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From: fair@dual.UUCP (Erik E. Fair)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Prayer in schools and WHY
Message-ID: <270@dual.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 12-Feb-84 22:01:08 EST
Article-I.D.: dual.270
Posted: Sun Feb 12 22:01:08 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Feb-84 03:41:20 EST
References: <198@mi-eec.UUCP> <623@ihuxp.UUCP>
Organization: Dual Systems, Berkeley, CA
Lines: 44

I spent a year in a private college preparatory school in Massachusettes
before going to the University of California at Berkeley. One of the
requirements for graduation there were three trimesters of `religious studies'
courses.

The first two trimesters were a standard course that everyone is required
to take, covering sections of the Bible and modern theological thought,
from a philosophical point of view, rather than an evangelical one.
In particular, I remember we spent a good deal of time talking about
Ecclesiates (what a *depressing* passage!), which fundamentalists
(at least those I have come into contact with) seem to avoid.

The third trimester was elective, and I took a comparative religions
course, in which we looked over Judaism, Islam, Buddism, Hinduism,
Hare Krishnas (we even had some Hare Krishna followers in class one day
to present their views and answer questions), and a few other `ism's
that I can't remember all that well. All in all, I'm very glad that
the requirement was there, since it caused me to take a course that I
otherwise would not have taken.

I was particularly struck by the attitude of the department as a whole,
given the background of the school. The school was (at that time) just
celebrating its centennial, and had been founded by an Evangelical
Protestant (which sect, I don't remember). The Religious Studies Dept.
was more akin to the kind of department you'd find in a College, rather
than a Sunday school (The distinction being, in my mind, that the former
educates, and the latter indoctrinates).

So after this long winded monologue, I say that I agree with Walt Pesch
in that, yes, there should be religion in the schools, provided it is a
balanced treatment of ALL religions of the world. However, given the
regional nature of the American public school system, I don't think this
will ever happen (at least not the way that I & Walt Pesch would want it),
and so I think the public school system should continue to resist the
introduction of religious bias in the curricula. I just happened to be
lucky enough to attend a school that had learned something in its 100
years of existence; which is something I don't think a public school
could do.

	Erik E. Fair

	dual!fair@BERKELEY.ARPA
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	Dual Systems Corporation, Berkeley, California