How should a class like TOK deal with Faith?
Faith is obviously a difficult subject for a public school to address. The Constitution as well as community expectations shape a school's/teacher's response.
Do they have good reasons? Why or why not?
The safe thing to do might be to not address the subject, but with a way of knowing so powerful, is this not also a form of bias?
Does 'faith' get a proper shake?
Can these concepts co-exist? If so, to what extent, and if not, what factors are preventing it?
How aware of our own bias are we?
What happens to a people if they stand for nothing?
when talking about faith i don't think we should deny or accept it. we should just let it hangout in the corner. like that really awkward kid at a party that doesn't talk to anybody but will laugh along with all the jokes. But when we need to ask him a question he will be there.
ReplyDeletewhen talking about faith i don't think we should deny or accept it. we should just let it hangout in the corner. like that really awkward kid at a party that doesn't talk to anybody but will laugh along with all the jokes. But when we need to ask him a question he will be there.
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ReplyDeletewhen talking about faith i don't think we should deny or accept it. we should just let it hangout in the corner. like that really awkward kid at a party that doesn't talk to anybody but will laugh along with all the jokes. But when we need to ask him a question he will be there.
ReplyDeleteFaith is, by definition, the opposite of knowledge. It is saying "I don't know, but I don't need to know". You can treat faith as a WOK, but it is the anti WOK. It's like turning left three times instead of right once.
ReplyDeleteFaith is, by definition, the opposite of knowledge. It is saying "I don't know, but I don't need to know". You can treat faith as a WOK, but it is the anti WOK. It's like turning left three times instead of right once.
ReplyDelete-Jonathan Martinez
ReplyDeleteThe constitution has a good reason for not allowing religion into the school system. Faith is something that people have to choose on their own and let no one influence their decision. The school system is designed to teach students on life stills rather on what they should believe. We as individuals have to make that decision on our own and say what we will believe in and what not to believe in.
It isn't a form of bias to avoid addressing faith, rather employment of communal and societal senses. I do believe, however, that faith should be addressed in an ostensible manner in schools. This practice allows students to gain a basic framework for faith, which they can use as a cornerstone to construct more detailed opinions and standards for future endeavors in the subject.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of bias awareness, it depends on each individual person. For me, personal biases play a significant role in everything I do. They may not always bear top mental priority, but they always occupy a certain recess in my mind.
In my opinion, we should get a wide view of different religions, especially those that are typically not taught unless there is a large group of that religion in that area. I think that controversial religions such as Islam and Scientology should be taught because there are many stereotypes about them and by learning about them in an unbiased way, we would be able to gain better insight on what the religion is actually about. However, once personal opinions come into play, I think that the teaching of religion becomes negative, because it influences kids in a way that doesn't give them a holistic view of the religion at hand.
ReplyDeleteI do not dispute that faith is a very tricky subject, and especially so for public schools. Most people in this nation place a very large emphasis on controlling what "goes into the minds of children." Despite this, I still believe faith should be dealt with the way any other subject should be. Frankly and factually. One should not be afraid to say that there is no evidence for the existence of faiths, but one should also emphasize the importance of faith. It is called faith for a reason, because it requires belief. If one's beliefs are challenged, and they feel threatened by that challenge, then I am of the opinion that they never had faith in the first place. So, because of the simple nature of faith (a communal group gathering and standardized belief system) it needs to be dealt with head on, and no concessions should be made for faith, as this directly violates the first amendment freedom of speech as well as decentralization from faith.
ReplyDeleteFaith is too large an issue not to talk about. It manages to weave itself into just about every facet of life, having an immeasurable impact on nearly every area of knowledge, from art to history to ethics. We can't deny that faith is fundamental to the human existence.
ReplyDeleteAs such, religion should be discussed in any school. The key is in the way it is approached. Although some form of bias is inevitable, as it is a natural byproduct of any kind of education, religion must be treated with an air of detachment and equality. As opposed to engaging in a frankly pointless discussion over the various mysteries and validity of belief, faith should be examined through the impact it has on the world around it. Schools should teach about the indisputable effect that religion has on history, politics, and culture. I believe this is a fair and secular way of looking at faith.
