One journalists quest to promote religious literacy in the classroom

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02/24/2017
10:55 am ET
Murali Balaji
Director of Education and Curriculum Reform, Hindu American Foundation

For the past 15 years, America’s struggle to embrace pluralism has been amplified in the form of post-9/11 xenophobia, anger towards immigrants, and most recently, a presidential election in which religious minorities were openly ostracized.

Perhaps nowhere is this struggle more apparent than in public school classrooms, where teachers are often caught between their responsibilities to teach about religion and the possibility of community backlash for doing so. Many teachers often try to avoid or minimize the subject together, especially when it comes to religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. That avoidance can come at great cost for students, especially as more young Americans identify with diverse social circles in college and beyond.

To combat religious illiteracy and empower teachers in an age of intolerance, journalist Linda K. Wertheimer has traveled the country highlighting ways in which educators can respond to the challenges of an increasing diverse social landscape. Her book, Faith Ed: Teaching About Religion in an Age of Intolerance, serves as a go-to-guide for best practices and cautionary tales when teaching about religion in the classroom. In the book, Wertheimer highlights the backlash to a liberal suburban Boston school’s visit to a mosque, as well as the way Modesto, California - home to one of the country’s largest Sikh populations - has institutionalized teaching about world religions in its schools.

Wertheimer says many teachers simply don’t know their rights when it comes to teaching about religion, a problem exacerbated by administrators who might be just as unfamiliar on what can and can’t be taught. She notes that administrators (principals, curriculum supervisors) can help empower their teachers by getting them to better understand what they are able to do in the classroom. She says:

Administrators can make sure teachers understand the First Amendment and what it says about separation of church and state but also what the Constitution says about religious liberty. Teachers, as laid out very well in the 1963 Abington v. Schempp Supreme Court ruling, can teach about comparative religions. They can teach about the Bible as literature or history. They cannot promote one faith over another. They cannot lead students in prayer. Teachers need to understand where the lines are drawn. They should also be proactive in letting parents and students know why religion is on the curriculum. Some social studies coordinators, for example, send out letters ahead of time to let parents know religion is on the curriculum and that it will be taught as part of history and geography. They are careful to point out that this is education about religion. It is teaching, not preaching.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/one-journalists-quest-to-promote-religious-literacy_us_58b0561ce4b0658fc20f9435