Religion and Schools: Entry #2

1. Compare and contrast the views presented.
· After reading the links Religion in Schools: The Debate Heats Up 2009 and Library of Congress Artifact, 3 main topics regarding religion and education were addressed: Moment of Silence, Evolution Theory, and Saluting to the American Flag
· The Moment of Silence is meant for prayer or personal reflection at the start of each school day. However, some viewpoints say the law is an unconstitutional breach of the separation of church and state. Proponents of the law argue it is a student's personal choice whether to pray or reflect more generally; therefore, defenders say that the law does not force religion on public school children. But critics like the American Civil Liberties Union see the law as a veil for incorporating religion into public education.
· Students in science classes feel intimidated by their teachers when they question the Evolution theory and would like the curriculum to change to evaluating strengths and weaknesses of the theory which includes studying the creationism. However the science teachers feel that there is no need to study weaknesses of the Evolution theory since there are no verifiable weaknesses to Darwin's theory of evolution.
· In 1935, Jehovah’s witnesses felt that by saluting the American Flag, they are violating the commandment of idolatry. Therefore the religious group did not participate in the ceremony and were expelled for insubordination. Some rulings agreed with this type of consequence for citizens are compelled to respect for the flag as a key symbol of national unity. However, other courts that dealt with similar situations held that the right of free speech guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution denies the government the authority to compel the saluting of the American flag or the recitation of the pledge of allegiance.
2. Record your initial, personal, reflective thoughts regarding the differences between the two views and situations
· I see how some people would fear that having a Moment of Silence would be a sneaky way to incorporate religious practices into schools, but since there are no provisions on what thoughts are to be practiced, I think there is nothing wrong with having a little quiet time for everyone before we start the day.According to the Wallace v Jaffree case in 1985: courts ruled that a period of silence for meditation or voluntary prayer is unconstitutional. You can however have a moment of silence with no stipulations.
· Taking into account that scientists believe that there is a lack of verifiable evidence regarding weaknesses of Darwin’s theory, I understand why they wouldn’t want to change the curriculum to studying strengths and weaknesses of the subject matter.
· Religion is a touchy subject, so if certain believers feel that they are committing a violation to their religion by carrying out a school/patriotic practice, such believers should be excused from the exercise since the First Amendment of Freedom of Speech protects those rights.