I thought Jonathan Haidt's video (posted above) was extremely fascinating. The idea that religion and spirituality are ways for us to tap into the power of the cooperative mindset; an evolutionary attribute which perhaps holds the key to why we evolved as we did, is intriguing. Although we harbor a cultural hesitancy to bind science and spirituality together, the connection that Haidt draws between the two is both sound and relatively un-offending. The metaphor of a "higher level" which he used for all things sacred retains a degree of ambiguity, saving his talk from being percieved as an "attack on religion". As to whether the concept of faith should be brought into the classroom in some form or another, I couldn't say. I do think that ideas like those presented in Haidt's talk are a step in the right direction. They don't seek to deny "sacredness"; only to begin to explain what we hold sacred, and why.
ReplyDeleteThey do have good reasons, as faith can be an incredibly constructive and wonderful thing for people to have. Faith can also, however, be destructive, limiting, or cause eventual harm to those that do not share similar faiths. Schools and public places try to maintain an environment of safety and harmony, and picking a bias or specific faith can isolate certain peoples.
ReplyDeleteIt seems safe to not talk about faith, but ignorance shouldn't be the answer. Ignorance is more dangerous than speaking about faith because it causes prejudice and assumptions. Ideally, schools would talk about faith in their english and history classes from an objective viewpoint, and to gain a better understanding and education of such faiths. In 6th grade, we studied Egyptian deities, not for the purpose of conforming and believing in them, but for a better understanding of Egyptian culture and ways of thinking.
Faith has not gotten a proper shake as it is still an incredibly controversial and taboo topic in workplaces, schools, on the news and in public.
That is a question that cannot be answered without some sort of trial and error. The problem many face with faith is that a lack of understanding of faiths cause ignorance, prejudice, and radicalism. These attribute to disputes, wars, and death. If people could accept that they believe one thing while someone else believes in another, as long as neither practice destructive behavior towards one another, faiths should be able to live harmoniously.
I would say that it is easy to notice our general biases when our opinions are based off of personal connections or experience, but much harder to identify when they disguise themselves as part of our culture and subconscious.
When people stand for nothing, they lose a purpose. Those without a purpose in life are lost souls, and waste space and energy looking for a purpose-this can often be destructive towards themselves or those around them.
I think faith is an important concept to talk about because it has been such a huge part of humane life for so long. But when we talk about it we need to be careful to not accept or deny it. Accepting it or denying it will only cause problems. The best thing we can do when we talk about faith or religion is to stay neutral.
ReplyDeleteLike Megan said, I also believe that it would foolish not to discuss faith, even a little bit. Learning about the truths that people believe and cherish from their faith, and how a faith can shape a culture are vital to the "global awareness" thing or whatever it's called of the IB Learner Profile. I think that if we do our best to look at all the different faiths we can in an objective and equal manner, we would definitely be able to empathize with people whose beliefs are different than ours. Too often, people radicalize and polarize their beliefs in the name of faith, and I wholeheartedly believe that with education and understanding can come a better awareness of the shared humanity, rather than the differences on the surface.
ReplyDeleteI looked up the word faith in the Oxford English Dictionary; its religious definition is "the strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof." School is meant to educate students, both with verified facts and more interpretive subjects which allow them to think for themselves. Religions are not factually based, and they have contradictory prescribed narratives too rigid to allow independent thinking. They should be addressed in the context of their effects on history and culture, but to teach it as anything resembling factual or as a WOK compromises the academic standing of a classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe discussion of religion and belief systems in public school systems is very much a case of walking on egg shells. In an attempt to not infringe on anyone's freedom by presenting any idea more than another (in theory) a nervous culture of silence and ignoring have developed in the classroom. At Hellgate of course we are lucky enough to have classes like the Block which spend a lot of time studying, explaining, and exploring other world religions and their global impact, however in many schools and classrooms that is not the case. One manifestation of this has always greatly perplexed me is a fairly Montana specific consideration. In our state we have placed great emphasis on teaching Native American history and tradition in public schools. I think this is a great thing that Montana legislators have really emphasized, however to my mind a large part of this curriculum is seemingly missing. While a lot of time in my elementary school Native American history classes was spent discussing the day to day lives, customs, and traditions of life for indigenous people while often generalizing, glossing over, or ignoring their religious systems all together. Often a very one sided picture of Native American ideology was presented that accepted no diversity of teachings between regions and tribes.
