Teaching about Religions: A Democratic Approach for Public Schools
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Description
Frequent news stories about the debates waged between secularists and religious conservatives have convinced most Americans that public schools must choose between promoting respect for religious minorities and respecting the interests of conservative Christians. As a result, public schools fail to teach students about the meaning and value of protecting religious liberty and consequently perpetuate mistrust across the cultural divide, further empower extremists, and obscure the fact that most Americans of all religious backgrounds share a commitment to basic democratic principles.
In response, the public schools in the religiously diverse and divided community of Modesto, California, have introduced a widely acclaimed required world religions course. Drawing on groundbreaking research on the creation of and response to the Modesto course as well as on political philosophy, Emile Lester advocates a civic approach to teaching about religion in public schools that at once emphasizes respect for all views about religion and provides a special recognition of conservative Christian beliefs.
ISBN
9780472035267
Publication Date
2011
Publisher
University of Michigan Press
City
Ann Arbor
Keywords
Religion, Public schools. United States, Public education, Teaching
Disciplines
American Politics | Other Education | Religious Education
Recommended Citation
Lester, Emile, "Teaching about Religions: A Democratic Approach for Public Schools" (2011). Political Science & International Affairs Books. 6.
https://scholar.umw.edu/ps_ia_books/6