Teaching about Religions by Lester Emile;

Author:Lester, Emile;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Michigan Press

DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES AT STAKE IN THE EVOLUTION CONTROVERSY

Active Tolerance

Chapters 1 and 2 suggest that two fundamental democratic principles ought to govern if and how schools treat religious points of view: the principle of active respect and the principle of good faith. Since teaching about origins involves discussing views that challenge existing beliefs, the relevance of the principle of active respect is most obvious to the evolution controversy and should be addressed first. That both sides in the evolution controversy can invoke the principle is perhaps less obvious. Teaching any of the versions of creationism might lead to increased disrespect in schools and society toward non-Christians and even the many Christians who accept evolution. But evolutionary theory directly contradicts the religious beliefs of many conservative Christians, and these believers interpret the failure to teach alternatives to evolution as disrespectful and intolerant. This complexity and others require not only a brief restatement of the principle of active tolerance but an elaboration of features of the principle that were not discussed in chapter 1.

A democratic society, chapter 1 argues, must cultivate active tolerance toward religious groups and particularly minority religious groups and nonbelievers. The absence of open dominance by one religion is not enough. Schools must go further and create an environment where students from all religious groups feel comfortable expressing their identities. This requires encouraging dominant religious groups to restrain their behavior and reassuring religious minorities that schools are welcoming of all expression.

Making sure that the curriculum promotes active tolerance must take into account not only the curriculum's impact on students but its impact on parents and community members. A school district's curriculum affects the ability of all citizens living within the district to express their religious identity. This is not just a point about how current students will treat their fellow community members when they graduate or when they are outside of school. What is taught in the public school curriculum sends a powerful message to community members about their status in the community, because public schools are among the most visible of state institutions. This is why the fights over school curriculum concerning religion are sometimes intense. These battles are not only about what students are learning; they symbolize to citizens that the community either treats all religions equally or privileges one religion over another. A curriculum teaching an anti-Buddhist message or omitting Buddhism from a required world religions course, for instance, would still be undemocratic even if no Buddhist students attended the public schools in that community. It would send a message to Buddhists in the community, the state, and even the nation that American society objects to their religion. This message of exclusion would inhibit the willingness of Buddhists to express their religious identities and talk about their faith in public.

Not only are parents aware of the messages that schools broadcast to their children and the community, but they are often more sophisticated consumers than their children. Both sides in the evolution controversy must take this into account.

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