Re: introducing faith/religion to kids

On Jun 12, 11:11 am, toto <scarec...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:58:27 -0400, Ericka Kammerer <e...@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

We don't wait until people are adults
before teaching them math, science, or language skills. We also
shouldn't wait until they're adults to teach them to evaluate the
facts, form opinions, and speak about them. That should happen
right alongside reading "Henry and Mudge" and learning to write.

Sure. I'm asking for a *higher* standard, not a lower
one in terms of critical thinking. And there are *plenty* of
opportunities to learn critical thinking at school without being
unmannerly.

And many of those opportunities are objected to by Fundamentalists
because they involve the examination of beliefs that are *against*
their religious beliefs. Anytime you examine ethical dilemmas, you
risk overturning various religious dogmas.

Just try presenting something like this to high school students in the
appropriate class.

http://www.goodcharacter.com/dilemma/dilemma.html

I don't think the example you posted was an ethical "dilemma". Since
someone's life could be at stake, her friends must call 911, and "face
the music". Even looking at it selfishly, they don't want to forever
feel guilty over a friend dying because of their negligence. That
could happen if they do nothing.

Another phony dilemma from the site is

"#13: You are stumped on an important math test and you have the
perfect opportunity to cheat without getting caught. What do you do,
and how do you explain your decision?"

Why should students *debate* this? What if they come to a consensus
that cheating is OK? They should be *taught* by authority figures such
as their teachers and parents that it is better to be honest, even if
that means a lower grade.

You don't need to be a fundamentalist to object to the material at
that site or to wonder about the judgement of teachers who use it. Is
there any evidence that such programs improve the behavior of
students?

.

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