I had a religion class in my public high school. It was an elective and they covered all the major religions since the beginning of written history. I think they started with Zoroastrianism. It was a pretty interesting class. However, don’t think even a class like that should be mandatory.
I think it’s unfortunate to constrain it to written history. Linking the commonalities between the proto-Indo-European religions like the Germanic, Greek, Persian and early Hindu traditions and just how they interacted with things from the semitic and then Buddhism to taoism and neo-Confuciusism which also influenced back West.
The history of religion is incredibly convoluted but really teaching how syncretized religion is would be a great value. Not to Christian nationalists of course.
That said, I wish more people were exposed to other forms of thought and this would help. To me, an elective seems fair.
I dunno that I’d be sad about philosophy and world views (with religion being embedded) as some kind of civics class that enhances one’s high school diploma.
I had a religion class in my public high school. It was an elective and they covered all the major religions since the beginning of written history. I think they started with Zoroastrianism. It was a pretty interesting class. However, don’t think even a class like that should be mandatory.
I think it’s unfortunate to constrain it to written history. Linking the commonalities between the proto-Indo-European religions like the Germanic, Greek, Persian and early Hindu traditions and just how they interacted with things from the semitic and then Buddhism to taoism and neo-Confuciusism which also influenced back West.
The history of religion is incredibly convoluted but really teaching how syncretized religion is would be a great value. Not to Christian nationalists of course.
I agree generally on not making it mandatory.
That said, I wish more people were exposed to other forms of thought and this would help. To me, an elective seems fair.
I dunno that I’d be sad about philosophy and world views (with religion being embedded) as some kind of civics class that enhances one’s high school diploma.