Ryan Valentine serves as the Deputy Director for the Texas Freedom Network, a nonpartisan organization of religious and community leaders who advocate a mainstream agenda of religious freedom and individual liberties.
The only thing more controversial than teaching about sex in public schools is teaching about religion and sex. Most teachers and administrators don’t have to be told this. They wisely stick to the biological and scientific aspects of sexuality education in the classroom, while leaving moral and religious guidance to parents.
Except in Texas.
According to a new study of sex education materials used in Texas public school classes, almost ten percent of Texas school districts mix inappropriate religious content in their sexuality education instruction. Not surprisingly, the particular expression of religion that dominates in Texas secondary schools is Christianity, primarily beliefs held in fundamentalist Protestant traditions. Some of this content is explicitly and pervasively religious in nature, like a program used in three districts, whose Web site states:
We can be born again of The Almighty Himself. We then take on His character with all of its resultant self-control, benefits, and great responsibility. You will be amazed when the “sperm” of His Spirit connects with the “ovum/egg” of your spirit and you become a “new person” with His character. How? Read about it in your Bible.
Other materials provide a strict religious test for dating, telling students that they cannot date anyone who is not a Christian. A student handout from a Central Texas district provides an example of this type of religious discrimination:
For a Christian, this is the time where he or she would find out if their potential marriage partner is also a believer in Christ. The Bible warns us that believers and unbelievers should not team up, because those living in the light (of Christ) and those living in darkness cannot live in harmony. (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
Another district provides students with a handout entitled “Things to look for in a mate.” First on the list: How they relate to God. Is Jesus their first love? Trying to impress people or serve God?
Of course, moral guidelines like these are a part of many religious traditions and perfectly appropriate to discuss in homes and houses of worship. Imposing a religious test for dating becomes problematic, however, when it is taught in a public school setting to students who come from a variety faith backgrounds (or none at all). One can easily imagine the problems the question “Is Jesus their first love?” poses for Jewish, Muslim or Hindu students sitting in a Texas classroom.
And it is not just the theology that is questionable; these faith-based programs also have trouble with medical facts. One unapologetically Christian abstinence-only program gives this bizarre advice to students: If a woman is dry, the sperm will die. If a woman is wet, a baby she may get!
Unconstitutional religious instruction is just one of the myriad problems with abstinence-only classroom materials. Students in Texas regularly encounter factual errors intended to discourage the use of contraceptives, as well as other mistruths, distortions and stereotypes about gender and sexual orientation. The report “Just Say Don’t Know: Sexuality Education in Texas Public Schools” – sponsored by the religious liberties watchdog group Texas Freedom Network – is available at www.JustSayDontKnow.org.
Though this study documents problems in Texas classrooms, those in other states shouldn’t be too smug. Given the federal government’s huge investment in abstinence-only education over the last decade, these same materials may already be in a public school classroom near you.
(If you are interested in ending funding for programs like these – and supporting more responsible approaches to sexuality education for young people – consider signing on to the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing’s “Open Letter to Religious Leaders about Sex Education”
posted March 7, 2009 at 12:14 pm
That is just plain frightening! Makes me glad my children are grown and NOT living in Texas! No one objects to this obvious mixing of not only messed up physcial facts about sex, but that religion is being taught in PUBLIC schools? Must have the parents totally snowed, or a lot of ignorant parents when it comes to what the children are being taught in school. Just think, the former so called “leader” of this country is from Texas!!
posted March 7, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Oi,
I agree with you Pagan Sister. Specific Christian groups scream when something they don’t agree with is presented but this is just another example of hypocrisy.
The fact that there are children of different religions or no religions, who are subjected to this is really sad but then again, as with most religious situations coming out of Texas, they really do not care.
On a laughable side, this whole article reminds me of Monty Pythons movie,
“The Meaning of Life” where the man is singing:
“Every Sperm is Sacred”
There are Jews in the world.
There are Buddhists.
There are Hindus and Mormons, and then
There are those that follow Mohammed, but
I’ve never been one of them.
I’m a Roman Catholic,
And have been since before I was born,
And the one thing they say about Catholics is:
They’ll take you as soon as you’re warm.
