Whether or not religion should be included in the public school social studies curriculum has been a controversial debate worldwide, but more specifically within the United States. Today, students and teachers at Air Academy High School tackle this controversial topic while informing others of a healthy way to practice religion to help students better understand why this has been incorporated into the school. 

Religion has been a vastly important aspect of history, which is why many people believe it should be a crucial part of the educational environment in U.S schools including AAHS. Some students even argue that schools should be more open to the idea of religious extracurriculars.

“I believe that religion should be better incorporated so that it prepares us for the real world,” senior Nicholas Cubas answered when asked if AAHS should include more religious outlets. 

Though many believe that public schools need more religious incorporated studies, others feel differently. 

“I feel like people at our school already have access to lots of information about religion like young life and mythology. I mean it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if more clubs and stuff were added if it’s not like affecting the other classes and activities,” junior Elijah Ayala continued.

Not everyone agrees with the idea of teaching students about religion in a place of education, but based on past events, religious wars and cultures have heavily affected how we as a society function. 

“In today’s society, we are not supposed to listen to the other side, we have been taught to believe that our personal views are the right ones,” history teacher, Barry Clark, mentioned when asked why the subject of religion in social studies curriculums has been such a debate in our country. 

Based on the views of some students, our school community has not created the best environment in terms of religious tolerance. 

“The other day I was studying my bible in class and someone came up to me and asked why I was doing that in class and felt like they didn’t necessarily listen when I explained why I was doing that,” Cubas shared. 

The problem regarding lack of understanding in our society is something that can easily be fixed with better education about different cultures and the people around us. 

 “The presence of institutionalized religion is a relatively modern phenomenon, and we may overlook beliefs that pre-date them, such as those of the Plains Indians of North America,” religious studies professor, Clair White, stated in an article titled “How to Promote Religious Tolerance in the classroom.” 

The topic of religious studies is such a controversial topic because students are afraid that their views may be changed or altered. Changing the way we teach religion may very well be the solution to this problem. Creating a positive environment while referring to religious topics allows students to be educated in a way that will not cause problems. Better incorporation of this subject in schools provides a way for students to better prepare themselves to enter a world with much greater diversity.