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The subject of what constitutes religious freedom in certain circumstances is a touchy one.  When it comes to religion in the classroom, the subject becomes even more complicated.  Questions arise concerning exactly how much religion should be disallowed and where the right of teachers to express themselves as religious individuals begins.  In a recent instance, a teacher was addressed by her school for what administrators saw as a violation of this separation.

According to news reports, the teacher was asked to take down decorations in her classroom that made reference to her religion, Christianity.  In addition, she was asked to not take part in the Bible Study Club for fear that people would associate her involvement with the general practice of the school.  She was given an ultimatum that if she did not comply, her job would be on the line.

When confronted with this dilemma, the teacher decided to take her own aggressive stance and sued the school for their actions.  This, while it may make a point over First Amendment rights, seems a bit of an overreaction.  Considering the sad state of most school funding, it could even be thought of as irresponsible.

The whole affair brings to the surface a question of how much sterilization needs to happen within schools before people are happy.  Is censoring every little religious detail really better for students?  If the teachers aren’t allowed to express themselves as individuals, will they still be the creative and caring people that they need to be in order to help students learn well?

In the past, the opposite opinion was held to.  Religion was integrated and attempts to remove it or go against the grain were seen as negative.  Our deeply rooted sense of Western religion within U.S. society has only recently been shed to the point where those of us who do not hold to a religion are allowed to speak our minds openly and without fear of retribution.  Is it the correct thing to turn this aggression around and now prevent those who still hold to the ways of faith from being able to express themselves, even on a passive level?

I myself am an atheist and, while I would complain loudly if I thought that teachers in public schools were trying to tell kids that the Earth was created by God and evolution was a trick of the devil, I have no problem with any individual teacher having a few things around that personalize their classroom to express their beliefs.  Kids need to be exposed to religion.  It is, after all, a major part of our society.  To blind them to it by force serves no purpose but to promote an agenda that anti-religious people push, one that seeks to lock religion away in a box and turn it into some form of counter-culture.  There’s a big difference between a poster with a Psalm written on it and forcing kids to say “…under God” during the Pledge of Allegiance.

And the issue with being banned from club participation is just ridiculous.  What else are teachers there for if not to help students experience and explore their interests further?  If their interest happens to be the Bible and there are teachers of similar bent, then preventing them from sharing their knowledge is irresponsible.  Would a chess teacher be banned from playing chess with the other students in a Chess Club?  Of course not, but that’s because chess is not a controversial subject.

Essentially, the atheists won this battle some time ago.  Religion is no longer forced upon people and in the rare cases where a teacher steps over the line they are dealt with.  The pendulum needs to swing the other way and achieve some sort of balance.  The agendas of those who dislike religion are getting as bad as those who promote it used to be a hundred years past.  Let people be people and have enough trust in our children to make their own decisions about whether they want to follow a path of faith or not.

Image courtesy of Wildfeuer