tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post4159063471856252230..comments2024-03-28T13:08:26.494-04:00Comments on Religion & American Law: Education or Evangelization?Brantley Gasawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02894338478934982958noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post-66696469326855749842016-03-22T21:26:38.668-04:002016-03-22T21:26:38.668-04:00I agree from a legal standpoint that some of the a...I agree from a legal standpoint that some of the aspects that the group teach are unconstitutional but I do not believe that the group is wholly wrong. If teachers wanted to go to seminars and retreats on how to live more religiously, that would be perfectly acceptable to help develop Christian morals. The issues occur when the teachers come close to preaching inside of the classroom. Having a bible situated on your desk and consistently focusing around the bible could lead to influencing the student's religious beliefs. I think that the group has a positive message and goal but that they verged upon mixing secular education too heavily with religious. Thomas M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17469738457252523662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post-77345758422462351212016-03-22T14:23:31.537-04:002016-03-22T14:23:31.537-04:00
I agree with your stance on this issue as well as...<br />I agree with your stance on this issue as well as with the comments made above. I think that the Christian Educators Association’s belief that “the Christian message can and should be spread” in public educational institutions is in itself unconstitutional. The teachers’ motive is to teach students how to live their lives in one religious way, which does not treat all religions equally. Furthermore, the teachers do not have a secular intention of teaching the students about religion, but rather preaching one, Christianity. The teachers are representative of the public institution in which they are employed by, which in turn makes them representative of the government. Therefore, religion should either be not taught at all in the school, or it should be taught with the secular purpose of informing students of the various religions that exist in the world. This leaves it up to the students and their families to decide in which way they should live. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00210586965032292556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post-18294906223538406102016-03-22T13:29:31.510-04:002016-03-22T13:29:31.510-04:00I agree with Hannah that this seems like an uncons...I agree with Hannah that this seems like an unconstitutional violation of the establishment clause. As long as the teachers are employed by public schools, openly praying at school and teaching using the bible could connote a state endorsement of religion in general or specifically Christianity. The group claims that they are not trying to evangelize, but I think that as long as the program's goal is to give religious teachings and teachers a presence in public schools, students could reasonable construe this as an establishment and monitoring these teachers could create an excessive entanglement. Maddie Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725558259827306947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post-72272383438760173932016-03-21T11:15:38.098-04:002016-03-21T11:15:38.098-04:00I agree that this is an unconstitutional violation...I agree that this is an unconstitutional violation of the establishment clause. While these teachers are being trained by a private outside group, they are still employed and paid by public institutions and the religious activity happens during the school day. Public schools are government sponsored institutions and therefore should not include religious teachings. I think this case is different from many of the other cases we have discussed since the public school teachers are the ones endorsing religion during school hours, which I think could create a reasonable perception of establishment. While the program claims that it is not engaging in proselytization, the purpose is still to spread religion in public schools, which does not have a secular purpose. Additionally, I think it is also an issue that this program only considers Christian religions. Christian religions are being encouraged in public schools, but other religions are not. This is not maintaining neutrality between religions, which also violates the establishment clause. Rebecca Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15896616109902325256noreply@blogger.com