Religious Tolerance: America's Final Frontier

This semester, in my rhetoric and civilization course, I decided to focus on the value and practice of religious tolerance. With tensions ebbing and flowing between America and ISIS, and with day-to-day tensions between Americans who share different beliefs, who wouldn't benefit from taking a moment to evaluate themselves? I decided it was time to explore an alternative view toward religion in America. Throughout my research, my personal views on religious tolerance evolved--often prompted by questions raised from my peers in the class.

The Search for New Religious Tolerance

Navigating tensions surrounding any topic never became easier by ignoring them. It's time for the United States of America to make religious tolerance an effective part of its education. It's time for new applications of religious tolerance.  

New Tolerance: Changing the Religious Education in America

      Earlier this week, I wrote a blog post that argued for an important change to be considered within America's education of religious tolerance (if you missed the post, please see the following link: Incurable Religion: Searching For Tolerance). After sharing the post with fellow students, I decided to engage over 1,500 individuals, individuals that I lovingly refer to as "Facebook friends," in this important dialogue. Surprisingly, the responses I received were focused, positive, and provided me with a thought-provoking analysis over the past few days.

      Zack Payne, an acquaintance that resides in North Carolina, brought up a key point.

Incurable Religion: Searching for Tolerance

      In March of 1890, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruled, in conclusion to the Weiss v. the District Board case, that bible readings and devotionals in public schools were unconstitutional. Justice H.S. Orton of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin noted the following after the ruling:

“There is no such source and cause of strife, quarrel, fights, malignant opposition, persecution, and war, and all evil in the state, as religion. Let it once enter our civil affairs, our government would soon be destroyed. Let it once enter our common schools, they would be destroyed….Those who made our Constitution saw this, and used the most apt and comprehensive language in it to prevent such a catastrophe.”

      While Orton is “civically” correct, according to the civic philosophies of John Locke (made constitutional through Thomas Jefferson), I argue that he couldn’t be more wrong about religion within our education (or our “common schools,” as he puts it).