ReplyDeleteThe discussion of religion and belief systems in public school systems is very much a case of walking on egg shells. In an attempt to not infringe on anyone's freedom by presenting any idea more than another (in theory) a nervous culture of silence and ignoring have developed in the classroom. At Hellgate of course we are lucky enough to have classes like the Block which spend a lot of time studying, explaining, and exploring other world religions and their global impact, however in many schools and classrooms that is not the case. One manifestation of this has always greatly perplexed me is a fairly Montana specific consideration. In our state we have placed great emphasis on teaching Native American history and tradition in public schools. I think this is a great thing that Montana legislators have really emphasized, however to my mind a large part of this curriculum is seemingly missing. While a lot of time in my elementary school Native American history classes was spent discussing the day to day lives, customs, and traditions of life for indigenous people while often generalizing, glossing over, or ignoring their religious systems all together. Often a very one sided picture of Native American ideology was presented that accepted no diversity of teachings between regions and tribes.
ReplyDeleteFaith is a very important to talk about but also probably the most trickiest. Faith is such a important thing to talk about because most people do have faith in things and also people live their life by faith, make their decisions on it. That being said when someone opposes a different opinion on it people usually get defensive or offended. That is why it is tricky talking about faith. I think some classes do a good job discussing it and need to talk about it more in classes.
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ReplyDeleteTeacher’s and Schools have a good reason to look at faith the way they do. The Constitution states that People have Freedom of Religion, so therefore stating that one person has the right to practice whatever religion they please. Public Schools try not addressing this because they don’t want to offend anyone. Also because it is a public school they try present things with a variety of views. And not present to be one-sided, which Faith commonly does. As stated before Faith is a form of bias because it is a belief system that is extremely powerful and can completely change the way that a person views everything. I believe that faith does not get a proper shake down it is the way that many people base their lives on. And because there is so much controversy over whatever faith is correct and many believe that theirs is now a days. I think that faith is now looked at negatively. I think these two concepts can coexist. I think teachers can present how profoundly faith affects people as long as they present it with a neutral viewpoint making sure to not offend anyone and not present one religion superior to another because of their personal beliefs. Schools aren’t allowing this to happen because they don’t want to deal with the consequences that would result if school/teachers didn’t present things with this neutral mindset. I think we are quite aware of our own biases because we like to view our point as superior or more correct then others, there for deeply affecting how we look at things. People who stand for nothing live just like others, they just do think as deeply about their actions and consequences as others.
School's have a good reason to look at faith cautiously. There is a separation of church and state for a reason. If we had religion in school, we'd be teaching kids about faith, which is 100% a good thing, because faith can be an amazing thing in anyone's life, but we'd also be teaching them religion, and because faith, or lack of faith, is such a strong thing in everyone's life, there will certainly be a bias, more than most things. So it makes sense not to have such a controversial topic at school. That being said, as a student, I feel faith should be taught in school's, no matter the bias. Maybe not from such a young age, but starting in high school maybe.
ReplyDeleteFaith can restrain knowledge from students. For example, in the 50's and 60's when fundamentalists held back the information about evolution, stating that it was false, and that it should not be taught in schools. However, faith can also provide answers about spirituality, and those cannot be learned from a book. Faith, I suppose could add a part of learning we don't usually experience, and that could be helpful.
