Every
morning throughout middle school, I stood up to face the United States flag and
pledge my allegiance to it. Thousands of elementary and middle school students
did the same. They diligently repeat the pledge every day, and each time
believe the message more than the last. However, what might seem like a proud
patriotic declaration engraves into children an idea which goes against the
fundamentals upon which their country was founded. This idea in conveyed in the
statement “in God we trust,” which has nothing to do with declaring one’s
loyalty to their country. Instead, it introduces religion to schools, a place
it doesn’t belong. It is so stated in the United States Constitution and must
be viewed as such if equality and peace are to flourish.
The
first amendment of the United States Constitution mandates the separation of
church and state, and because of this, public schools are not allowed to preach
religion to students. Not imposing religion on students important because the
United States is a diverse country where many different religions are
practiced. If schools chose to include religion in their pupils’ curriculum,
which one would they choose? The cannot make that decision because it is also
stated in the first amendment that one religion cannot be favored over another
and that no one religion can be declared as the official one that all people
must follow. School is a place where students are supposed to grow and embrace
their uniqueness so that they can each add something different to society.
Forcing them to abide by the morals of a religion that is not their own will
extinguish their self-confidence and sense of self, not to mention students who
are atheists. It is immoral to push onto people a belief they don’t stand by;
After all, the freedom of religion is one of the fundamental human rights in
the United States.
Aside
from being stripped of their rights, the students who do not preach the
religion taught will be ostracized by their peers. Imagine being ridiculed,
isolated and possibly facing verbal or physical abuse from the people who are
supposed to be your friends, just for believing in something different from
them. This rejection can lead to stress and hiding one’s true beliefs to fit
in. Children who grow up thinking that their group of people are superior will
turn into hateful adults and pass this ideology to their children. Hateful
people would digress the country, and destroy all efforts of achieving equality
made by people thus far.
The
United States is a country where every person has the freedom of pursuit of
happiness, life, and liberty. We are free to express our opinions and to
disagree and to strive for change. Let’s look at what our founding fathers
taught us, and see how we can use those lessons to better life for future
generations. Religion in schools will shape provincial children. They will
disparage anyone who does not think the same as them. We should instead teach
them to be all-loving and to respect other people’s beliefs, including their
religion before we end up in a dystopian nightmare.
