Alone in the Car: Religious Holidays and Public Education

For my regular readers, you know I mentioned in my last "Alone in the Car" blog these statistics: 78.4 % of Americans are Christian, 1.7% are Jewish, .7% are Buddhist, .6% are Muslim, .4% are Hindu, and less than .3% are Native American in terms of their religious affiliation taken from a Pew survey.

Through a variety of gathering information means, reports are showing that elementary school principals  are banning anything directly or indirectly related to Christmas, a Christian holiday held in December, but allowing the study of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and other religious holidays. Clearly, the majority of this country is Christian.

The study of cultures is fascinating. I fully support such research. Religion is part of a culture, and in an elementary school setting should be approached as objectively as possible--what I term an "encyclopedia" or "reference room" library definition.

I myself have taken my children (during their younger years) to visit different churches/religions other than our own for several purposes: 1) to learn from the people who practice that religion the tenets of said religion and 2) to learn to show respect to people from faiths other than our own. This has given them a wide variety of experiences including meeting with denominations within Christianity to the Hindu religion.

If religion is going to be part of the curriculum, which I think it should be--it is a major influence within any culture--then All religions should be given the same time, objectivity, respect, and honor they deserve. A principal is not the one to make the call on which religion can be studied. It should be All religions or None. I hope "none" is not the choice. Culture is part of partnership, whether it be in our communities, on a business level, keeping our country safe, or having a world at peace so great minds can put their energies on solving real challenges. We need to understand one another to work things out and that means taking time to get to know the whole person sitting across the table. Relationships will then follow.