Does
God Belong in Public Schools?
Kent
Greenawalt. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005. Pp. 296. $29.95,
cloth. ISBN: 0-691-12111-7. TEL: 609-258-7879 o FAX: 609-258-1335
Controversial
U.S. Supreme Court decisions have barred organized school prayer, but neither
the Court nor public policy exclude religion from schools altogether. In this
book, Greenawalt asks what role religion ought to play in public schools.
He explores many of the most divisive issues in educational debate, including
teaching about the origins of life, sex education, and when—or whether—students
can opt out of school activities for religious reasons.
Using these and other case studies, Greenawalt considers how to balance the
country’s constitutional commitment to personal freedoms and to the
separation of church and state with the vital role that religion has always
played in American society. Do we risk distorting students’ understanding
of America’s past and present by ignoring religion in public school
curricula? When does teaching about religion cross the line into the promotion
or criticism of religion?
Tracing the historical development of religion within public schools and considering
every major Supreme Court case, Greenawalt concludes that the ban on school
prayer and the ban on teaching creationism are justified, and that the court
should more closely examine such activities as the singing of religious songs
and student papers on religious topics. He argues that students need to be
taught more about religion—both its contributions and shortcomings—especially
in history courses. To do otherwise, he writes, presents a seriously distorted
picture of society and is indirectly other than neutral in presenting secularism
and religion.
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