Religion in the Public School Curriculum:

Questions and Answers

Growing numbers of people in the United States think it is important to teach about religion in the public schools. But what is the appropriate place of religion in the public school curriculum? How does one approach such issues as textbook content, values education, creation science, and religious holidays?

The following questions and answers are designed to assist school boards as they make decisions about the curriculum and educators as they teach about religion in ways that are constitutionally permissible, educationally sound, and sensitive to the beliefs of students and parents.

There are other questions concerning religion and the schools not addressed here, including school prayer equal access, and how schools accommodate diverse religious beliefs and practices. For a full discussion of these broader issues, please contact the sponsors listed on the back of this publication.

Q: Is it constitutional to teach about religion in public schools?

A: Yes. In the 1960's school prayer cases (which ruled against state-sponsored school prayer and Bible reading), the U.S. Supreme Court indicated that public school education may include teaching about religion. In Abbington v. Schempp, Associate Justice Tom Clark wrote for the Court:

[I]t might well be well said that one's education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization. It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities. Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment.

Q: What is meant by "teaching about religion" in the public school?

A: The following statements distinguish between teaching about religion in public schools and religious indoctrination:

• The school's approach to religion is academic, not devotional.
• The school may strive for student awareness of religions, but should not press for student acceptance of any one religion.
• The school may sponsor study about religion, but may not sponsor the practice of religion.
• The school may expose students to a diversity of religious views, but may not impose any particular view.
• The school may educate about all religions, but may not promote or denigrate any religion.
• The school may inform the student about various beliefs, but should not seek to conform him or her to any particular belief.

Q: Why should study about religion be included in the public school curriculum?

A: Because religion plays a significant role in history and society, study about religion is essential to understanding both the nation and the world. Omission of facts about religion can give students the false impression that the religious life of humankind is insignificant or unimportant. Failure to understand even the basic symbols, practices, and concepts of the various religions makes much of history, literature, art, and contemporary life unintelligible.

Study about religion is also important if students are to value religious liberty, the first freedom guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Moreover, knowledge of the roles of religion in the past and present promotes cross-cultural understanding essential to democracy and world peace.

Q: Where does study about religion belong in the curriculum?

A: Wherever it naturally arises. On the secondary level, the social studies, literature, and the arts offer many opportunities for the inclusion of information about religions -- their ideas and themes. On the elementary level, natural opportunities arise in discussions of the family and community life and in instruction about festivals and different cultures. Many educators believe that integrating study about religion into existing courses is an educationally sound way to acquaint students with the role of religion in history and society.

Religion also may be taught about in special courses or units. Some secondary schools, for example, offer such courses as world religions, the Bible as literature, and the religious literature of the West and of the East.

Q: Do current textbooks teach about religion?

A: Rarely. Recent textbook studies concluded that most widely used textbooks largely ignore the role of religion and society. For example, readers of high school U.S. history texts learn little or nothing about the great colonial revivals, the struggles of minority faiths, the religious motivations of immigrants, the contributions of religious groups to many social movements, major episodes of religious intolerance, and many other significant events of history. Education without appropriate attention to major religious influences and themes is incomplete education.

Q: How does teaching about religion relate to the teaching of values?

A: Teaching about religion is not the same as teaching values. The former is objective, academic study; the latter involves the teaching of particular ethical viewpoints or standards of behavior.

There are basic moral values that are recognized by the population at large (e.g., honesty, integrity, justice, compassion). These values can be taught in classes through discussion, by example, and by carrying out school policies. However, teachers may not involve religious authority.

Public schools may teach about the various religious and non-religious perspectives concerning the many complex moral issues confronting society, but such perspectives must be presented without adopting, sponsoring, or denigrating one view against another.

Q: Is it constitutional to teach the biblical account of creation in the public schools?

A: Some states have passed laws requiring that creationist theory based on the biblical account be taught in the science classroom. The courts have found these cases to be unconstitutional on the ground that they promote a particular religious view. The Supreme Court has acknowledged, however, that a variety of scientific theories about origins can be appropriately taught in the classroom. In Edwards v. Aguillard, the Court stated:

[T]eaching a variety of scientific theories about the origins of humankind to schoolchildren might be validly done with the clear secular intent of enhancing the effectiveness of science instruction.

Though science instruction may not endorse or promote religious doctrine, the account of creation found in various scriptures may be discussed in a religious studies class or in any course that considers religious explanations for the origin of life.

Q: How should religious holidays be treated in the classroom?

A: Carefully. Religious holidays offer excellent opportunities to teach about religions in the elementary and secondary classroom. Recognition of and information about such holidays should focus on the origin, history, and generally agreed-upon meaning of the observances. If the approach is objective, neither advancing nor inhibiting religion, it can foster among students understanding and mutual respect within and beyond the local community.