No, religious studies / tolerance should be taught in ALL schools without favouritism. This is the best way to cool some hot headed idiots by showing them where the similarities are etc. not teaching the basics is a terrible decision that will only lead to uneducated persecuting people because they were never taught about people's beliefs.
Moose, what are your thoughts of people singing their national anthem at the Olympics? Or people flying the flag of their country in their yard or sporting a bumper sticker on their car depicting something symbolic of their country of origin? Where does the line of being Patriotic and being an extremist begin and end? I agree with your sentiments about ones choice on going to a private school of religious backing if you wish to have your kids learn about religion. But where are American kids being forced to learn about religion in public schools? If the heart burn of some is over the Pledge of Allegiance then I'm not understanding how this equates to religious brain washing. If classes are being offered about religion and one can choose to take that particular class to enlighten themselves on different beliefs around the world then good for them. If a person has a choice then I'm all for. But if it's forced, then no I do not agree with.
If you're responding to my last post, I deleted it before you posted this, because I feared I was wandering off the topic a bit, but, since you asked about where I draw the line on patriotism, I'll answer,mad it has already been discussed somewhat in this thread. My line is actually not well defined. It's more of a "penumbra" (the grey area between shadow and light). Here are some general thoughts. I run a business that I built from scratch, and I am proud of that because It's something I DID. I'm not proud to be Canadian because I'd DID nothing to earn it. I could have been born anywhere, but time and chance placed me here. That being said, I'm THANKFUL for my heritage. There is a difference between being proud of what you've DONE and being thankful for what you HAVE. Frequently one leads to the other, but not always. How do I feel About flags on cars and in yards? I have no problems with it. I have a Canadian flag on my bumper, not necsuse I'm proud of Canada, but because I'm a fan of Canada. I also have Miami Dolphins wallpaper on my iPad because I'm a fan of the Miami Dolphins. I'm not proud or ashamed of them. I simply get enthusiastic about them. People that are enthusiastic about their countries culture and practices are generally happy healthy people who have a proper mind set. As for the Olympics, as I'm a fan of hockey and a fan of my countries culture and practices, I cheer for them. But I don't cheer because I think we are better than any other CIVILIZED country. (We, along with the other civilized countries ARE better than the regimes that suppress and kill their own people in the name of (insert religion or ideology here) So, on to the bad stuff! What crosses the line? I think lots of patriotic country music pushes the boundaries. There was a song, and some forummers here will actually know the name, but here were some of the lyrics ..... "We'll put a boot up your ass, it's the American way! Oh Uncle Sam put your name on the top of his list, and the Statue of Liberty was shaking her fist, ooooooo red white and blue bla bla bla.........." Stuff like that makes people's hearts swell and their brains shut off. It makes the populace blind. Stuff like that is great in sports. Wanna see a group of people who went completely blind? Talk to ANY patriots fan and watch them excuse away Tom Brady's (and the teams) blatant cheating. The fans will all excuse away the mountains of evidence, and even the post game scandals as evidence was either destroyed or hidden. In sports, that's fine. Brady cheated his way to the super bowl and won the damn thing. It's not impactful in most of our lives, BUT, when you take that mindset and place it on a nation and its flag, like a patriots fan, you can excuse away all sorts of things, from lying and shoving a broken healthcare system on a populous that really didn't want it (Obama) to starting a war in Iraq for innaparoproate reasons (Bush) I'm rambling now, and have somewhat lost my train of thought (cracks open another bottle of moose head beer). Just don't be a Patriots fan ok?
All religions have their bad points, however in the vast majority of multicultural countries, national / state law comes before religious practices / ideals
I had no religion teachings or pledge in school. Its both bias n non educational n also improper to indoctrinate beliefs in school. Education is paramount not secular nor political ideals. My life growing up i learned other cultures from my friends eg Catholics Christians Sikhs Buddhists. Experiencing them 1st hand outside of school gave me a real perspective that cannot be taught. Parents n society r roadblocks n schools r not needed to overcome them. I developed my own tolerance thru friendship that accepts my friends ways as their way of living as they accept mine. A secular nation eg 'In God We Trust' create issues that would not exist if favourtism was not ingrained already. Private matters should remain private n not a competition eg Evangelical TV, sports celebration (Tim Tebow) Etc.
Christian guy: if 1 keys opens to that one lock, then the key was made perfectly for just that lock. Although, if a key is able to open many locks....well...we got a naughty key. Arab guy: I don't use keys, I use prayers. My brother though, he uses an AK-47 and screams, "KEYS FOR THE WIN!!" Buddha guy: why must we rely on keys? Why must we not open clear our mind from doors that block the passage way to peace and prosperity? Homeless New Yorker guy: man, can I just get the key to use the bathroom? All 3 guys stare at the homeless guy and start praying for him instead of helping him.
Try taking a kid out of public school to go to a religious school in California. I had a friend who tried it, and the public school gave the, no end of hell over it.
Also, being as evolution is taught in every Common Core, and most major curriculums, are they not pushing a belief on the children? There are many people who disagree with evolution and the "Big Bang", and yet it is preached in every science and history book. How about taking Darwinism Religion out of schools too, and teaching a load of unbiased mush?
i hope troll, if not: Evolution is fact Big bang is a fact disagreeing with it doesnt make it any less of a fact unless you provide evidence that supports your claim. and wtf is darwinism? **disclaimer** i know the facts i speak of are theories
Am I being trolled? Where's the camera? There is just as much proof of God existing as there is for the Big Bang.
there is the backgroundradiation, to name one thing.The universe is expanding to name another. Where is your proof?
His proof is a book of secondhand witness accounts from 2000 years ago, put together by men. Evidence like that wouldn't last 2 minutes in court. But this is getting slightly off topic now.
A. I do believe this IS technically on topic, being as you brought up religion. It seems you just don't like where this is going willy. B. The same can be said of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, George Washington, and Emporor Tiberius. There are only records of these men, both wrote by others, and themselves. You still have unwavering belief that Alexander the Great, and George Washington existed. C. Last thing before Willy get's angry because we're discussing religion, why is it that Atheists, who have the sole purpose of believing in no gods, constantly seek out ways to disprove God's existence? Despite claiming that they do not believe in God, their faith in no faith must be pretty weak, considering they occupy their time searching for ways to disprove Him.
i do not say a god doesnt exists, i cannot disprove him. no-one can, i can disprove the christian god though. but a god may exict, there is just no evidence to support he does exicts. just like i cannot disprove invisible elephants.
My thoughts on this vary. See, older children should be taught history. It definitely benefits society to educate, obviously. My point is: Not everyone believes in God. So, if a non believer sends their child to school and that child is subjected to practices they have no belief in, or use for...what's the point? It's almost like politics in a hidden setting. Younger children can perceive things in different ways, and constant repeating of a creed or oath, to me, is brainwashing. No need for religious practices in a setting where language, mathmatics, history and science should be prominent.