Please answer this survey about Religious Freedom in Schools (serious answers only please)?
Should children be allowed to pass out fliers expressing their freedom of religion in public schools if it is done during non-instructional time such as recess or on the bus? Why or why not? Remember that, if Christians have the right, everyone else does too.
Does a school endorse any particular religion by allowing students to distribute their own fliers about it? Why or why not?
What impact do you think fliers conveying a religious message would have when compared to other forms of religious expression like clothing or jewelry? More, less, or the same? How?
Answer:
I don't think religion should be brought into public schools. School is a place to learn, not to have people's beliefs pushed on you. It would be way too controversial and it would make things too chaotic. I'm not saying people shouldn't be exposed to other's beliefs, I just don't think it should happen at school.
The first amendment guarantees freedom of religion without government interference.
Should children be allowed to pass out fliers - no
Does a school endorse any particular religion by allowing students to distribute their own fliers - yes
They would have more impact
Students can legally pass out fliers on religion if any other organization is allowed to distribute fliers. If you wanted to be technical, any YMCA literature would be considered religiously affiliated. The same would be true of many charities such as local food pantries, etc. Religion is in the schools, like it or not.
No fliers. If you want to pray to your God during recess
or between classes, fine- no problem.
But pushing your views on anyone (even as innocently
as giving out fliers) definitely rubs me the wrong way.
(Just as I would jump all over a Jehovah's Witness if
they dared to set foot on my property).
No, I don't think that children should be influencing children with regards to religion. School should be a place where children can pursue academic interests, and religious interests should be learned at home or in church.
I also feel that allowing religious solicitations could steer children into developing intolerance of religions other than their own. It's not like our students are doing so well on the global academic stage that we can turn efforts elsewhere.
Speaking from a parents point of view, I think they shouldn't be allowed to pass out fliers. The main reason is I send my kids to school to learn, if i want them to learn religion about religion I will take them to church. Nowadays their enough distractions in school as it is.
1. No. No one should be allowed to for any reason. Religion does NOT belong in public school.
2. YES. I have seen it happen, and experienced it through high school in Alabama. Only the Methodists and Baptists were allowed to because the administration comprised of those two sects.
3. Possibly more, but NONE should be allowed. The only reason it would be more is because it is more obvious than someone wearing a cross, star of david, etc.
No, school is not a place of religion unless it is a privately funded religious school. No a school should not endorse a particular religion for the same reason I just stated. This could lead to divisiveness at school and you are supposed to be learning, not pushing religion and fighting.
Treading on dangerous ground, I think. First, because what happens when some children want to pass out material on Islam, atheism, Wicca? (I am not personally against any of these). Then parents are going to be ticked, right? If Christian students can pray in school, can students who practice Wicca can say incantations? Crosses and symbols of the devil. Oh boy. There will be heck to pay and then some. Maybe it's better that schools stay neutral ground.
This is a very tough question. In many ways I feel as though if someone truly wants to spread their views on religion that they should but children handing out fliers is a little much. When I first started reading your posting, I thought that you were talking about older children such as highschoolers, but then you said something about handing them out during recess. Unfortunately for me, I feel as though elementary age children still have not developed enough to have the type of skills to understand religion yet. Yes, they can have beliefs about it but most of the time a child is following the authority figure in their lives and what they believe in at such a young age.
Also I feel that it depends on a schools rules. For example, many public and private schools and colleges do not allow the students to hand out any sort of fliers for any sort of purpose. For example I was in a showcase on campus and we were not allowed to hand out fliers to people on campus because it was simply a rule. The showcase had no religious undertone at all, in fact it was just a group of people that just love to perform.
Lastly, I wanted to say that when people hand out fliers most people do not look at them. I've been handed them time and time again and I never look. If I do, I never remember what they are about, which is horribly considering the fact that someone had to take time out of their life to make those fliers.
public schools under the constitution shouldn't be allowed to endorse anything. even forcing prayer in schools and prayers before meetings and games is a violation of the first amendment because it forces people who don't want to or don't believe or practice other faiths to do it. the founding fathers intended the right to religious freedom to include the right NOT to worship. "one nation under God" is directly saying if you believe in Buddha, allah, or in karma you don't count.
Vin
I am in general agreement that religious fliers not be handed out in schools. BUT, if other fliers are distributed then perhaps a rule must be made - you can't pass out ANY fliers. Also, to say that religion doesn't belong in schools - Inquisition? Rennaisance? Crusades? These are but a few of history's important events that require addressing and explanation. I don't know how we would get around that. More study is necessary.
Of course they should be allowed. Since when was it illegal to do so? Everyone thinks the constitution bans teaching or even talking about religion in public schools but this is just not true. All the constitution says is that there shall be no law made regarding the establishment of religion. What this means is that the federal government shall not establish a state religion. Any person with some grasp on history would know that the founders were against the founding of a state religion, like in Saudi Arabia today. That is all it means. Schools and government officials can talk and even teach religion if they wanted to. Now I am not saying that they should, its probably best that schools not get too involved but there is nothing illegal about it. And by the way, I don't care about any Supreme Court rulings on this subject. Just because the Supreme Court rules one way on something doesn't make it right. Its a pretty easy line in the constitution to understand if people would actually read it.
I don't really think it's appropriate to hand out fliers of religious nature,especially to young kids.
However, religious material and subject matter should not be banned from the class room because it's important to understand other peoples' views. So a religious resource center, that offers information about many religions would be more appropriate.
There is nothing wrong with having pride in your religion, but when you "shove it down someone's throat" you've crossed the line.
As for endorsing a religious view by handing out fliers, It's a definite yes.
yes they should be able to
if they're SUPPORTING a religion
not bashing one
No, religion has no place in public schools. If students want to pass our religious materials, let them stand on a street corner downtown or outside a supermarket.
Keep your religion in your home and your church and leave others alone.
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