| Sep 9 @ 4:33 PM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion
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Thor1960303
Posts: 1,851
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How old were you when you learned that there was another answer to the question of where you came from than the one you were taught? I was brought up southern Baptist and for the first 8 years of my life, knew nothing of evolution. We were taught dinosaurs lived, but not how it related to the Bible. This was all ignored by school and church.
We used to have these education packages called SRA's that had cards in them relating to your subjects of study. I loved them and looked forward to SRA day( I forget what SRA stood for). One package had a series in it on evolution and when I watched the teachers remove it from the box, I caught a glimpse of the ascent of man chart. When I asked about it, the teacher quickly put it away and told me that it was sent to our school by mistake.
A few years later, in 7th grade, evolution popped up again (now it's the early 70's), only this time, they limited to certain classes, ironically the classes of kids that were advanced and had the best grade point averages. It went on for not even the full 6 week grade period before some parents and church officials had it stopped.
In looking back over my education, those are the only two times that I remember the subject ever being approached at all. Any information I wanted had to be found on my own. This I did as I was fascinated by the subject, yet every time I offered to do a project that even hinted there was a relation between man and apes, I was quickly re assigned to something else. The faculty just didn't want to deal with the hassle of complaints from parents.
Now that we finally have evolution being taught, some school boards and political groups are pushing to have the pseudo science of creationism and intelligent design brought in. While I have no problem with such being taught in a religion, philosophy or social studies class, I don't think it belongs in science classes.
We also now have researchers who are showing more and more that there is a possibility that Jesus did not historically exist. I wonder how long it will be before that thought will be allowed in a text book.
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| Sep 9 @ 5:54 PM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion |
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Loreli
Posts: 20,161
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I'm just going to go off of your thread title...
I have never experienced this. We learned a variety of things throughout school.
However, we did/do have Catholic schools...and I'm not certain how or what they teach there.
*oops
[Edited on 9/9/2008 7:41 PM]
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| Sep 9 @ 7:06 PM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion
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horizon000
Posts: 924
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Growing up, I attended a public school. We had the compulsory" Monday morning religion and attended our class according to our denomination. I was Roman Catholic and attended the classes according to such.
My mother was Roman Catholic and my Dad was Church of England. She attended a Catholic School in the 40’s and 50's and endured many of the "horrors" of Catholic Schools were notorious for at the time. This soured her towards religion but never pushed her beliefs or experiences onto others. My Father left school at an early age to work with my Grandfather and got his education from life. Being exposed to various kinds of people early on in the piece, he rarely pushed his beliefs onto others but remained sceptical and suspicious towards religion throughout his life.
I do not recall them trying to influence my way of thinking towards religious beliefs, but would answer things from their perspective when asked.
Growing up, I had a fascination with dinosaurs (as most kids do) and brought this topic up in my religious class one day when discussing Noah's Ark. The religious teacher out and out told me that dinosaurs never existed. I said they did. Was told they didn't. This saddened me as I wanted to dig up dinosaur bones when I grew up. I told my Mother about this and she explained about different people’s beliefs and what they mean to them. Both my mother and father encouraged me to ask my own questions and to achieve answers to me that were satisfactory.
During High School, the big bucks churches were rearing their heads in my country and were trying to get their foot in the door where ever they could (as explained in the Rock and Roll thread). In year 8 and 9, we had to do both Modern and Ancient history. I remember the Christians in my class always disrupting the Ancient history class with references to the Bible to discredit History. I recall resenting this and always took the opportunity to go to loggerheads with them whenever they tried to disrupt the Teacher.
We are quite a multi cultural country and today, and religion is viewed differently again. My son attends Primary School and now has to contend with much more than I did. Education now has to be a lot more politically correct as not to offend other faiths. When my son has a question, I try to be non judgemental in relation to religion and always give him more than one perspective.
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| Sep 9 @ 9:44 PM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion |
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kattsmeow
Posts: 21,239
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Pretty sure I started learning about Darwin and evolution in 7th grade.
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| Sep 9 @ 10:39 PM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion
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16knots
Posts: 3,627
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Have been born and brought up in the University City of Oxford with its beautiful ancient University, there has never been conflict between sciences and religion despite the fact Oxford was the seat of theology with a great history of reforms, civil war, reformation, et cetera.
I must say with respect despite many years of worldly travel and adventure never once did i think people could believe in Creationism and not except the confidence of Darwinism, in the light of science and although scientifically acceptable is still and always under scrutiny and revue, It is here in these MD threads that has opened my eyes to American society and its religious issues. Even now I doubt for a moment that it is as big an issue as it is made out to be. Surely the greater populance has a better rational for the sane. 
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| Sep 10 @ 8:13 AM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion |
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eastham
Posts: 6,318
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I attended Catholic school. We were taught evolution...I clearly remember that Life Magazine timeline of the evolution of man hanging on the wall of nearly every classroom from 3rd grade and on. We had comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education from 4th grade on, which was two full years before the public schools. Also the public schools in my hometown did not integrate until three full years after the Catholic schools did.
When I moved to the suburbs in 7th grade, I was put in one of the top classes and was far beyond my peers in English and math. The public schools did have lots more equipment for experiments and that was about it.
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| Sep 10 @ 8:29 AM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion
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yashaenka
Posts: 4,489
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This is something that is geographical not only within this country, but others as well. That is because in this country and others regional belief systems are more entrenched in some places more than others. In this country it comes more from the heartland.
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| Sep 10 @ 10:05 AM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion |
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Thor1960303
Posts: 1,851
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Even now I doubt for a moment that it is as big an issue as it is made out to be.
Don't be too sure of that. It has political roots and motivations and the potential for $$$$$$. It's a sexy media debate and that means exposure. How else do you expect that a 27 million dollar museum devoted to creationism could get built?
When and if it becomes bankrupt or sits as a laughing stock curiousity based anomaly, I'll say you were right. Yet after coming through the 80's revival of fundamentalism, the time I was cutting my teeth as a media man, I don't possess your confidence. I only hope you're right.
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| Sep 10 @ 10:15 AM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion
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yashaenka
Posts: 4,489
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I did not convey my thoughts well enough for you to visualize where I was going with this.
The majority of the people in this country live in small towns. The smaller the town the greater the social pressure to abide by group think other wise you run the risk of being an outcast.
Trying to exist publicly as a Atheist, Agnostic or practicing a living belief system outside of Christianity in this country in small town America is an invitation to being thought of as different and not one with them.
Looking back over this century in this country to where and how Christianity was practiced in the past to how it is now is like the difference between night and day. Drive through Churches to name but one instant path to salvation.  
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| Sep 10 @ 10:43 AM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion |
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horizon000
Posts: 924
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Drive through Churches to name but one instant path to salvation. 
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| Sep 10 @ 10:47 AM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion
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yashaenka
Posts: 4,489
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| Sep 10 @ 1:09 PM |
When Education is Afraid of Offending Religion |
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Thor1960303
Posts: 1,851
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Looking back over this century in this country to where and how Christianity was practiced in the past to how it is now is like the difference between night and day.
The problem is that you have people who want to return to the past, and unfortunately, they have political, social and economic power OUTSIDE of their small towns.
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