Nowadays, most people agree that religion has no place in education unless it’s being studied from a strictly intellectual perspective. As such, an individual – henceforth referred to as “OP” – has taken to social media to find out if they were in the wrong for reporting a teacher for incorporating religion into classes.
A Geographical Separation
OP’s family had previously moved a significant distance away. Despite the geographical separation, they maintained a polite but distant relationship, mainly through social media. The divide in lifestyles and beliefs was evident, yet it did not seem to impact their interactions significantly.
The Controversial Social Media Post
OP stumbled upon a social media post by one of their family members. It featured a photo of a letter sent from a teacher to parents, seeking permission to teach students the stories of the Bible and the “true” meaning of Christmas during the holiday season. Immediately, this worried OP.
Teach All Cultures
OP decided to comment on the post, suggesting that the curriculum should teach beliefs from all cultures. They also pointed out that modern Christmas is a blend of various beliefs. “I commented on the post that they should include other cultures’ holiday traditions too and maybe touch on the subject that modern Christmas is actually borrowed from many beliefs and has little to do with religion,” OP said.
Backlash and Legal Concerns
The backlash that followed was intense. OP’s attempts at promoting a more inclusive curriculum led to heated arguments within the comment section. Undeterred, OP reiterated their belief that including religious texts in public schooling might be illegal, even with parental consent. Later, OP reached out to the Freedom From Religion Foundation to seek clarification on the legality of the situation.
The Foundation’s Response
The foundation confirmed that it was, indeed, illegal to include religious texts in public schooling in the area, even with parental consent. Armed with this information, OP got in touch with the superintendent of the school district in question. The response was swift – the teacher was spoken to and the OP was assured that Bible-based Christmas teachings would not take place in the district.
A Family Argument
While OP may have felt a sense of accomplishment for affecting change, their actions didn’t sit well with their sister and mother. Word of the controversy inevitably reached their family members, who believed that OP had no right to intervene in the situation. They argued that the area held traditional Christian beliefs and, therefore, the curriculum was appropriate.
Not OP’s Place
OP’s family believed that, as someone living outside the area and not paying taxes there, it was not their place to get involved. This difference in perspective caused a deep rift within the family, with OP being called various derogatory names on social media.
Every Ugly Name
OP wrote: “I was happy with the result and felt like I had actually been able to enact change in the world around me without being too negative or getting anyone fired. Then my sister and mother started contacting me. They said that I had no right to report the situation as that whole area believes in the traditional Christian Christmas story. I got called every ugly name in the book. So, am I [in the wrong] for standing my ground on this issue?”
The Internet’s Response
OP’s post proved fairly popular and people, for the most part, said they did nothing wrong whatsoever. “We live in a country that does not allow for the establishment of any religion in our public institutions, including schools. If your family members don’t like this, they should move to a country with a state religion,” one person wrote.
Religion in Schools
Most commenters said religion has no place in education. One such individual said: “Religious teachings should only be held in religious schools, if at all. It absolutely has no place in a modern society’s public schooling system.”
A Catholic Perspective
Another person said: “I’m Catholic but believe strongly in the separation of church and state. Religion does not belong in any public school. If they want to discuss the Bible, that’s what religious education class is for.”
A Catholic High School
The commenter continued: “My sons went to public school and received religious education through our church on our own time. They later went to a private Catholic high school but that was our choice and it shouldn’t be forced on anyone in a public school setting.”
Freedom of Religion
The commenter concluded: “Setting aside the legal issues of using the public school setting and the funding it receives to promote one religion, doing so moves to invalidate the beliefs of all the other children present not of that religion. You didn’t do anything wrong. It seems to me that lately more people in the U.S. are forgetting that freedom of religion means freedom for all religions – and, frankly, it makes me nervous.”
Separation of Church and State
Another person said: “There’s supposed to be a separation of church and state. It’s in the Constitution. Public schools, funded by the state, shouldn’t only be teaching about Christmas without including the practices of other cultures. Technically, they shouldn’t teach about any of it because they’re all based on religion.”
Nothing Offensive About Holidays
The commenter continued: “There’s nothing offensive about celebrating holidays. If one chooses to feel offended by the way other cultures celebrate their version of Christmas, then I just feel bad that they’re condemning themselves to their own prison.”
Christian Holidays and Pagan Holidays
Others said what they would’ve done in OP’s situation. One individual wrote: “I would have gone the other direction and shown how the early Christians took Pagan holidays and converted them to Christian holidays to ease the conversion of those Pagans. Let them think about that for a while until they realize that Easter? Pagan. New Years? Pagan! Immortal soul? Pagan!”
No One Specific Religion
The aforementioned commenter went on to argue that some religious teachings might be appropriate in schools. They wrote: “There can be religious teachings in school as long as all religions are given equal time and no single religion is being pushed as the ‘true’ religion. That is the core of the separation of church and state. Not that a school cannot teach religion but that the school cannot teach one specific religion.”
Myth Has No Place in Reality
Plenty of other commenters were much harsher with their words. One said: “Overcoming the crippling effects that religion has had on this country and the world as a whole should be our number one goal. Myth has no place in reality.”
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