QOTW----What would YOU do?

MommaJones · #1 February 19th, 2012, 06:43 AM

Regarding school and prayer? If you found that a teacher was "teaching" your children about God and religion?

What if they had prayers posted or said during school or school events?

Have you had something like this that you dealt with personally? Share your story!!!

Curious to see everyone's answer to this.

Maggie1975 · #2 February 20th, 2012, 10:00 PM

Honestly, I am not sure what I would do. Living in the bible belt I have had to deal with religious crap my whole life. From being coerced/bribed to go to church as a young child to having to listen to prayers at football games, it is something I have had to live with.

I hope the values that I instill in my child will allow them to be strong enough to cope with the idiocy that is the religious segment of the population.

YukiSumah · #3 February 21st, 2012, 05:44 AM

Never happened to me, but I would sure have a word with the principal.

Jenna · #4 February 21st, 2012, 08:11 AM

"Hello, is this the president of the school board?" If the school board won't do anything about it, it's off to the local chapter of the ACLU.
A young lady in Rhode Island just successfully took on her school in court. Of course, now the majority of her school (and adults in her community!) are harassing her and making her life miserable... Apparently the Constitution and Bill of Rights don't mean much to them. I aspire to raise my child to be as strong as she is. I also count us as lucky that we live in a very openminded community and don't have to deal with religious folks very often.

RinkMom · #5 February 22nd, 2012, 06:35 AM

I grew up in a very Catholic house, went to a Catholic school, had religion forced down my throat and was forced to go to Church. Where we live, we could have sent our kids to a Catholic school or to public school. We chose public for obvious reasons. It is my understanding and hope that religion or prayer are not part of the curriculcum. I do not think I would do anything explicit if it were to suddenly happen at the school. The kids are exposed to prayer/church/religion through their friends and I am okay with that but it is not something I believe.

pumpkinpie24 · #6 February 22nd, 2012, 07:17 AM

It depends on the extent of the teaching, and the grade level.

My fifth grade teacher was pushing religion on us, though I didn't know it at the time. I remember we had to write a Thanksgiving essay about things we were thankful for, and she picked one from each student to compile into a document. Mine was "I am thankful for god. We worship him by going to church." (which I didn't!)

It bugged my parents, though, even though they were neutral about religion. To this date, I really don't know their stance on educating us about religion. I think it was pretty much a hands-off approach. In late elementary school/middle school, both my sister and I attended church with friends, and went to meetings of things like Campus Life. I think they just wanted us to make decisions on religion on our own. It turned out neither of us were interested, so our involvement didn't last long.

My sister is definitely atheist or agnostic, but has no problem with it unless it's being pushed in our faces by politicians. She sent her kids to a church day care, because it was the best one around. Her mother in law is a reverend for the Disciples of Christ, and she takes my niece and nephew to church every time she visits. My sister definitely allows it--like my parents, she wants her kids to make their own decisions. (They are 8 and 5 now.) They love going to church! But as far as I know, they don't talk about religion much outside of those experiences. My sister's in-laws live in California so this doesn't happen often.

My husband and I are more militant about it. We probably would complain to administrators if we heard about teachers pushing religion in the classroom, and definitely if they taught ID or creationism in science as an alternate theory to evolution.

*Kiliki* · #7 February 28th, 2012, 01:46 PM

i would be upset...IMO public schools is NOT the place to teach children about religion....nor is it their job it is the job of the PARENTS...not anyone else...even if i was a believer it would make me upset cause what if that said teacher was teaching them something different then what i was teaching them at home or they were getting from church?!?! you cant assume everyone follows the same religion exactly the same...