ReplyDeleteI've had a unique experience in regards to faith in school. Growing up in a conservative town in Utah, the overarching grasp a religion has on someone or a community cannot simply be 'left at home' or stay out of public schools. So, many of the laws stating that church and state should be separate really don't work in the real world. When a certain faith dictates every decision an individual makes, they cannot separate because they don't know how to live in any other way. Also, certain pressures from the 'sacred texts' or the community can cause people to fear a step outside the lines. My purpose in outlining this is to say that educational systems should never expect to completely exclude religion or religious tendencies in a school setting, nor should the focus be to educate on all religions or faiths because of the complexity and sheer magnitude of this topic. Rather, schools should encourage the staff to live under the principle of tolerance, and tolerance and tolerant behavior should become the main goal.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with teaching faith in a school setting is that it contradicts so much of the other things being taught. Faith is defined as "strong trust without the presence of proof". That right there poses a problem in education. We are taught to question the reasoning behind things that occur, to look for knowledge further than the things right in front of us, but faith undermines that. It allows people to write off occurrences as "the will of god" or something of that nature, missing the opportunity to learn. I believe that faith should be kept out of the classroom in hopes of creating a generation of thinkers rather than followers.
ReplyDeleteI believe that when considering the benefits of teaching faith or allowing faith to be taught in schools, it is important to note that every child in that classroom has a bias towards religion in some way. I believe that because of this overwhelming and ever-present bias towards faith, it can never be properly taught in schools in a way where such students will benefit from the education. To reiterate jack, faith is one of the great limiters of the human imagination, setting rules and beliefs before every other discipline, like science or history. If we were to allow faith to be taught in our schools, we are conceding that that education will be okay in altering students’ perception towards other fields of education. In short, faith covers and limits far too many fields, the very fields that we hold so important in our society, to be taught in a classroom.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that religion and faith is an ideal topic to discuss in ToK. The Theory of Knowledge class is "THE" class to discuss topics we normally wouldn't discuss in other classes. Religion is entwined with the way we think and act upon when making much of our decisions. To not discuss faith and religion in ToK would one, be disappointing because it is so interesting learning about religions and beliefs from someone other than my grandparents, and secondly, school is supposed to teach us to be knowledgeable in the future outside of schooling, and religion is such a largely controversial topic "irl" so to say, that not being able to speak your opinion and thoughts about your thinking in ToK sounds ridiculous. I can understand that for that reason of it being so controversial that it could cause conflicts in school, people would just want to take the simpler (boring) route around it to get through school without risking lives or hurt feelings. Some people also might take another shorter route by just not acknowledging their own opinion on 'faith' and just "going with the flow" to wherever they end up (out of school). Although, from my experiences and stories I've heard, at some point in your life, you are going to question religion and how faithful one needs to be to be considered 'religious' or meaningful to the world. I just believe that everyone has (or should) have their own opinion on everything they hear and gather as knowledge to stand where they should be and be able to defend their thoughts because not everyone is going to agree perfectly with what you think. Just accept that each individual is diverse and defined in their own way through what they think and believe in (or have faith in).
ReplyDeleteThe blatant pattern of ignoring or 'dodging' the subject of faith within the public schooling system is condemnable. It is condemnable because such a portion of the hesitation to teach of religion is a matter of mere vocabulary. We see this very restriction within the above Ted Talk at the very opening of the talk when the speaker inquires of the audience who among them considers themselves a 'religious' person and only 3-4% raise their hands while immediately following this the speaker inquires who among them considers themselves a 'spiritual' person and the majority raise their hands in affirmation. Fine. Let us discuss in school, not "religiosity" but instead "spirituality."
ReplyDeleteReligion is a vehicle to spirituality and spirituality is a vehicle to self-transcendence. That is something we should indisputably discuss. The fact that so much hesitancy and trepidation surrounds talking about self-transcendence in that it is so often intertwined with religiosity is a problem which needs a solution. If the solution is that we have to introduce to the public school system terminology that is politically correct and that introduces a way to avoid the use of 'faith' then so be it. But we should be able to talk about it. Avoiding a subject is the greatest method to increasing the stigma surrounding it. The Theory of Knowledge suggest that we examine and attempt to understand all components of human knowledge, spirituality is certainly one such subject.
