Should religion be allowed in school?

I just received an e-mail about how some people are trying to completely take "God" out of the school system, including Christmas carols.

What should we do? Some don't believe that sexual education should be a part of the school curriculum, because it's the parents' job to teach their kids about sex. Is the same true in regard to religion? Is it the parents' job there also? Or, should it be the schools' job to get the children started in learning about both sex and religion? What about politics? Drugs?

I see both sides of the debate on this issue. One problem with allowing such programs or classes in schools (besides college) is the fact that there is so much to discuss and learn and where do you draw the boundaries? Where is the borderline set that one can't cross when teaching? In sex ed, is it an abstinence only program? Is contraception discussed? What about homosexuality? Bisexuality? Transgender? How vague or detailed will the book, lectures, and discussions be? With religion, does it mainly discuss what is the majority religion for the country, Christianity, or does it delve into other worldwide religions as well? How detailed or vague should these classes be? Same thing with politics and drugs. How sugar-coated will the drug talk be. Will it be like an abstinence class and chanting in unison, "Just say NO!" Yeah, that never worked. So, I do see potential problems in allowing such programs at schools, because there are so many directions the class can go. With these programs, especially in regard to sex, politics, and religion, the teacher is also likely to have a bias and that'll probably show through their teaching.

But, on the other hand, some parents don't teach their children about these things at home. Sometimes, parents expect the child to come to them when they're ready to talk and I'm sorry, but the parents have to be assertive, sit their child down and initiate these talks. Parents will usually have a strong bias on these issues as well. They were raised a certain way and most likely, are raising their children in a certain manner. Parents can also sugar-coat things. They sometimes don't know what exactly to talk about or how far to take the conversation if and when certain questions are asked. It's very difficult to draw an impenetrable line and not be flexible with it, going with the flow of the conversation.

So, here's my opinion on it. Be very light with the sex and drug talk in grade school, but get started with the talks and perhaps have a video or a program in 5th grade. Also, keep the Christmas celebration and carols for those who choose to partake in them. Our Christmas spirit tends to fade and die on a yearly basis. Let the kids enjoy things while they still feel the magic of the holidays. Middle school is typically when teens start trying cigarettes, drugs, and become sexually curious, so this is the time to educate and talk to them in more detail. Don't wait until high school. It'll be too late by that time. I also might make it mandatory to take two courses, one involving sex and drugs and the other involving politics and religion. This is the time in a person's life when they're experiencing some major changes and through that, trying to find themselves and what they believe in. Even though teachers can be biased, I'd try to lay the courses out in a manner where their biases wouldn't get in the way much, so the students could learn a broad range of ideas, beliefs, and insights. So, even if they were taught only one way at home, they'd have the ability to finally see outside the box their parents created for them and hopefully not be forced into being a person they wouldn't want to be otherwise.

So, should religion be allowed in school? Yes, I think it should, but in a more open and broad manner than I'm sure some would like to see. It's not the schools' job to tell students what to believe. It's their job to educate. That's all I see this as. The students are welcome to go home and believe what they want or to go to the church they so choose, but unless a child goes to a private school affiliated with a particular religion or sector of a religion, then it's not the school's job to force-feed the student into believing one thing and one thing only. If that was the school's job, there'd be no reason to have school. English would become William Shakespeare jammed down our throats. Science would become nothing but Einstein. Psychology would be nothing but Freud. That's not how it's done though. We're given several different books from different genres by different authors in English. We're given different theories and formulas from different scientists in whatever Science class we may be taking. We read about different beliefs and theories from the people who have shaped Psychology over the years. Perhaps if children had more of a balance in their lives with these topics, they'd be less prone to developing prejudices on certain groups of people, yet, at the same time, able to feel comfortable believing in their respective religion.