Chapter 3: Families and Communities

Religion is an important part of life for many United States citizens. However, the classroom is not the place to influence the religious views of students. Proponents of endorsing religion in schools argue that teaching the religion of their choice would be a good way to impart moral values on students. However, who is to say which world religion has the best moral values? It's far more logical to teach secular values, through the study of history and other humanities, than to attach them to religious beliefs. One of the biggest arguments over religion in schools has been over the contrasting beliefs of evolution and creationism. Where evolution has been backed up time and time again by scientific study, creationism has behind it the backing of centuries of religious tradition. This dilemma has caused many parents to lobby for the two to be taught side by side, or even have evolution stricken from the curriculum. This would be disastrous. Creationism is linked inextricably to a particular religious belief, and to endorse it as much as a scientifically backed theory like evolution would be tantamount to endorsing a state religion.