Faith has played such a large part in human life and development that it would be insane not to even acknowledge. It is a tricky thing, however, to discuss in a public school because it is important not to accept or deny it. There are benefits to learning about different religions because it ties into so many issues people and countries are facing currently. It is almost inevitable to talk about current events with no mention of faith and it's role.
ReplyDeleteFaith is a monstrously powerful way of knowing. It has pushed humans to do great things, and expanded our minds to the edges of the universe. It is avoided in schools, and can be difficult to address indifferently and without bias because faith itself is a form of bias. But being so powerful, it should be addressed, although administration is right to be wary. But it is a way of knowing, and should be addressed as having a major role in society, and a major influence in our lives and evolution.
ReplyDeleteFaith is a delicate subject in educational systems. Teachers are instructed to avoid it because it is unconstitutional to promote or teach any form of religion to those who do not want to learn about it. However despite this, I think there is a place for the discussion of faith and religion in the school system. Students need to have an opportunity to deliver their own views and opinions on a subject that is primarily foreign to them. Most kids grow up with the same religious ideologies as their parents, so discussion of religion is important to help students create opinions independent from their parents' opinions (although this is very difficult to do). Discussion of faith in an educational system is essential to have an open learning environment and is in important step to exercise freedom of expression.
ReplyDeleteIt is incredibly hard to not address religion in public schools because the students and teachers all have different beliefs. It is like sweeping an object underneath a rug because, although you don’t see the physical thing, you can see the bump it creates which makes it hard to ignore. Especially in a class like TOK, the teachers should be able to comfortably say what they want instead of what they are allowed to say because then it only scratches the surface of something bigger. However I agree that teachers should not be allowed to try and convert students but if they are touching the subject of faith objectively then it should be acceptable.
ReplyDeleteStudents have the right to an education, which includes religion. Also schools are to teach children how to live in a democracy, thus, they need to learn how to understand other people's views. Religion is a major part of history, you can't explain history without it even our time system is based in religion. It is an important part of education and shouldn't be left out. That being said, religion and faith can be integral parts of a persons life and we should keep this mind when discussing religion.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is important to learn about all religions even if you do not believe or accept their ideas. Learning about other religions and understanding why they believe what they believe is important to understanding world relations or problems and leaves you more open minded to why others do what they do. I also believe that religious knowledge systems is one of the most important topics to discus in ToK because it is one of the biggest influences in many peoples lives.
ReplyDeleteDenying students the right to learn of other religions within the public school system is something i find to be completely unreasonable. Simply because one does not practice any given type of religion does not mean that they have no need to learn of it's beliefs and practices. Learning about other religions and cultures allows us to have a mutual respect for one another, despite any differences we may have.
ReplyDeleteFaith should definitely be integrated into the education system, but only for educational purposes. Students need the opportunity to learn about faiths other than their own; it provides insight into the lives and cultures of the people that share the world with them. Being able to understand why a person believes what they believe has the potential to eliminate prejudice. TOK tells its students to be open-minded, but how can we be if we have only one view of the world? Learning about other faiths lets students find other paths, and they don't necessarily have to take them to be true, but they serve as other options; other answers. Ignoring the topic of faith is ignoring the topic of a major human tendency; it will not go away, and it will not answer itself.
ReplyDeleteFaith should be presented in school from a neutral standpoint. It shouldn't be a form of pressure towards one way of thinking or another, but at the same time it should be discussed. I took Block last year, and there was no way I was going to understand anything about the middle east unless I understood a little about Islam. Whether or not the schools present it, faith is a very important thing in our lives, no matter what the faith is directed towards. And it isn't purely spiritual. I believe that thinking about faith makes people more trusting and ultimately more sociable. It's an important issue, and pretending it doesn't exist does nothing more than to close a students mind to the possibilities that exist.
ReplyDeleteI believe that once faith is involved people use it to justify the most ludicrous scenarios and situations. It is a beautiful thing to believe in something so unknown with so much confidence, but we mustn't ignore the fact that in many cases, religion is exploited and used in unethical and dishonest ways. Faith is also a big point of controversy and for these reasons, we should continue it's exclusion from public schools and programs.
