Education or Evangelization?

When thinking about religion and the government, a topic of conversation is often education and the role that religion should or does play into a public school education. A large number of cases that reach the Supreme Court involve in some way the teaching of religion on public school grounds. Some notable cases include Wisconsin v. Yoder, Edwards v. Aguillard, Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District, Agostini v. Felton, and Mitchell v. Helms, just to name a few. The Supreme Court has decided in a number of ways, but an important deciding factor in each case is that of whether or not the government is excessively entangling with the school system.

The Christian Educators Association International believes that faith is an integral part of teaching children about morals and about right from wrong, and so it aims to instruct Christian teachers on how to live their faith and evangelize in schools. It is training teachers to “transform public schools through God’s love and truth.” It is a non-profit organization and is an alternative to traditional teachers unions, and gives insurance and benefits to its members. Currently, there are about 6,000 members. The group says that what they do is not proselytization, but rather that the school is a place in which the Christian message can and should be spread.

The teachers are trained by attending weekend-long seminars named “Daniel Weekends”. The teachers learn that it is okay to pray with other colleagues during breaks or lunchtime, to lead before or after religious clubs for students, to pray with students outside of work hours, to answer any student’s questions about their beliefs, to keep a Bible on their desk and teach from it (if it fits with the curriculum), and to act in ways that are in accordance with Christian values. They also learn about the First Amendment.

Those in favor of the Christian Educators Association’s goals believe that religion should not be excluded from public schools, and that the First Amendment does not prevent it. Although the government cannot establish religion, it also cannot inhibit the free exercise of students and teachers to express their faith in school. They also say that it teaches students about the Constitution and their rights. Those opposed say that this is unconstitutional and is an establishment of religion. They also say that teachers should not be the ones encouraging or discouraging and religion or religious practices, and rather that should be left to parents and families rather than government officials.

I believe that this is unconstitutional and a violation of the Establishment Clause. Families, not teachers, should encourage religion. While I do think that it is okay to teach about religion in general in the classroom, I do not think a teacher should ever be preaching to his students or favoring one religion over another. By teaching students about their personal values, they are unfairly expressing the views of only one religion. If children see their teachers praying during the school day or see them leading prayer after school hours, they may be coerced into attending a meeting or prayer session, especially if they see the Bible out on the desk every day. I also think that not allowing teachers to spread a Christian message is not a violation of the Free Exercise Clause, because teachers and students are free to pray whenever they choose by themselves, with families, at church, or in any other place they choose. I do think it is okay for teachers to pray together, or for students to get together and pray. But I do not think that students and teachers should be praying together, because this may make other students feel that they must join in. It is also an entanglement of the government and the school, because the teachers are government officials.

What do you think? Should teachers be allowed to spread a Christian message during the school day? Can teachers lead prayer meetings for students? Is it okay for them to share their views on religion with students if they ask?