You don’t have to be a six-footer.
You don’t have to have a great brain.
You don’t have to have any clothes on. You’re
A Catholic the moment Dad came,
Because
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.
Let the heathen spill theirs
On the dusty ground.
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can’t be found.
Every sperm is wanted.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.
Hindu, Taoist, Mormon,
Spill theirs just anywhere,
But God loves those who treat their
Semen with more care.
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood!
Every sperm is useful.
Every sperm is fine.
God needs everybody’s.
Mine! And mine! And mine!
Let the Pagan spill theirs
O’er mountain, hill, and plain.
God shall strike them down for
Each sperm that’s spilt in vain.
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite iraaaaate!
posted March 7, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Thank you Gwyddion9, for the words to a song I had forgotten about. My kids (as I said above are now grown) are super Monty Python fans, and when younger(teens)…used to sing that song, as well as memorizing the words to many of the TV skits.
Sad state of affairs in Texas.
posted March 8, 2009 at 6:58 am
Wish I lived in Texas…
posted March 8, 2009 at 11:08 am
Hmmmm. Could there be a correlation between this and the data that show that the highest rate of unwed pregnancies is in Texas and the lowest in Massachusetts? Maybe Bristol Palin was right when she said that teaching abstinence is unrealistic.
posted March 8, 2009 at 6:15 pm
The demand for Muslim schools comes from parents who want their children a safe environment with an Islamic ethos.Parents see Muslim schools where children can develop their Islamic Identity where they won’t feel stigmatised for being Muslims and they can feel confident about their faith.
Muslim schools are working to try to create a bridge between communities.
There is a belief among ethnic minority parens that the British schooling
does not adequatly address their cultural needs. Failing to meet this need could result in feeling resentment among a group who already feel excluded. Setting up Muslim school is a defensive response.
State schools with monolingual teachers are not capable to teach English to bilingual Muslim children. Bilingual teachers are needed to teach English to such children along with their mother tongue. According to a number of studies, a child will not learn a second language if his first language is ignored.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual
Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. Muslims
have the right to educate their children in an environment that suits their
culture. This notion of “integration”, actually means “assimilation”, by
which people generally really mean “be more like me”. That is not
multiculturalism. In Sydney, Muslims were refused to build a Muslim school,
because of a protest by the residents. Yet a year later, permission was
given for the building of a Catholic school and no protests from the
residents. This clrearly shows the blatant hypocrisy, double standards and racism. Christians oppose Muslim schools in western countries yet build
their own religious schools.
British schooling and the British society is the home of institutional
racism. The result is that Muslim children are unable to develop
self-confidence and self-esteem, therefore, majority of them leave schools with low grades. Racism is deeply rooted in British society. Every native child is born with a gene or virus of racism, therefore, no law could change the attitudes of racism towards those who are different. It is not only the common man, even member of the royal family is involved in racism. The
father of a Pakistani office cadet who was called a “Paki” by Prince Harry
has profoundly condemned his actions. He had felt proud when he met the
Queen and the Prince of Wales at his son’s passing out parade at Sandhurst
in 2006 but now felt upset after learning about the Prince’s comments. Queen Victoria invited an Imam from India to teach her Urdu language. He was highly respected by the Queen but other members of the royal family had no respect for him. He was forced to go back to India. His protrait is still in
one of the royal places.
There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools with bilingual Muslim teachers. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school.
Iftikhar Ahmad
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
posted March 9, 2009 at 8:05 am
As a believing, practicing Christian, I ask that anyone reading this article please understand that this does not reflect the beliefs of all Christians.
posted March 9, 2009 at 12:03 pm
T,
For me, that’s a given. I am aware that Christianity has many diverse paths as well as diverse opinions. My personal experience has been that it is the RR types of Christianity who are the ones always trying to force issues that support their religious beliefs over everyone else. The vast majority of Christians I know don’t act or behave in such a manner. Their Christianity is personal, they prefer to show the love of their god though their actions, whether than yell it at everyone.
posted March 9, 2009 at 12:49 pm
“We can be born again of The Almighty Himself. We then take on His character with all of its resultant self-control”
Yeah, that worked so well for the Palins.