ReplyDeleteFaith, should be a part of the TOK curriculum to a certain extent. Although it is a controversial subject for some, it is necessary to expand the perspectives of many students who without exposure to different religions and ideologies might become very close-minded and unaware of what is happening around them,
ReplyDeleteFaith is a tricky subject because it's all about believing something without evidence. It's dangerous because sometimes it can go to the extent of believing something is true despite piles of actual facts contradicting it. The reality is though, that religion has played a huge part of history and shaped all of our lives whether we believe in it or not. That is why it's important to discuss it, completely ignoring it like it doesn't even exist is the most ignorant thing that anyone can do. I think it is really beneficial to study not just the facts of religion but the thoughts behind it as well. I believe from studying religion and how/why this affects humans so greatly, can really help us learn a lot about ourselves as well, religious or not.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why faith is such a touchy subject is because its the basis for so many peoples morals, and when you mess with peoples morals, they get angry, so messing with the very foundation that those peoples morals stand on is even more tedious an activity. When you talk about faith outwardly, you're more likely to make a person question their faith, if even slightly, and when you confuse people about the basis of their morals, they tend to get defensive, and angry, which is nothing but counterproductive in a scholastic environment. That's one of the bigger reasons behind faith being such a touchy subject in schools, and life in general.
ReplyDeleteFaith enters the classroom in several ways. At a minimum, teachers and students arrive with their own views on faith but many of these may differ. Because of this I think it is very important to discuss faith and its many branches so that students are educated but I think it is more important to keep any and all opinions about religion out of the conversation. I also believe that discussion about faith does not belong in most classrooms, such as biology for example, but a class like TOK should not be without discussion about faith. The discussion should always be neutral however, as faith is such a controversial topic that is extremely powerful even in a public school classroom at 7am.
ReplyDeleteAs seen in the videos, religious persons make up for over half of the world's population. As one of school's purposes is to educate kids on world matters, it only seems fitting to address religion. Teaching religion does not need to be biased. Simply stating what each religion believes is just teaching, not necessarily influencing. If I play the piano, leaning about the Vietnamese Dan Nhi Two-string Fiddle will not necessarily make me want to change instruments but I simply have knowledge of what Vietnamese music may sounds like. Own personal views do not need to be shared in the conversation. If someone would like to learn more about a religion, they may contact a practice of that religion.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time if one DOES want to share their opinion, I do not think there is a need for defensiveness. I think all should be open to different views. If one is strong in their beliefs then they know what others say wont change their views so they might as well listen. BUT when one does listen it does not hurt to be open. As seen in the above videos, all of the religions have pretty just standards that may help you in your life whether religious or not.
It would be cool to draw out all aspects of the religions in class and see where there are oppositions and over lap and discuss these similarities or differences and what people think-- or create a religion that the class could (maybe) agree on a set of morals for.
Faith can be a complicated subject due to the various types and beliefs that go into it. Every individual has different ideas about faith, and what it means to them, and every individual should be given the opportunity to speak freely about their religion within reason. Their is no physical proof of "god" and that therefore requires individuals to have multiple perspectives when it comes to the idea of faith.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, our present school system does a good job of handling faith. Obviously, it is a very touchy subject and it is very important that there is little influence on how children adopt religion. However, since it is such a powerful subject, we can't just ignore it. Religion has been (and will be) the justification for so many decisions throughout history, and people need to understand why things happen the way they do.
ReplyDeleteEducation should be as unbiased as possible. As students we need to learn about differing faiths, their practices and belief systems, so as to get a better understanding of the world. How else are we to effectively communicate with people? If we disagree with someone with differing views on faith the only way to have any credibility is with knowledge of their beliefs. Faith, in part, is a way to find reason in unanswerable questions, and its hard to talk about because of the endless belief systems. But we need to presented with all of them to widen our understanding of what we personally believe in, and the beliefs of others.
