Should Public Schools Have A Spirituality Class?

We have all these classes to educate our youth growing up to become better workers and performers in the work force, but what about a spiritual class? How about meditation after Gym, so that you can relax your mind and silence it? Perhaps we would retain more information and become more humble human beings to know that we are all connected.

Think about it? A senior in High School prepares him/her self for the real world and college. I think it'll make them a complete being. You would have so much respect for life and play a part in making the world a better place.

Imagine a world that when your out an about shopping everyone is saying hello smiling and humble? No problems because little issues don't seem that great anymore theirs much more to worry about then what shoes you can't buy because you have to pay rent ect....

Just a thought for the mind...

[edit on 4-5-2009 by king Pop!p]

Nope.

Self rightoues morons fought for years to take out any resembelance of religion from the schools.

Add philosophy to schools and you will see a big difference. It will help the little kids to use the brain

2nd line.

Do you really want the pubic school system teaching your children about spirituality? Next thing you know they would be having your kids praying to a picture of Obama.

Of course not.
We shouldn't have schools teaching children more things that aren't real.

LOL That Obama line was funny. But seriously you wouldn't want your child to learn metaphysics and meditation? So they could learn theirs more to life? I don't mean religion.

No...it would only give the adults present more room for imposing their belief systems on the children.
Religion and spirituality should be a choice when a child is older...
There are always exceptions when a young one knows his or her way. Most awesome.
Not part of the school system.

Is it not a personal path?
Then this path should also have its own person on it.

No..no..no..nooooo

Peace...

reply to post by king Pop!p


I guess what I am saying is that I see that as my job to do. I just could see how it starts as a good idea and then goes down hill real quick. Plus, I dont necessarily believe meditation leads to spirituality. To me, its just a way to rest your brain and clear your head.

There are books about meditation without any reference to spirituality behind it, just a way to quiet the mind and nothing more. Working on your emotional stability would be a good thing. So no praying to a god, no speaking with your guides or reaching your higher self and any of that stuff. Neutral meditational techniques would be very good for the educational system i'd say.

It makes for a stronger mind, less prone to get sidetracked or mislead, that's exactly why it will never be in the society that we have now. Commercials would see a downfall in effectivity with a significant amount. Not even mentioning politicians and media that will be more hard pressed to get away with lying when the population knows how to control their own thoughtprocesses.

[edit on 4-5-2009 by Harman]

Well put.
I only disagree with it being part of the school system. Adamantly.

My son is 13 and we discuss everything from Mars to Memphis.
We are constantly at the library or just sitting in a coffee or tea house reading, chatting, discussing.
Because of this inquisitive nature of his, I introduced him to a simple yoga-like meditative practice. When he's literally full...it's that time for repose.
He sleeps better, lives fuller and is not your normal, cranky,hormonally driven 13 year old boy. A couple of his buds also like to have this "time out".
This is my responsibility as his parent.
Not his middle school teachers.
I see this as a very private and personal endeavor. Children should be allowed to explore and question; not forced to adhere to , which is what I think happens too often at school.

So..should parents of school age kids get them to practice and seek?
Why of course.

Peace...

Most of you have heard me describe my plans for if I ever have kids. I will keep them kind of far from religion and spirituality at first. I will expose them to the holidays of many different religions when they are young so they do not feel left out and learn about different cultures.

When I feel that they are mature enough, I will explain about how some people believe in God and how religion works, about all the different religions out there, some people believe in more than one God and some people don't believe in any at all. I will take them to many services and provide them with the proper literature. And I will let them choose.

That's how it needs to be done. At home. With no societal influence.

Definitely a good and very necessary idea.

And, spirituality has got absolutely nothing to do with religion. While
religious doctrines cripple the mind of a child, spirituality expands it.
Have you seen what these Christian schools do to children? That is
nothing short of violent and abusive brainwashing. The bible belt is
not the best place for a child to grow up. It enters adulthood scarred
and traumatized, unable to see fact from fiction, with ideas that go
completely against even the most basic things we know of reality.

Some of these children actually think God made the world in six days..

..man..

