Religion should be banned from any school related activity

Lets get straight into this.This debate is about whether or not religion should be banned from any school related activity. We are not debating if religion should be taught as a course in school, but whether it should be banned from any and all school functions. So lets get straight into thisI acknowledge that (a) religion should not be taught in science class or interfere with any empirical evidence in school. This is including all branches of school ; (including middle school , highschool, and even college). Faith based courses should not contradict evolution in the class room and be taught as an alternative. Again that is not the topic of the debate. We are talking about the banning of any and all religions from any and all school functions. I am going to jump straight into my contentions. Extra Curricular Courses. While religion may not be accurate or empirically correct, that is no reason to ban it completely from schools. Religion has served a major role in our past and even will still have a major role in the future. Understanding how and why people believe what they believe is a great topic for a class. This goes back all the way to biblical times, and even modern times. The topic of religion is a very interesting topic in and of itself, and is a great extra curricular course both in college, and in highschools. While learning religion, you also get to learn about past cultures. Religious studies can include anything from Islam, to the crusades, even to how it effects society psychologically. It can even be helpful in other majors someone is taking. It is especially helpful to have a understanding of religious influences and culture when you are majoring in both psychology and history. [1]Values and RightsThink if we ban all religious activity in school. Banning religion would include banning prayer. This is depriving someone of their right to freedom of religion. This is promised to us by the first amendment which states" Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. " [2]Again saying that this does not promise the right of religion to be taught in schools is a non sequitur. The main point that we are focusing on is the banning of any and all religious activities including and not limited to prayer in open or silence. By implementing a religious ban in school, you are forcefully taking away their right to freedom. You are saying the can not pray, speak, or worship whom they want during that time period and that is an infringement of the constitution. NOTE : This is not addressing separation of church and sate. Separation of church and state would come into play if religious teachings were being taught in place of the actual curriculum and mandate of the school. Separation of church and state =/= taking prayer and religion out of school but it does = mandating what is taught in the class room on a regulatory basis. Private SchoolsMy adversaries point here is a irrelevant. Someone has the right to attend a religious institution if they please. Even if religious courses are being taught in place of regular classes. There is a safety net to this. A majority of both Christian highschool and colleges are not actually accredited classes/courses. So per say if you attend a Christian Highschool. A majority of the time you will be asked to take a test that is mandated by the government in order to test your knowledge to see if you are actually fit to graduate school. Even when transferring from college to college, some religious colleges and community college courses will not transfer to higher learning institutions because the classes are considered either to easy or irrelevant. Here are a few schools without accreditation. Note that a lot of these are Christian Schools. [3] Again someone has the right to attend any of these schools knowing the fact that they are not accredited courses. Anyone can choose the right not to be educated. In addition to this however some Christian Colleges work differently than actual universities. Where as if you take a course in divinity in a 2 year college or basic four year Christian College, this will transfer to a seminary as an accredited course but would not transfer to say USF or FSU.In ClosingIf my adversary were simply saying that "religion should not be substituted for facts" or "should not be taught in the science class", I would probably concur. The issue however is that he is saying that religion should be banned from any and all school functions. This can not happen. It is a violation of the Constitution and to someones freedom of religion. [1] http://www.umass.edu...[2] http://www.usconstitution.net...[3] http://en.wikipedia.org...