Losing faith in your religion
Esmeralda Coeto Medina (created with Canva)
The church and public schools have contradictions, but ultimately, it is the student who decides what they want to believe.
Every year before the school year starts, I go to mass to receive a blessing from the priest so that I do well in school. This year, after many other students and I received our blessing, the priest said, “Parents, you have to be careful of what children are learning in school because school is driving them away from their religion.”
How is the public education system pulling students away from their religion?
The American Association of School Administrators proclaims, “Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion.”
What is the difference between teaching religion and teaching about religion?
Religious instruction or teaching religion means that the education that a student is receiving is indoctrinating them to a particular religion. An example of this would be religious private schools that identify with a specific religion and enforce practices or prayers.
On the contrary, teaching about religion is the act of introducing the role of religion in a historical, cultural, and literary way.
This means that students in public schools can analyze biblical metaphors, observe references to the Bible, and learn about the importance of religion in the lives of other people and its effects. However, certain rules are applied: public schools can’t promote religion, degrade a particular religion, or interfere with beliefs. Instead, teachers and staff must address religion in an unbiased, neutral, and factual viewpoint. This is an example of the separation of church and state.
U.S. History teacher, Rafael Ramos, said that “no government should promote or impose any religion on its citizens and as a taxpayer-funded institution that is also true for education.”
Public schools and teachers can’t promote religious lessons because tax money funds public schools. On the other hand, private schools can further implement religious lesson plans because that is the education that they are paying to receive.
However, regarding public education, Ramos said: “I think that when you are teaching or covering religion, it is the duty of the teacher to present it as objectively as possible.”
Ramos, who has been teaching history for 16 years, thinks of ways to represent religion in a respectful manner for all.
“I address it (religion) where it’s appropriate in the context of U.S. History,” he said. “I don’t impose religious beliefs.”
Junior Dani De La Cruz, who is an atheist, said that public schools have been “not so religious to the point where teachers respect (the beliefs of others).” They said, “I’ve only heard about religion in an informative way.” As educators, it is their duty to present information in a way that doesn’t upset others and doesn’t force anyone to think a particular way about any religion.
The way that a student or adolescent associates or dissociates with their religion is largely caused by other influences that they have, alternative interpretations they have heard, and other personal experiences.
De La Cruz said, “Religion doesn’t make sense. I never understood the point of the Bible or having a God.”
In their case, their personal experience at school shaped their identity. De La Cruz recalls watching a BrainPOP video in 6th grade where they learned about the word atheist. Ever since they have used that word to describe themselves.
“I am not religious. I’m pretty much atheist,” they said.
Senior Ali Naqvi is a Shia Muslim who was born into a religious family and at first, it was expected for him to follow that religion. However, as he got older and matured, he became passionate about his religion.
In a religious lecture Naqvi heard that “Islam is a religion about looking after both yourself and your community.”
He mentioned that a part of his personality had been made up by his religion.
“Religion can make up a person such as their beliefs; it can help you learn about others like their motives and the kind of person they are,” Naqvi said.
On the other hand, Ramos doesn’t agree with the idea that public education is guiding students away from their religion.
He said, “I think it’s unfair to try to use public education as a scapegoat. It has existed for over 100 years. If it was public education that was guiding them away, then we would have seen a real drop in the number of people who are religious a long time ago. The reality is that the number of people who identify as religious fluctuates all the time and if there is a real drop, it has only begun to happen recently.”
He suggests that religious leaders reevaluate how they are addressing their congregations. If they aren’t providing a message that their followers find engaging, or relevant, then their followers might not find a reason to attend mass.
Ramos said, “I think that the idea he (the priest) was referring to, is that education, in general, makes some students think critically and that’s when they question things.”
Thinking critically makes a person wonder why things are the way that they are and whether or not that thing in question should be removed. A subject that often contradicts religion is science because it deals with investigations regarding the real world and religion is based more on spirituality and worshiping a God(s).
Junior Fatima Del Carmen who is Catholic explains that religion and science are polar opposites. She mentioned that in the Bible, God is the creator of the world. However, what she has learned in science has told her that because of evolution everything has adapted and changed.
Del Carmen said, “There are a diversity of thoughts at school. I have to consider both aspects of science and religion.”
