TEACHING RELIGION

April 2000
		How should schools teach religion to students? The Freedom Forum's Charles Haynes and comparative religion teacher Jim Maechling respond to your questions.

Forum introduction Is the definition of religion changing? Are non-believers included in the new curriculum? Are astrology and Scientology taught as religions? Should kids learn about things like yoga and meditation? Can't religion be incorporated into other subjects?     Feb. 11, 2000: A report on the fight to post the 10 Commandments in public schools. Jun. 4, 1998 One of the nation's leading teachers of religion, Martin Marty Dec. 25, 1995 What place religion has in the lives of Americans? Browse the NewsHour's coverage of religion and education   The Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center Jim Maechling's comparative religion site The U.S. Department of Education.

Kess Frey of Anchorage, AK asks: I feel that voluntary exposure to experimental methods like prayer, ritual, yoga and meditation are an essential part of the quest for awareness. Do you think these methods should be used in the classroom? Why or why not?   Charles Haynes responds: No. It is unconstitutional for public school teachers to lead students in prayer, yoga, meditation or any other religious practice. Education, not spiritual awareness, is the mission of the public school. Faith formation (including spiritual awareness) is the responsibility of the family and faith communities, not the public school. Students, of course, may pray or meditate in public schools alone or in groups as long as such activities don't interfere with the rights of others or disrupt the school. But teachers may not either inculcate or denigrate religion or religious practice. Some teachers decide to "role play" meditation or introduce yoga to students as a way of "teaching about" various religions or exposing students to these practices. In my view, recreating religious practices or ceremonies through role-playing or any other method should not take place in a public school classroom. Such activities, no matter how carefully planned or well-intentioned, risk undermining the integrity of the faith involved. Moreover, role-playing religious practices may also violate the conscience of students who are asked to participate. Some lower courts may allow yoga to be taught in a public school if it is done in a way that is entirely divorced from any religious content or message (i.e., purely a physical exercise). I would still suggest that this not be done. In my view, yoga cannot be divorced (nor should it be) from its religious roots. And for many parents, yoga remains a religious practice no matter how "secularized." The courts have been clearer about prayer and meditation: Public schools may not promote or lead students in these activities. For more information about the constitutional and educational guidelines for dealing with religion in the classroom, consult our Web site. www.freedomforum.org   Jim Maechling responds: Yes, if they are approached properly and the students are not pressured to accept or participate in any religious ritual or doctrine. All activities in my comparative religions class are optional. The course is an elective. I don't think it would have survived over three decades in a multi-cultural public high school unless it presented all religions fairly and with deep respect. The only disappointment I had in watching the NewsHour video segment on my class related to the meditation with the Buddhist monk. Charles Haynes of the Freedom Forum said this was an "inappropriate" classroom activity. I have great respect for Professor Haynes' sense of fairness and feel that he might have reached a different conclusion if he had observed the entire lesson in its context. The monk, Reverend Kusala, was showing my students the same method he teaches juveniles in prison to reduce stress and sleep at night. In about three minutes, he rings his bell and tells them: "Say to yourself…As I breathe in I relax. As I breathe out I smile." Would you call this activity sacred or secular? To equate this with something like the mass or communion is absurd to me. There is no worshiping of the Buddha or anything like that going on my classroom. All the major world religions have developed forms of meditation, but they are presented in my class as a secular activity. Also, consider that most recent studies indicate addictions to nicotine, alcohol, and drugs are steadily rising among teenagers because they are under enormous pressure. Yoga and meditation have become popular in today's culture as healthy, non-chemical alternatives. What's wrong with introducing these ideas to high school students?