ReplyDeleteIdeally, the Constitutional separation of church and state is perfectly enacted and thus implements this perfectly free society where every person is entitled to their opinions and no individual ever feels singled out or put in the minority because the different opinions are not ever discussed in a negative way, and no one ever says anything that could possibly offend anyone else. However, we do not live in a perfect world, and without the help of schools and teachers, society dictates a different definition for what the “separation of church and state” really means.
ReplyDeleteFor me this comes back to something I always thought about when I was younger, whether the introduction to an idea has already altered your personal perception of that thing, or if rather the repetition of the idea over and over engrains it in your mind as the truth.
I recall being around my parents friends and other adults at a young age and someone accidentally cussing in front of me and apologizing thereafter for doing so, to which I would almost always reply with “It’s alright, I attend public school don’t I?” my cheeky attempt to argue that if I was already introduced to a practice like swearing, the continuous use of these words around me as a child would not change anything, because the idea had already been introduced to my mind, and the vocabulary had been added.
Of course, we know that my argument is not entirely true, because we are all aware that if you cuss repeatedly around your children, just as they learned how to speak from their parents, they will pick up new words from their parents vocabulary and use them in their own. I would guess that the more times a child hears the world the more familiar they become with it, the more often they can be heard using it in everyday language.
Having discussions of faith acts in the same way, I think. Though all the individuals in the room are aware of the stereotypes that exist about certain religious groups, as well as what is polite not to mention in a discussion regarding faith, the continuous use of these negative opinions on other religious beliefs can be a comparable accumulation to hearing swear words.
The issues with talking about faith are unavoidable in a class such as TOK which seeks to analyze thought patterns, and I don’t necessarily see anything wrong with the analysis itself, as long as it does not become pointed and offensive towards certain groups.
Faith may be difficult to teach in a public school setting, but I think it should still be an option. Faith is a huge part in so many people's life and I think by teaching it in the school setting it allows for those kids to hear to the views of their peers and possibly gain a better understanding of why people think or don't think what they do. By understanding why people think what they think on a global scale it allows for a better of the world as whole. Without truly understanding the ways/things that other people think it will eventually cause the world to go blind to all ideas but their own. I feel that people should be able to talk about faith if they so choose or completely avoid the topic in a school setting and that's one of the greatest things in the country that we live in is we are given this freedom to choose.
ReplyDeleteSchools should try to stay as least bias as possible. As of now I feel as if our school does a pretty good job with this topic. It is impossible to ignore it though. Everyone is going to be different and have different views and teachers seem to be good at excepting and being unbiased, but as a school in its whole you can see peoples opinions rather we want to or not. I think it is a good thing that we are able to be so diverse in school and open up to what we feel.
ReplyDeleteI believe that schools should be able to talk about religion in a nonbiased manner such as presenting information about the religion and when talking about effects of it giving multiple sides but I understand how that can be difficult. But I do believe that religion is important. Being able to identify with a group or have a group of people with similar morals and beliefs creates a strong and supportive community.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to discuss different religions in schools in order to attempt to give children an unbiased view of them and to present various options to children. Of course, this must be done in as least an offensive manner as possible and attempted with as little bias as possible. Although some amount of bias is impossible to avoid, as long as views are presented with respect and acceptance for the religious diversity that inevitably will be present in any classroom, it should not be problematic.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to be aware when talking about faith in any class especially TOK because there really aren't any limits and anything can be said by anyone in the class. I think that faith is important to talk about though because it is such a large part of so many lives in our world and there are so many different religions in our world that we should try and understand as many as possible so we aren't close minded and make assumptions about different religions. I think it is just good to be aware of the borders that can be crossed when talking about faith and we as students just have to keep in mind that no one religion is the right one and that we probably all have a slightly different view according to our bias about our own faith.
ReplyDeleteI think that faith does have some credibility because of how long it has been around. I think that it loses a lot of its credibility because there are so many different faiths and people rarely agree. So i think we try and turn to things that we can prove, so that there is less of an argument
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