Ohio may OK public school religion credits

[rug]

Public high schools would hold classes off-campus

June 1, 2013 7:24 AM
Written by Denise Smith Amos

Members of the Ohio House are considering a bipartisan bill that would allow public high schools to give students credit toward graduation for religious courses taken during school hours but away from public school.

If the bill becomes law, Ohio would be the only state other than South Carolina offering school credit for outside religious classes. Democratic and Republican bill sponsors say they want to encourage teenagers to take religious classes.

“It’s an attempt to reinstall some of the same things that made this country great,” said Rep. Bill Patmon, a Democrat from Cleveland who is one of the bill’s two main sponsors.

“We’ve taken prayer out of the schools,” he said. “We’ve separated any religious demonstrations from our learning areas. And we are using our church and state separation in the Constitution to say you can’t have a Christmas (display) or something in front of a school or even a Christ pictorial at Christmas time. We can’t have any of that associated with public buildings.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130601/NEWS/306010059/Ohio-may-OK-public-school-religion-credits

[elleng]

1. Learning about religions, as in, world history-wise,

or prosethelyzing??? BIG difference.

[rug]

3. It looks like giving academic credit for learning about one's own religion.

[elleng]

4. OK w me IF includes learning about OTHERS' religions, too.

(P.S., Daughters attended Catholic school in DC, and as we're a bi-family, me Jewish, their father, 'Catholic,' daughters were asked to explain Chanukah to their classmates, at holiday time. This was and is an outstanding progressive k-8th grade school, in progressive parish, in Georgetown.)

[Politicalboi]

2. Keep them dumb

“It’s an attempt to reinstall some of the same things that made this country great,” said Rep. Bill Patmon, a Democrat from Cleveland who is one of the bill’s two main sponsors.

Religion didn't make this country great. Our forefathers escaped religion by coming here. And now unfortunately, religion is EVERYWHERE. Got a dollar in your pocket, there it is. And we non believers have to put up with this crap. We non believers have to put up with bozo's complaining their Christmas is being taken away by not saying Merry Christmas, or their little trinket of Jesus can't be displayed EVERYWHERE. We non believers have to put up with congressmen and women who find the need to waste an hour on prayer before they start their day on OUR dime. Or make laws they "think" their god would like, and it passes. Yes keep them dumb.

[Bad Thoughts]

5. Who will monitor these off-campus courses?

In principle, I think it's OK, especially if it beats back the home schooling trend. However, it seems ripe for abuse. What exactly should the content of these courses be? Who will approve the textbooks? How do they fit into the curriculum? Will this supplement or replace coursework? What happens if all the students get A's without any means of verifying their legitimacy?

[rug]

6. Most likely the local school district and the state education department.

[cynatnite]

7. Idaho does this...

At least in Rexburg they did. It's 99% Mormon there. They would hold their religious classes across the street in another building. The students would not get credit, though, unless they went to a Mormon college such as BYU. It used to be called Ricks College.

I always figured it would eventually spread to other states.

[LostOne4Ever]

8. So would an atheist student get this Privilege as well?

So could an atheist student get credit for going outside and experiencing nature? Like at the local arcade or skate park? Similarly would Wiccans be able to participate by taking lessons at their coven or their parents?

Call me crazy but im pretty sure that the school would object to those examples. I foresee a double standard and issues with schools trying to define religious training so that only certain religions are recognized and trying to exclude non-believers altogether.

[rug]

9. If this is not a totally bogus law I don't see why not.

The question is, what are they giving academic credit for?

If it's for thinking about "big" questions, learning history, ancestry, understanding the opinions of traditions or whatever it is, I don't see why that academic criteria could not be used for purely humanist, non-religious activities and studies.

I'd love to see the criteria and rationale under consideration.

[Bad Thoughts]

10. Who would offer such courses?

In rural areas, the organizations may not exist to structure and teach such coursework.

[rug]

11. I think the law is a response to existing church programs.

If anyone else wants to take advantage of it I suppose it's up to them to create them - and then fight to get them academically recognized.

[Bad Thoughts]

12. I was wondering about those who would not prefer religious education ...

..., those who are secular or atheist, and the probability that there would be nothing for them in rural communities.