Religion in Schools

After reading the article, Religion in Schools Debate Heats Up, the first argument essentially was whether or not schools should be required to observe the moment of silence. Well, what is a moment of silence? A moment of silence is a short period of time utilized for prayer, reflection, or meditation. Is observing a moment of silence a problem? According to the article, “District Judge Robert Gettleman said the law was an unconstitutional breach of the separation of church and state. Defenders of the law argue it is a student's personal choice whether to pray or reflect more generally; therefore, proponents say, the law does not force religion on public school children.” So, what should be done with the moment of silence? For me personally, I tend to agree with the defenders in the article; a moment of silence does not have to be used for prayer specifically. Reflection, meditation, remembrance, and paying respects are all activities that can take place during this short period of time. A moment of silence lacks any specific religious formulation, which is why I feel that it is not a breach of the separation of church and state.

The second portion of the article dealt with the changing of the state of Texas’ science curriculum in order to make it “more difficult for teachers to discuss possible weaknesses in evolutionary theory” (Calefati). “Scientists testified before the board that the "strengths and weaknesses" language is unacceptable because there are no scientifically verifiable weaknesses to Darwin's theory of evolution.” Furthermore, they felt that teaching about weaknesses in evolution would lead to the incorporation of Creationism into the curriculum. The only problem to this whole debate is what parents brought to the school board, and I tend to agree, which is that there should be “nothing wrong with debating a theory that is not proven fact” (Calefati). 

I understand that Creationism or Intelligent Design cannot be taught in the classroom due to “separation of church and state,” but that does not mean that something that has not been proven as fact (evolutionary theory) should not be discussed or debated from an opponent’s viewpoint. Some in favor of teaching evolution say that evolutionary theory should be “subject to investigation and analysis for their incompleteness, but not for their weaknesses” (Scharfersman). If they don’t want to call it a weakness, then call it “incomplete,” but you can still discuss the incompleteness of evolutionary theory. Either way, it still hasn’t been proven fact, so it should still be open to discussion, from students who either believe in evolution or who are skeptics.

References:

Calefati, J. (2009, January 22). Religion in schools debate heats up. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133302

Schafersman, S. (2009, January 17). The rhetoric and history of the false and unscientific “weaknesses” of evolution. Retrieved from http://texscience.org/reports/weaknesses-evolution-jan2009.htm