I grew up in a small town in South Carolina, Heath Springs, which valued religion and traditional values. Most of the southeast is known as the "Bible Belt," and this is certainly true for my hometown. My town has a population of less than one thousand, and around two hundred attended the same Baptist church as I do. At my former high school, we had a fairly religious student body and staff. We were fortunate enough to be able to have prayers at pep rallies, before sporting events, and on other various occasions. This never seemed to have caused any problems for our school. No one ever seemed to feel as if they were being forced into anything. I can understand how it could cause problems, but I still believe religion is a topic that students should be educated on. Even though we had a small student body, we had numerous religious organizations, most of them led by faculty members. In a global studies class I took, our teacher was also a former youth pastor. Even though the class did not require the discussion of religion, that is often what it resulted in. One day after class, while talking to the teacher and a few other classmates, we discussed trying to bring a world religions class to our school. We were very serious about this at the time, but once it was taken to school officials, it was rejected because the district would never allow a religion class in a public school. I believe this class would have touched on various aspects that world religions have in common, and also how they differ from each other. It would be like a comparative religion class. Religion should not be, and actually is not, strictly prohibited from public schools, but it also should not be forced on anyone. This class should not be preaching religions, but merely teaching about religions found around the world. Though it will take some time for adjustments to be made if schools begin teaching about religion, I believe it is well worth the wait because it will help students learn how to respect others, and help in many other aspects of society. As a Christian, I do believe that religion should be in the curriculum for public schools. I do not support this so people can push their beliefs onto others, but because I believe, in order to fully understand our developing society, enhance students' education, and fully respect other cultures, students should be educated on this topic. Students can benefit from being educated on religion by developing moral character, becoming stronger in their own beliefs, and learning to come together as a community. 

Religion is a very sensitive subject to discuss for many people in society. This is because it is one of the most diverse topics in the world. Many countries have been founded upon it, and numerous wars have been started over it. In some way or another, religion has influenced many aspects of our growing world. Because of this, religion should be a subject that is required in public school's curriculum. Schools are required to teach many things that do not necessarily impact our lives on a daily basis, so why is religion not being taught, since is it so influential? I support teaching about religion in public schools because a proper education on religion will better the community in the long run. While it will better the community, it will also help the individual students by educating them on various religions from around the world. Society is constantly becoming more and more diverse, and by teaching about religion, the students are gaining the necessary information needed to be respectful, and to enhance numerous aspects of their education. Learning about different cultures can shape these students into individuals who are able to respect others, and be respected. While I support of teaching religion, I do not believe that forcing ideas on someone is the right path to take. I do not believe that just the teaching of particular aspects and morals of various religions will cause trouble, but if a student is forced to practice it, this is when it becomes a problem. If students are forced to practice the various religions, this will affect the individual and the community in a negative way. Forcing ideals on people is not the way to go. By looking at the increasingly diverse society, religion in various aspects of education, and the need for people to be more respectful of different cultures, we can see that public schools need to begin teaching their students about religion. This can better our diverse community by others having a more respectful understanding of people different from them, and enhancing the education of students attending public schools.

One reason that religion should be taught is because our world is constantly growing, not only by number, but also by diversity. With diversity rapidly increasing, the various religions in the world are also increasing. Some may be more prominent than others, but many are represented. Jeff Passe and Lara Willox are writers for the academic journal, Social Studies. Passe and Willox address how "the gap in religious knowledge has become more serious in recent years because of changing patterns of integration in the United States ... " (Passe and Willox 103). This demonstrates how society is continuously becoming more and more diverse as the years go by. With immigration comes various religious groups and different cultures. The United States, also known as the "melting pot," attracts many different kinds of people. People come from all over the world to the United States in search for a better life. In order to ensure a better life for the deserving people, they need respect from the current residents. Children need to be educated on this topic so they will become respectful adults over time. In order for society to develop along with its continuously increasing diversity, religion should be incorporated with the curriculum of public schools, and students should have the proper education needed to become respectful human beings. This includes being able to fully respect the cultures of others. If students do not get the decent, proper education that they deserve, they will not know how to address many issues of the world, while still being courteous. 

