During an NPR interview with Terry Gross the co-host and producer of the radio show “Fresh Air”, Bill Maher, a political satirist and TV host, stated that “Religion has done more harm than good in the world” (1). Nowadays, that is shared by many people around the world.
In the United States, teachers can “Teach about Religion” but “Teaching Religion” is prohibited. According to an article of the Anti- Defamation League, an organization about Religion in the Curriculum, “teaching religion” has to do with “religious indoctrination and practice”, while “teaching about religion” refers to “teaching students about the role of religion in the historical, cultural, literary and social development”. Teachers should be careful when approaching Religion. A good way of doing it is through debates, workshops, reflective questioning. Therefore, students can have their own opinion, but they need to know why. We should help them increase their level of awareness about other religions, and their legitimacy.
In Chile, the law states that it is mandatory to have Religion Classes but if there is a student who doesn’t share a catholic bias, they can request to be exempted from the class. However, it’s quite common for public schools to impose their own beliefs. Still, educators can balance their belief by stating their points of view in an assertive and appropriate manner; teachers stating that their beliefs are not absolute and right, and in which ways you respect and share other beliefs on religion.
As a conclusion, teachers should promote respect in their classrooms through reflective activities. Let us remember that although religion is a complex topic, through language it is possible, to pass on values, morals and respect.
1. Maher, Bill. Interview with Terry Gross. Fresh Air.NPR. 30 September 2008
2. "Religion in the Public Schools". Anti-Defamation League. 27 March 2009.
Overall, a well-written post with highly complex sentences.
ResponderEliminarExcellent introduction of your quote here (note some language corrections):
According to an article *produced by* the Anti- Defamation League, an organization about Religion in the Curriculum, “teaching religion” has to do with “religious indoctrination and practice”, while “teaching about religion” refers to “teaching students about the role of religion in the historical, cultural, literary and social *development."*
Don't forget, the period goes inside the quotation marks unless that wasn't the end of the sentence in the article. Actually, you should have a parenthetical documentation with the paragraph number:
....and social development" (2).
You are very thorough here:
During an NPR interview with Terry Gross the co-host and producer of the radio show “Fresh Air”, Bill Maher, a political satirist and TV host, stated that “Religion has done more harm than good in the world” (1).
I wonder that you wouldn't do better to put more emphasis on Maher and not give so much information about Gross. Such a long introduction distracts from the quotation.
Where is your reference to the NYT article? Why didn't you correct your citations at the end once we went over them in class? Remember, you have to complete the blog assignment to get full credit.