Students Coming From Secular Families, Their First Essay

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students coming from secular families, their first introduction to religion comes from an unexpected venue: in the midst of the otherwise innocuous school requirement, the pledge of allegiance. Though by no means a prayer in the typical sense of the word, the pledge (which includes the lines "I pledge allegiance to the flag/of the United States of America/and to the republic for which it stands/one nation, under God" [emphasis mine]) toes the line between acknowledging America's Judeo-Christian history and, in a society that has growing numbers of atheists, agnostics, and polytheists, raising a subject matter that is irrelevant (or possibly even counterproductive) to having a welcoming educational environment.

The chief objection to the presence of theism in schools is not purely an ideological one. Rather, it is the consequential lack of open debate or discussion of the topic that results in theism's strange, duplicitous nature as both a constitutionally unmentionable concept and one that is evoked daily in the classroom. When it comes to the pledge, practically every other part of the verse is discussed in schools. American schoolchildren receive lessons about the historical background of the aforementioned "republic," the post-Civil War importance of an "indivisible" nation, the constitutional tenets of "liberty and justice," and even learn the story of how the American flag itself came to be. Amidst all this is the wariness that most public educators feel when discussing religion, perhaps at the risk of coming off as proselytizing. Indeed, through various recent legal precedents our country has fostered a culture that prefers a method of avoidance when the topic of religion comes up in school -- an approach that is counterintuitive to the concept of an open learning environment.

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A very serious paradox arises that cannot simply be solved by ignoring it -- when a concept as controversial as that of a "god" is raised in a public school environment, it is the school's responsibility to at least provide some sort of educationally-geared background on the concept.

More important than encouraging open discussion, however, is a school's responsibility to providing its students with a safe, tolerant, and encouraging educational environment. This is not purely limited to matters of education, but must also take into consideration the fact that a number of students may come from secular homes. Though public schools are important in shaping children into functioning, productive members of society, there is a careful line drawn between such matters of the mind and those of the heart -- such as religion -- that are more commonly taught at home. It is undeniable that certain Judeo-Christian values have permeated into our society; for example, the "golden rule" of do unto others as you would have them do unto you is often taught in schools while being completely divorced from its religious origins. Though it is important not to conflate a society's values with the religious background from which they sprang, the mention of "god" in the….....

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