With yet another school shooting Political Evangelicals (people who want the government to give preferential treatment to Christianity) are back with their lamentation that the problem with school shootings is that God was taken from schools. Some even go as far as to spread the false notion that God isn't allowed in schools.
God was never taken out of schools. What happened was schools required students to read from the Bible and required teachers and faculty to lead prayers. It was Christians and Jews who argued against the Bible being required to be read from by students and Christians, Jews and one Atheist who argued against faculty-led prayer. Students, however, have full religious freedom in school. Students are legally permitted to pray on their own, read their Bible in school during free time, wear religious clothing, jewelry, etc. Trust me as long as there are pop quizzes there will be prayer in schools.
Political Evangelicals seem to want their religion to be mandated by government and pushed upon students. Religion is a private matter and should not be practiced, endorsed, given preferred status or sanctioned by those in authority at schools and/or state or federal government. Schools can offer citizenship and civics classes to teach them to be responsible, fair and just citizens and should be secular. Being secular in this instance being impartial in regards to religion. However, as a secular humanist, my morality is based on empathy. That is something these school shooters lack because they are mentally ill. Most of us have empathy we inherit empathy and altruism as a genetic trait being that we are a social species and empathy and altruism aid our group survival as a form of kinship selection. You cannot teach morals to those who lack empathy but you can show them empathy by getting them the help they need.
God was never taken out of schools. What happened was schools required students to read from the Bible and required teachers and faculty to lead prayers. It was Christians and Jews who argued against the Bible being required to be read from by students and Christians, Jews and one Atheist who argued against faculty-led prayer. Students, however, have full religious freedom in school. Students are legally permitted to pray on their own, read their Bible in school during free time, wear religious clothing, jewelry, etc. Trust me as long as there are pop quizzes there will be prayer in schools.
Political Evangelicals seem to want their religion to be mandated by government and pushed upon students. Religion is a private matter and should not be practiced, endorsed, given preferred status or sanctioned by those in authority at schools and/or state or federal government. Schools can offer citizenship and civics classes to teach them to be responsible, fair and just citizens and should be secular. Being secular in this instance being impartial in regards to religion. However, as a secular humanist, my morality is based on empathy. That is something these school shooters lack because they are mentally ill. Most of us have empathy we inherit empathy and altruism as a genetic trait being that we are a social species and empathy and altruism aid our group survival as a form of kinship selection. You cannot teach morals to those who lack empathy but you can show them empathy by getting them the help they need.
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