly. I've no doubt there are all sorts of bad practices in this area but I think there is just as much a risk in exaggerating and over-generalising the problem as there is in minimising it.

I believe schools should include a curriculum on comparative religion, but the program should be adhered to with strict oversight and without ANY guest speakers.

I agree on the general principles but I don't see why that has to exclude any guest speakers. Even someone who is going to present only one side of something in the context of what they believe shouldn't be a problem as long as the context is properly reflected in the wider curriculum.

 

[Visbek]

Yes, our schools should not teach our children to believe in a specific religion.

Yes, it's fine for students to study comparative religion. You can't understand without knowing the basic concepts of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and several other religions.

That said, the SF Gate article is just the usual anti-Muslim hysterics. There's no reason to pay it any mind.

 

[Dittohead not!]

Yes, our schools should not teach our children to believe in a specific religion.

Yes, it's fine for students to study comparative religion. You can't understand without knowing the basic concepts of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and several other religions.

That said, the SF Gate article is just the usual anti-Muslim hysterics. There's no reason to pay it any mind.

could be.

But isn't the "anti Muslim hysterics" a right wing meme?

from the SF Chronicle?

 

[Manc Skipper]

It does make unsupported generalisations. Mainly accusations from the objectors delivered as fact. I agree with what Visbek said.

 

[Visbek]

But isn't the "anti Muslim hysterics" a right wing meme?

Pretty much. SF Chronicle is not 100% liberal, they occasionally run opinion pieces from different views.

The author also writes for FrontPage Mag, which is a Horowitz production. She's no leftist.

Am I the only person who noticed this article was from 2008? I thought it was weird that she was discussing Almontaser, no one's talked about her in years....

 

[Dittohead not!]

Pretty much. SF Chronicle is not 100% liberal, they occasionally run opinion pieces from different views.

The author also writes for FrontPage Mag, which is a Horowitz production. She's no leftist.

Am I the only person who noticed this article was from 2008? I thought it was weird that she was discussing Almontaser, no one's talked about her in years....

Interesting. I didn't notice that.
I got this link from another forum, where a member was implying that Muslims were indoctrinating the youth, and that our "Muslim" president was behind it. Thanks for pointing that out.