|
Education: Through the Wall of Ignorance
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . . .
—The Bill of Rights (1791)
Ever since this clause was written into the Bill of Rights, most Americans have considered the separation of church & state beyond debate. But an increasing number of Americans also deplore(悲叹，痛惜） one by-product of this separation, which the Founding Fathers probably never had in mind: the almost complete exclusion of religion from the public schools and colleges.
In many state-operated schools, religion is as unmentionable as syphilis（梅毒） was in Victorian parlors. Result: a generation of religious illiterates—who perhaps know how to read & write, but not how, why or what to believe. （有些文盲的信徒，知道怎么读写，但不知道为什么相信）
When the National Conference of Christians and Jews asked George Zook (TIME, Aug. 12) what to do about it, he thought at first that the question was "too hot a potato"（我咋觉得这是烫手的山芋之意） for his powerful but conglomerate（联合大企业，企业集团） American Council on Education. But after reconsidering, he named a committee of thirteen educators to set down the basic principles on which they could agree. The committee, headed by F. Ernest Johnson of Columbia's Teachers College, included Protestant（新教徒）, Catholic and Jewish members (but no agnostics（不可知论者）. Among them: Frank P. Graham, president of the University of North Carolina; Msgr. Frederick G. Hochwalt, director of education for the National Catholic Welfare Conference. （有一个叫zook的人接手了这个烫手的山芋）
Last week, after more than two years' study, the committee published its conclusions, The Relation oj Religion to Public Education (American Council on Education; $1). Main thesis, as summed up by George Zook: "Schools should accept religion and the churches as a factor of social life, just as much as they do the waterworks." The committee proposed to teach about religion, but not to teach religion itself, in the schools. For a while the group had considered a proposal to find and teach a set of principles common to all faiths (e.g., some form of Golden Rule), but rejected this as "watered-down（用水冲淡的，打折的）" religion acceptable to nobody. （在长达两年的研究后，最后结论是学校只是教关于宗教的知识，而不是宗教本身的意义）
Said the committee: "We who write this report are members of religious bodies to which we owe allegiance（拥护，忠诚） by conviction. For us, the democratic faith . . . rests on a religious conception of human destiny. . . . [We] believe that the American people are deeply, though not always articulately（表达能力强的）, conscious of a religious heritage to whose central values they want their children to be committed. . . . （我们本身是宗教成员，他们自己并想让孩子也一样的忠诚）
"It is not the business of public education to secure adherence to any particular religious system. . . . But we believe it is the business of public education to impel the young toward a vigorous（精力充沛）, decisive personal reaction to the challenge of religion. . . . A first step is to break through the wall of ignorance about religion and to increase the number of contacts with it."
The committee's ideas on how to break through the wall:
¶ "In the study of ... community life—government, markets, industry, labor, welfare, and the like—there [is no] reason for the omission of contemporary religious institutions and practices."
¶ "The study of the religious classics . . . in the regular literature program [should be expanded]. . . . The Bible is second to none among the books that have influenced the thought and ideals of the Western world. [It deserves study] conducted with at least as much respect as is given to the great secular classics, and devoid of arbitrary interpretations to the same extent. . . ."*
¶ "To confine the teaching of religion to separate 'religious courses' tends toward . . . splitting（极快的） off of religion from the rest of life. . . . [Religious education] is not something to be added on to the school curriculum, but rather something to be integrated with it"—in existing classes on history, sociology, psychology, economics, philosophy, literature, music, the fine arts.
Concluded the committee: "On all sides we see the disintegration（瓦解，崩溃） of loyalties . . . the revival of ancient prejudices, the increase of frustrations, the eclipse of hope. . . . Religion at its best has always been an integrating force, a spiritual tonic（补品） for a soul racked by fear and cringing in weakness. ... Its imperfections will not be lessened by an attitude of splendid isolation on the part of intellectuals, or of indifference on the part of those responsible for the education of youth."
* Several states prohibit Bible reading in school, others insist that only the Protestant Bible be read. The committee would like to see each student study the version of his own faith. comment: Religion has always played an important role in most west and european countries. Constractly, China mainland people just pay more about how to join the Party. And actually, sometimes they don't know the purpose of joining it. Religion is a kind of belife and a way to show your spirit in the deep heart. I still remember the wonderful tour to a church last Christmas in the local city. It is my first time to spend a Christmas traditionally in a church. Many people sing the Anthem and Hallelujah with full love. I can still feel the deep love without understanding any lyrics. However, with the development of society, many young people even in the religious countries get to care less about the religion. So, a phenomenon occurs, many people want to solve this problem and ask schools to offer oppotunities. But the problem always comes with solving problems. Many school just teach something about the religion, but not the religion itself. As to Bible, well in my mind, Bible shoud be read by someone who really get interested in it and read in a holy place. | 
GO
楼主: 123runfordream
发表于 2010-1-20 11:10:05
发表于 2010-1-26 00:27:43
0
转发