[edit on (4/5/09) by Wehali]

reply to post by ravenshadow13


You going to teach your kid morals the same way? Introduce several view points for each lesson and let him/her decide how to live?

Some cultures believe rape is wrong and some think its okay.

Some cultures treat drug use as a capital crime while others allow it.


My point is that your child will look to you when it comes to religion. They don't care what someone in India believes, they care about your belief. They only care about your morals. Sure you can teach them about differant religions, but yours is the one they will accept, that is until they decide your way is stupid.

reply to post by Wehali


Actually my kids go to a Christian school and they are not scared or traumatized. They are in a very loving environment. I dont really send them there for the religious aspects as much as for the good care they get. Nobody is brain washing them. In fact, we discuss stuff at our house all the time to show there are more than one way to look at the world. For instance their school beleives in creationism but I simply show them the other view. When they get older they can decide. If they are going to be brainwashed somehow it seems better to let them get there brainwashed at their school instead of at a public school.



[edit on 4-5-2009 by justsomeboreddude]

Originally posted by Wehali
Definitely a good and very necessary idea.

And, spirituality has got absolutely nothing to do with religion. While
religious doctrines cripple the mind of a child, spirituality expands it.
Have you seen what these Christian schools do to children? That is
nothing short of violent and abusive brainwashing. The bible belt is
not the best place for a child to grow up. It enters adulthood scarred
and traumatized, unable to see fact from fiction, with ideas that go
completely against even the most basic things we know of reality.

Some of these children actually think God made the world in six days..

..man..

[edit on (4/5/09) by Wehali]

How do you know for a fact that religion cripples the mind?

Can you with 100% certainty tell me that you know for a fact that there isn't a God?

I know that I can't tell you who is 100% correct. I haven't died yet, so I don't have any expieriance. Maybe you do.

It should be left out of public education. I don't think spirituallity is a bad idea, but there's too much BS out there to know what to teach.

I took a philosophy class in high school, which was pretty nice. We got to hear about all the different religions such as, Wicca, Judaism, Sihk, Islam, Christianity, ect..

No! No! No! A thousand times No!

Every field of study they've decided to "teach" children, they only dumb it down, make statements that are half the time so grossly inaccurate that they might as well be lies, and force feed all this trivialized information to kids to the point where they become bored with it, don't care, and don't want to learn anymore.

There are books about this by teachers, for example "Dumbing us Down." I would suggest a better idea: put emphasis on learning outside of school, public school only for gathering experiences from social interactions and even then it has to be guided so all the authority complexes they teach won't set it.

Not only should they have a spirituality class! To teach about religion and all that other stuff, at the discretion of whatever the teacher may be.

But they should have a new Sex Ed class, that tells it like it is. From i'd say the appropriate age of 4-18. Letting the children know that yes you did come from a stork! And explain to them how the stork gets in through the window, and planted you here.

Sarcasm over.

[edit on 4-5-2009 by Republican08]

Holy wow. Do you think teaching my children the religions of, say, India is "wrong" because the religion of say Christianity is "right?"

Maybe Hinduism is right.

I want to give them the option of choosing. This isn't about freaking rape. This isn't about murder. We all know those things are wrong, that's how we as Americans see it. Christianity isn't American and religion doesn't concern anyone but the individual.

I care about the religions all over the world because I see them as all equal. For the record before someone says it, Satanism is not a religion.

But honestly yes I will expose them to Hinduism and Islam and Judaism and Christianity and everything that I can teach them. Because I think once they realize that there is no consensus on what the "true" religion is, they may pick one that they find as interesting or that meshes with their personality. Or they can cast them all off. Or accept all of them.

That's how I'm going to do it. That's how I think everyone should do it. Because honestly anything else is biased towards one religion or the other. And that's not cool because not a single one of them is the end-all answer. No matter what anyone says.

Originally posted by Gyrochiral

I see this as a very private and personal endeavor. Children should be allowed to explore and question; not forced to adhere to , which is what I think happens too often at school.

So..should parents of school age kids get them to practice and seek?
Why of course.

Peace...

I understand and agree to what your saying. But how can we have every house hold open to this practice? I think School would be the only way to expose people to it, then maybe they could do it at home with their children.