Poll: Teachers Not Allowed to Discuss Personal Religious Beliefs in Class

[Tomster595]

Just to give some background, I am a 12th grade student in an Honors English Class.

My class's most recent assignment was to read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Today, we continued our class discussion on the novel. If you've read Heart of Darkness, you know that it brings up many questions about good, evil, and the human condition. Therefore, the book indirectly raises the question, is there any good in the world? We discussed this and the discussion continued to become more and more abstract until we were asking how are good and evil truly defined.

Now, this was a very interesting discussion until one student asked my teacher what he personally believes evil is defined as. At this point my teacher started to explain, but then stopped himself saying that there is a rule (either a district policy or state law, I cannot remember) that prevents him from discussing his own religious beliefs in class. Now, I may not be religious, but i was still very interested to hear my teacher's point of view. So I personally feel that this rule or law prevented us from progressing an education and interesting discussion.

So my question to you is: Should teachers be allowed to discuss their own religious beliefs in the classroom, and if so under what circumstances? My answer is obviously yes, especially under this circumstance where the teacher was directly asked by a student.

 

[dfphetteplace]

I would like to say yes, as in a situation like your own, but I know that it would be abused and teachers would try to use it to make kids think like they do.

 

[AGrey]

No.

Teachers should not be allowed to proselytize to their students. Parents allow their children to attend schools with certain assumptions about how their students will be treated there, which includes the guarantee that state-funded schools will not advance religious doctrine.

If you allow teachers to inject their personal faith into the curriculum, you are removing any sort of parental oversight.

In theory, the teachers answer to the school board, who answer to the parents. Parents electing board members who create rules dictating what teachers can do is the only way that parents know that the teachers are doing things the way they should be.

 

[artanis_neravar]

I would like to say yes, as in a situation like your own, but I know that it would be abused and teachers would try to use it to make kids think like they do.

Pretty much this, they should be able to discuss their own beliefs in context like that, but they shouldn't be allowed to preach and go into the real details

 

[xdom125x]

If it is relevant to the topic at hand, sure. If I just went up to a teacher and asked him/her to explain thier views, they shouldn't be compelled to answer but they shouldn't be prohibited from doing it either.

Related: I have one teacher that refuses to explain his political views for the same reason but he usually plays devil's advocate for whatever is being argued against for the sake of discussion. It at least makes people question their own stances, which is nice.

edit: I should mention I am in high school. If the person is in high school, they should at least understand that other people hold different opinions than them and they should be able to deal with that. Being presented with differing opinions isn't proselytizing.

 

[inFAMOUSCowZ]

I think they should. My teachers do minor religious discussion, in english. It s here that most people found out I'm atheist, and honestly it mainly comes down to me and my teacher talking. Since everyone is is just sitting there.

 

[Trolldor]

Just to give some background, I am a 12th grade student in an Honors English Class.

My class's most recent assignment was to read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Today, we continued our class discussion on the novel. If you've read Heart of Darkness, you know that it brings up many questions about good, evil, and the human condition. Therefore, the book indirectly raises the question, is there any good in the world? We discussed this and the discussion continued to become more and more abstract until we were asking how are good and evil truly defined.

Now, this was a very interesting discussion until one student asked my teacher what he personally believes evil is defined as. At this point my teacher started to explain, but then stopped himself saying that there is a rule (either a district policy or state law, I cannot remember) that prevents him from discussing his own religious beliefs in class. Now, I may not be religious, but i was still very interested to hear my teacher's point of view. So I personally feel that this rule or law prevented us from progressing an education and interesting discussion.

So my question to you is: Should teachers be allowed to discuss their own religious beliefs in the classroom, and if so under what circumstances? My answer is obviously yes, especially under this circumstance where the teacher was directly asked by a student.

No, never. A teacher is in a position of authority that is exploitative. It's the same reason relationships between teachers and students are made illegal, because of the positions of power between teacher and student.

 

[Tomster595]

If it is relevant to the topic at hand, sure. If I just went up to a teacher and asked him/her to explain thier views, they shouldn't be compelled to answer but they shouldn't be prohibited from doing it either.

Related: I have one teacher that refuses to explain his political views for the same reason but he usually plays devil's advocate for whatever is being argued against for the sake of discussion. It at least makes people question their own stances, which is nice.

Yes my teacher will usually do the same thing, making people question their own stances. But I feel we ca learn very much from asking the questions as well. If we knew his beliefs we could perhaps question them causing both the students and the teacher to learn.

 

[Radoh]

By and large if they are given the right it will lead to a few teachers abusing the system and making the whole thing a big mess, so I figure that unless the kid outright asks religious questions that the teachers should leave it undecided.

 

[bob1052]

As long as they are discussing it and not preaching and converting there is no problem.

 

[Tomster595]

I took a philosophy class the majority of which focused on religion, we had an amazing teacher and I still have no idea about his personal views. Ergo you can have such a discussion with/teach your students about religion without directly stating your beliefs thus the benefits of the law outweigh the negatives (which are virtually non existent)

I partially agree. Yes, you can have great discussions without the teacher directly stating his beliefs, as we do. However, I think it would make things even better if we could know his beliefs. I just don't think the negatives are "virtually nonexistent" as you say.

 

[ZeZZZZevy]

discuss when appropriate? absolutely.

advocate or push said beliefs? absolutely not.

there's a fine line between the two, which is probably why there's a law or whatever to prevent it altogether, to avoid lawsuits from sue-happy people

 

[Unesh52]

No.

Teachers should not be allowed to proselytize to their students. Parents allow their children to attend schools with certain assumptions about how their students will be treated there, which includes the guarantee that state-funded schools will not advance religious doctrine.

If you allow teachers to inject their personal faith into the curriculum, you are removing any sort of parental oversight.

In theory, the teachers answer to the school board, who answer to the parents. Parents electing board members who create rules dictating what teachers can do is the only way that parents know that the teachers are doing things the way they should be.

Discussing =/= proselytizing

This was, admittedly, my first reaction, but honest opinion is important for developing trusting relationships and relevant, fruitful discussion. The line should be drawn where the religious beliefs are imposed on students, i.e., say your prayers during the moment of silence or it's detention for you, or random sermons that are unrelated to actual class material. I picked absolutely yes, but my response may blur into "under special circumstances." They shouldn't be allowed to preach, but they shouldn't be kept from bringing it up at all.

EDIT:

I took a philosophy class the majority of which focused on religion, we had an amazing teacher and I still have no idea about his personal views. Ergo you can have such a discussion with/teach your students about religion without directly stating your beliefs thus the benefits of the law outweigh the negatives (which are virtually non existent)

This is a good counter to my argument.

 

[SilentCom]

I don't think there is anything wrong if an instructor wants to talk about his personal beliefs if it is for conversations sake. If the instructor wants to talk about his beliefs as a way to convert the class, then no, they have no right to do so.

 

[Nightvalien]

if the kids ask yes, otherwise screw the cultists.

 

[Feylynn]

12th grade I think it's perfectly acceptable for the teacher to contribute to an educational discussion with reference to his or her personal beliefs. If it's that big a deal than to do so with assurance they are his own beliefs not those reflected by the school or necessarily fact.

Younger the question is gradually more difficult until I say no, never.
High school is in general is probably fine, the worst might be some disrespectful kids that think your teacher's an idiot for their beliefs but beyond that I don't think they'll be any worse for it.

 

[Tomster595]

I could understand a rule like that for lower grades. But you're old enough to have a reasonable discussion.

This is also a very good point. You have to understand that this is a class of 17 and 18 year olds. If the class was of 7 and 8 year old, I would have much less of a problem with the rule.