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Subject Areas |
Teaching About Religion |
in support of civic pluralism |
History/Social Sciences |
IT IS OKAY |
IT'S NOT OKAY |
To explain religious doctrines (Biblical or Qur'anic or Vedic or other) and expose youngsters to a religion's fundamental narratives in keeping with historical method. To teach about religion in an historical way (historical research works by means of traceable causation and by analogy with the experiences of the present day). To judge ancient writings using academically sound procedures rather than the standards of a given religion. [OABITAR] To say, when Caleb asks if it is true that [the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven]: "Some people believe so; others don't. It's a matter of faith. Why don't you discuss it with your (parent or religious leader)? To say, in the above situation, "This assertion from [the Qur'an] is part of a narrative that is sacred [to Muslims] and not a statement that comes from historical perspective. To include creation stories and Creationism concepts in classes on comparative religion as an example of how some religious groups believe human life began. [ADL] |
To teach religious dogma, faith doctrines, and narratives as history (i.e., that the stories in venerated literature are historically accurate, that the characters are real or that the events actually took place or that the miracles were true). To teach about religion in a non-historical way (e.g., using a worldview interpretation, overlooking the fallibility of oral tradition or available archeological evidence). To use one's own worldview to evaluate the validity or worth of ancient texts. To use your own worldview rather than an academic foundation to respond, when Sarah asks if [e.g., Moses's parting the Red Sea to let the Israelites escape their enemies] really happened that way. To teach that a particular creation story or a Creationist explanation of human origins is in fact how human life began. |
References: 1 Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1968) 2 Aguillard v. Edwards, 765 F.2d 1251 (5th Cir.), aff'd 482 U.S. 595 (1987) 3 McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education, 529 F.Supp. 1255 (E.D. Ark.1982) cited favorably in Edwards v. Aguillard, 482 U.S. 578 (1987) 4 Freiler v. Tangipahoa Parish Board of Education, 185 F.3d 337 (5th Cir. 1999) cert. denied, 530 U.S. 1251 (2000) 5 Illinois ex rel. McCollum v. Board of Education, 333 U.S. 203 (1948) (Jackson, J., concurring) 6 Washegesic v. Bloomingdale Public Schools, 33 F.3d 679 (6th Cir. 1994) 7 School District of Abington Township, PA v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963) 8 Sease v. School Dist. of Philadelphia, 811 F.Supp. 183 (E.D. Pa. 1993) |
Science |
IT IS OKAY |
IT'S NOT OKAY |
To teach evolution in science class. The United States Supreme Court has determined that it is unconstitutional to restrict an educator's right to teach evolution. [ADL-with court citation 1] To refuse to teach creationism. The United States Supreme Court has held that it is unconstitutional to require educators who teach evolution also to teach creationism. [ADL-with court citation 2] To teach in science classes only the scientific explanations for life on earth and scientific critiques of evolution. [ADL] To use scientific criteria and statements of the preeminent scientific organizations to extol the merits of the scientific theory of evolution through natural selection. To refer to creationist concepts of origins as examples of how some religious groups believe human life began. |
To fail to teach evolution in an effort to avoid offending some religious individuals. To teach creationism (creationist theory based on the biblical account) in the science classroom. [FCG] To teach "creation science" (creationism) as a response or counterpart to the theory of evolution. Creationism does not meet either the legal requirement or tenets of science as scientists use the term) [ADL-with court citation 3] To teach as science, the theory that humankind was created by a divine being. [ADL] To treat creationist analysis as scientific critique. To provide to students disclaimers regarding the theory of evolution as the only explanation for the development of humankind. (Disclaimers have been found to be unconstitutional.) [ADL-with court citation 4] To teach that Creationism is a scientific fact. [ADL] To teach "intelligent design theory," that is, that the very complexity of the world makes the existence of God the only reasonable explanation for the development of humans. This theory, often couched in scientific terminology, is just another species of creationism theory, and thus also must not be taught in the classroom as science theory or fact. [ADL] |
Art/Music/Drama |
IT IS OKAY |
IT'S NOT OKAY |
To include the study of religiously inspired material as a part of a secular educational program. [ADL-with court citation 5] To use art, drama, music or literature with religious or nonreligious themes when it serves a sound educational goal in the curriculum. [TGRPS] To teach about religious and nonreligious (freethought) influences on art, music, literature, science, and social studies in relation to a culture. [OABITAR] To include religious or nonreligious (freethought) music or drama in school events that are part of a secular program of education. To present public performances or presentations of music, literature and art are permissible, as long as they are "presented objectively as part of a secular program of education." [ADL-with court citation 7] |
To permanently display religious artwork. [ADL-with court citation 6] To allow religious or freethought music, literature, art or other worldview-derived activities to dominate a classroom activity. [ADL] To ignore the sway of religious and nonreligious imperatives on culture, or to emphasize one form of influence and ignore the other. [OABITAR] To have a school's choral group sing songs that are religious in nature unless the songs are part of a larger program of music that is secular. [ADL] The content of school special events, assemblies, concerts and programs must be primarily secular, objective and educational, and may not focus on any one religion or religious observance and may not appear to endorse religion over nonreligion or one religion over another. [ADL-with court citation 8 and citation 7] |