Graphic by Rachel Buigas-Lopez.

By Gabby Sahm

Staff Writer

@gabbysahm

There are many different religions throughout the world. Some have millions of followers, while some only have a handful. Regardless, every religion holds an importance to the person that is practicing it, and that should never be impeded upon.

That being said, there is a time and a place for you to practice and preach your views, and at a public school is not the time nor place.

How public schools handle religion has been a hot topic for years, from cheerleaders using Bible quotes on football games posters, to plaques of Bible verses being put on the front of schools. These instances all stem from the question of whether or not public schools should allow religion on their campuses or if they should keep the two separate?

Federal law states a teacher can say their religion in class, but they cannot teach it. The Federal law also states that public schools are prohibited from school-sponsored prayers or religious indoctrinations in classes.

If you want to go to a school where your learning is centered around religion, you need to direct yourself to private school. A majority of private schools, especially in Texas, are based around one religion that everyone follows while they are learning, while public schools are just based around academics.

I do not think I would ever go to a private school for that very reason. I do not want to be confined to learning about one religion when I do not even know what religion I wish to practice. Every religion has something new to teach with different views to give, and I would hate to miss out on them because I am being confined to learning about one religion.

I also do not think it is ethical to allow every religion to be taught in public schools because there would be clashes everywhere, like student’s views of God, and the practices they do daily. Many religions have different views and having those views crammed into one school for eight hours everyday, is bound to cause even more issues.

It would not be ethical for a school to allow all types of religion to be practiced, likewise it would not be ethical for them to strictly allow one religion to be practiced.
Separating the two will save the trouble of having to deal with arguments and even lawsuits that would surely follow if they two were combined. Religion does not have a place in public schooling unless it is learning about different religions and their effects on history during a world history class.