INTRO

Many people all around the world believe that it is essential for children to learn
about religion in school

Others including me believe that religion should be taught only in special

religious institutions rather than in public schools. Today I will talk about all the
different reasons why religion should not be a mandatory subject in school and
how it negatively affects the students’ mentality.

According to a study done in 2019, 90% of children were forced into religious
activities by their parents (schools, Sunday church, praying)

There were also records of horrible incidents such as this one where a 17 yo girl
in India committed suicide because her school was forcing her to convert to
Christianity

ONE

Religion should be respected as a personal belief system.

Not all children in the school belong to the same religion, it’s hard to force all
children in one class to study religious studies which are typically Christian
when some of those children could belong to faiths that are not Christian. This
might make some children feel left out or confused.

Typically, only one religion is focused on instead of a variety of religions.

Unfortunately, religious studies in schools don’t focus on teaching children the

basics of all religions. Instead, one religion is the main focus, which hardly
seems fair or healthy in terms of development.
If a child attends a school where religion classes are scheduled, it immediately
provides the impression that they have no choice. For the most part, children
cannot pick and choose their classes. This may provide the wrong idea about
religion. Since it is a personal choice and should not simply be scheduled for or
imposed on someone.
TWO

First of all I want to point out the fact that in such schools religion is mostly
taught from elementary school. These kids are basically fresh out of
kindergarten and it is simply not right. Religion is such a difficult concept to
grasp, there are so many little aspects, so many things you have to understand
and even if you manage to explain the basics in an easy way to them that
doesn’t mean they will fully acknowledge and understand what they’re being
taught. Children at such an age do not have the mental capacity to understand
something like this

Religion can lead to disagreements and conflict between students of different

faiths or no faith.
When students start to realize that their friends belong to religions that are not
the same as theirs, it can start an interpersonal issue between them. Break
bonds

If a non-Christian student has to sit through religious studies on Christianity,

they are going to hear an entirely different side of the story. This can spark an
early existential crisis in a young child.

If a child isn’t comfortable with learning religion at school and tries to opt-out,
chances are that it will draw unwanted attention to the child. His/her mere
exclusion can lead to feelings of isolation, being different, and even being
unwanted.

THREE

It is important for educators to be sensitive to these reactions and make sure

that all students have an opportunity to express their opinions and beliefs
without feeling pressured or judged. It could impose stress and pressure on
children if not correctly taught.
Religion is not a fairytale-like story. It is jam-packed with drama, trauma,
murder, sex, betrayal… these are bound to stress out a child who has never had
to really think of these things before then. Religious studies presented
incorrectly can lead to fear.
Not all teachers are qualified to do this.

A lot of the content in religious studies is content that needs to be taught by

experienced and qualified religious teachers. Many schools might simply allow a
regular teacher to present the classes, which, of course, merely leads to
misconceptions and confusion.

Rightfully CRS requirement

CONCLUSION

“quote”

So what is truly the whole point of teaching religion in school if it is not even
taught correctly? Young children who are barely starting to discover their true
selves are forced to believe in something without a choice, deteriorating their
mental health in the long run. If religion should be taught it should be done so
the correct way and most importantly be completely optional. But as of now
with these statistics and all the listed disadvantages religion must not be a
mandatory subject in schools.

Thank you uwu