Many aspects of history, and even art, music, and literature, involve religion. Students see these things are keys parts of various cultures, but often it is over-looked by how much religion influences these things. If students are not educated on religion, they will be missing key aspects of information needed to understand these subjects. Most subjects we are required to learn about during our education are not even present in our daily lives. Religion is a subject not being taught, or at least properly taught, and we are constantly surrounded by it, and things that it influences. In order for students to be able to fully take advantage of their education, they must be knowledgeable about religion. Dan Dennett addresses in his TED Talk, "The key to our domination of the planet is culture. And the key to culture is religion" (Dennett). While I am not in support of world domination, I do agree with the latter part Dennett says. To become knowledgeable about various cultures, one must know about the religions that are involved. Religion greatly influences cultures of different people. Religion is a large aspect of what influences some cultures. To understand these cultures, one must have previous education on the subject. This is the same for students attending school. When these children, and young adults, enter the real world, they need to know what to expect. There is so much that they are not having to deal with as students. These things include encountering different people, going to different places, and learning new things. They will experience many new parts of life, and need to have previous knowledge on many issues, including ones involving religion. Christianity, Greek Mythology, and Buddhism, amongst many other religions and cultures, are commonly used in various texts. For a student to understand an allusion or religious symbol in literature, they need to have previous knowledge about religion. It is the same with learning about past events in history. Since many wars have been fought over religion, and related things, one needs to understand how a war could be started over something like religion. Joseph Laycock is a writer for Caring Magazine, a magazine that focus on different social issues in the world, one of the main issues being religion. As Laycock says, "The world's religious traditions are woven into the very fabric of human history and culture" (Laycock). By saying this, Laycock is inferring that human history and culture are what make up the various religions of the world. Different cultures, past and present, influence history and religious ideals. Religion is something that evolves over time, incorporating all kinds of different backgrounds and cultures. By learning about the world religions, students can enhance their knowledge, and get a better understanding of how religion impacts so many parts of our lives. Religious literacy will help students to enhance their education, and become well-rounded citizens. This will be beneficial to our society because, with having well-rounded residents, our community can become more respectful, safe, and productive as a whole.

When religion in public schools is discussed, people are quick to make judgments about the issues with it. One of these being that if public schools begin teaching religion that only one will be focused on. Although I am a Christian, I do not believe that Christianity should be the only focal point. Obviously, there will be slight issues with teaching about religion, but most that people believe are misconceptions. In order for the students to actually learn about different cultures, they need to learn about the various religions that these cultures practice. Obviously, Christianity is probably the most prominent religion in the United States, but it is definitely not the only one present. Because of the numerous religions, and denominations, aspects of all should be incorporated to have a better understanding of the growing world. Another common misconception is that students will be forced to practice the religions that they learn about. Kathleen Kreamelmeyer is an assistant professor of education at Ball State University. With this position, she is very knowledgeable about the issues in the public schools system. She states, "There is a difference between educating students about religion versus promoting or preaching one particular religion" (Kreamelmeyer). Teaching religion, and teaching about religion are two completely different things when it comes down to the classroom. Teaching about religion is merely educating students on various aspects of different religions, but not acting upon the religion. Teaching religion entails practicing religion, and promoting that religion. This can causes issues by pulling students away from their faith, and inferring that one religion is dominant over the others. This is the same concept as forcing ideas on an individual. While I support teaching about religion, I do not believe that forcing ideas on anyone is the way to go. I do not believe that just the teaching of aspects of various religions will cause trouble, but if a student is forced to practice it, that would be a problem. If students were to be forced to practice the various religions, this would not benefit society, but it would affect it negatively. 

Though I support teaching about religion in public schools, I realize that it will not happen anytime soon. If public schools ever begin to teach about religion, it will take a long period of time for the appropriate adjustments to be made. Since many are not educated on various religious aspects, it will take time to prepare teachers for a course on religion. Many public school teachers have gone so long being told that religion did not have a place in the school, that they do not know how to suitably handle situations that address religion. As Laycock, a writer for Caring Magazine, addresses, there is "no mechanism in place to train teachers and administrators about appropriate policies concerning religion in public schools" (Laycock). Since this would be a major change for public schools, all teachers and administrators would have to go through proper training and courses on the subject, the various religions that will be taught, its issues, and how it impacts the community. This will give the faculty and staff the knowledge to teach the course, and handle situations relating to religion in their schools. They will be better equipped to teach classes, address issues, and understand others.

Being educated on a topic, such as religion, means knowing the similarities, differences, and how various things under this topic can work together, if need be. If public schools across the United States do someday put religion into their curriculum, it should be a class that focuses on all of these things. It would be similar to a comparative world religion class. This class should focus on all the religions and denominations, not just one. It should address their various morals, ideals, and faiths. Doing this educates the students on what goes along with each religion. This can help them to become more respectful to others, religiously tolerant, honest, and self-disciplined. 

By looking at the increasingly diverse society, religion in various aspects of education, and the need for people to be more respectful of different cultures, we can see that public schools need to begin teaching their students about religion. This will better society, give individuals a more respectful understanding of people from different cultures, and enhance the education of students. With society rapidly growing with diversity, the understanding of others needs to grow with it. There are aspects of various religions that people need to learn in order to be respectful of others. Also, in order to get the most out of their education, students need to learn about religion. By teaching about religion in public schools, the students are gaining the necessary information needed to enhance numerous aspects of their education. They will be learning about a topic that impacts their daily lives, unlike some other subjects students are taught in schools. Learning about different cultures can shape these students into individuals who are able to respect others, and be respected. In some way, religion influences many, if not all, aspects of our society. Because of this, religion should be a topic discussed in schools. These students can make our future society better for everyone by having an education on religion. Though religion has a lot of controversy surrounding it, an understanding of it is needed in the world in order for us to grow as a community. 

