Teaching of religion should be allowed in public schools.

Hi there! I'll accept this debate :) Seems to be a fun topic. How's it going? As for the case; I'm not LD but since everyone seems to be posting definition I best do the same! Moral - of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong. (This goes for ethical as well) Values - relative worth, merit, or importance. Principle - an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct. Also when I refer to "prayers" I'm talking about the practice of religion in school. I am supporting the resolution, but I argue that there should be available electives (those extra classes you get to choose) so that people may choose which religion to practice or whether they want nothing to do with it. This is for schools who allow electives, other schools must find extra curricular means. First off is student values; It is important to base education on moral values and principles. Making prayers a part of the daily schooling is indeed beneficial. It fosters a moral and an ethical spirit in the school children. Prayers have a power of creating a pious atmosphere that helps instill certain values such as humility and discipline in the students. This helps the school children realize the essence of the ethical values. Prayers in school encourage the students to believe in the value system the school and follow it. Banning prayers in school could mean depriving the school children of their freedom of religion. Banning prayers is equal to being non-religious. According to those who think in favor of prayers in school, think of prayers as an essential element of the school routine. For them, it seems quite irreligious not to recite a prayer everyday, especially at the start of your school day. Moreover, prayers give the students an opportunity to observe their religion. School children are in a way motivated to respect their religion. School prayers give the students a platform to live by their values. Prayers in school thus reiterate the principles, which the children follow at home. Those favoring the concept of the recital of prayers in school think that a school should not only train its students academically but should also cultivate the minds of the children. Prayers can help the school authorities to inculcate fundamental moral values in the students' minds. Religion is a HUGE part of our daily lives and will only grow larger in the future. Why not further educate ourselves with our own free will? Second is fairness; Everyday we recite the pledge of allegiance, which can count as a prayer due to "...one nation, under God, indivisible..." And this is unfair to other religions as there are Polytheists, Atheists, etc. Sure you can choose to not say the words, but its not fair that some religions can and others can't. Many religious riots break out because one religion is being treated or tolerated more than another. Creation of optional classes for different religions would solve dispute over religious equality. Catholic schools are hogging most of the funding from the Govt. with other religious private schools hanging by financial threads. Implementing these electives into public schools would promote the balance, because the school would be payed and the money distributed equally. Electives on religion would support the 1st amendment, the only way a school can by law deny this right is if it "disrupts the learning process" but its the total opposite, religion is CRUTIAL to the learning process for the reasons of student values posted above. Religion can serve as a roadmap for the rest of your entire life just like education! Religion and education go together like Algebra 1 and Algebra 2...err... you know what I mean :P Third is jobs; Something people need now more than ever, jobs. Implementing these classes for multiple religions would be able to sever the unemployeement rate by a substantial sum. With religion's current popularity, jobs would be filling up quick. More teachers also means better student:teacher ratio which has been proven to be much more effective. A class of 15 learns better ffrom one teacher than a class of 30. It allows more personal student to teacher learning/ tutoring. Once again, I am arguing that electives on religion in pubic schools are good things. I am in no way arguing that there should be set classes that a student MUST take in religion. BTW the video is random.. Its static X live :D this shows why you shouldn't expect to get good quality when you record in the front row lol. They still rock.. Its the recorders fault! http://www.youtube.com... If you have any questions on an argument just comment it. Good luck! Thank you!