Some individuals may have been heavily influenced by religion, have had no influence, or never understood the concept of religion. However, there are some students who learn to embrace their religion.
Junior Yancy Vasquez-Almendariz who is Catholic has also learned about evolution and even though it contradicts concepts that she has read in the bible, that alone does not guide her away from her religion.
“It (school) doesn’t drive me away, it just imposes new ideas in my head.” She also said, “I discovered being truly Catholic because I make my own decisions.”
School is a place where students should feel comfortable and not judged for their beliefs. All aspects of religion that are covered in school are addressed in a respectful and informative way. It is not the school nor the teachers’ intentions to gear their students’ beliefs. Rather it is the individual’s choice to decide whether or not they would like to participate in a religion.
“School shouldn’t impact us. At the end of the day, we choose what side we believe in,” said Vasquez-Almendariz. “I personally have experienced the love of God, with his guidance and love, I noticed that I started doing things that I never thought I would be doing.”
Naqvi said, “For me personally, my faith in my religion is much stronger than any outside force because I simply love my religion that much.”

My favorite animal is a polar bear, I love strawberries, and my favorite subject is biology.
Bethany Vu • Dec 15, 2021 at 11:29 am
I enjoyed reading this article! I also had some similar experiences with some viewpoints from this article, like the evolution theory that contradicts what the church teaches. Sometimes it does affect me a little, but I’m usually fine with it. It makes me think a lot, but I feel like it’s there just to confirm my faith in what I believe in. I still have complete faith in what my beliefs are though.
Syed Ali Naqvi • Oct 8, 2021 at 11:28 am
Great article! I completely agree that school should be a place where students are able to learn freely without being judged for their beliefs.
I would like to state that though (public) schools usually don’t teach students about what they should believe in, the school may result in students questioning or having issues with some of their beliefs. Most staff members aren’t educated on religion and are sometimes surprised by some beliefs, they may also have assignments that go against some students. For example, in Islam, music is a sin. Despite this, there are assignments in some classes involving music (usually English classes or some elective classes; elementary schools sometimes require band or orchestral classes, which are sinful in the views of most, if not all, Islamic beliefs). Furthermore, some teachers enjoy playing music in class as students work on their own. Though I am not pointing fingers at anyone, it is something I wanted to state. It goes to show that school staff aren’t required to be educated about religions and that the curriculum is not fitted to comply with some religious beliefs.
Sonia Robles • Oct 8, 2021 at 11:02 am
I really enjoyed reading this interesting article, it was well detailed and I liked the examples provided for each topic!
Michell Martinez • Oct 8, 2021 at 11:01 am
The beliefs of religion can only be affected by you. It’s you who makes the decision whether you want to apply new information towards your religion. I love this article and the way you had different people of different religions involved! It isn’t talked about much.
Julie N. • Oct 8, 2021 at 11:00 am
I find it interesting how churches think school is guiding people away from religion. I agree with the statement that science plays a key role when it comes to religion considering it is contradicting; science is what made me question my religious beliefs of being catholic. Moreover, I believe that school doesn’t guide people away from religion since it isn’t the school’s intent and it is just trying to educate its students, and at the end of the day it is up to the individual to take his or her stance on his or her beliefs without a hovering shadow.
Jazmin Chavira • Oct 8, 2021 at 10:59 am
This is such a good article! I think it’s really important to teach about all religions but to also keep it as objective as possible.
Alexandria Ordaz • Oct 8, 2021 at 10:58 am
This article was really informative and interesting to read. I had never really thought about how school could impact our religious beliefs or if school impacts these beliefs at all. It’s really interesting to see that many stay true to what they want to believe and don’t let other ideas and people impact their beliefs. Great job with this article!
Jamie • Oct 8, 2021 at 10:58 am
Great article! You had many different perspectives come into play and that’s great considering how broad the topic of religion can be especially in a school setting. I personally don’t practice religion but was still interested to see what people who are more involved believe when it comes to our general education.
Jennifer Lopez • Oct 8, 2021 at 10:57 am
Hello Esmeralda, the concept of religion is a difficult subject to talk about in school. Religion can be different for an individual, and I personally believe religion shouldn’t be taught in public schools. Individuals might have different views or beliefs when it comes to religion.