Taboo Topic

For a long while now I have wanted to post something that might be considered taboo in the education world but it is something that I believe to be very important and something that because of it's taboo nature in the education system, isn't talked about for fear of the repercussions, however, the other day, a conversation about the ELA 11 curriculum prompted a this discussion between myself and a few teachers on my campus and I wanted to get the perspective of others, especially those I was in the program with and have a fresh teaching perspective. The topic is about religion in school. I want to first start with one of the most prominent issues in our education system and with our students and that's bullying in schools. We have seen more and more in the news issues of bullying in schools and we are finally realizing that this is a HUGE threat to our students, more so than we ever did before. However, the news has mainly focused on the issue of students sexual orientation and the bullying that comes with that topic. Now, I believe that any kind of bullying is wrong, for any reason, and as teachers it's our job to protect our students from this kind of ignorant behavior. This topic though is what prompted the aforementioned conversation at my site. Why is it that in schools now, we are very open and supportive (and rightfully so) of students speaking out about their sexual orientation; that we are encouraging students to stand up for who they are and pushing acceptance for all students, but religion is still taboo in schools? Unfortunately what I have noticed is that religion, whether you are Christian, Catholic, Mormon, Buddhist, etc. has in our society, for many people, become synonymous with hatred. It is unfortunate the the views and hate of the few have created this stereotype for all religions alike. The conversation that came up was about Puritan literature, which is 100% based upon religion and the religious beliefs our country was founded upon. Interestingly enough, many teachers at my site believe that for students to understand the literature, they need to understand the biblical stories the writing references or was based upon. Now, isn't that history; isn't that our job to teach our students the historical facts of various time periods? Apparently, during the time some teachers taught this curriculum, students became afraid in class and actually asked "are we allowed to talk about this in school?" and there was issues with parents calling the school with regards to teachers "teaching religious beliefs." This shocked me. In a society, where we are pushing for the rights of all human beings, religion discussion is still seen as taboo. Now I understand the importance of Separation of Church and State but does this mean we have to censor the historical facts? I.e. are we supposed to censor the fact that Puritan literature is based in religious and references many religious passages?  Whether or not you believe the Bible stories are true, the fact is that those who wrote during Puritan times DID believe in those stories, and referenced them in their poems, and literature..  Does this also mean that we have to censor our students. If a student wants to speak out about their beliefs in God in a classroom, why are we so adamant to silence them, but if they want to talk about Gay rights, or gay marriage, we encourage such discussions. Again, I don't want my message to be misconstrued. I am a proponent of students being able to speak their minds whatever the topic may be, as long as it is done in a respectful manner. So I guess where I am going with this is what do we do as educators that are pushing for the acceptance of all beliefs, of all thoughts, and yet we are told to separate religion from anything school related when religion may be something that is incredibly important to who are students identify themselves as. I also am very curious how those who teach science approach this topic. We believe it is okay to teach Evolution in schools, but we do not touch any other beliefs on creation of the Earth. How do you science teachers address this issue of a one sided belief? How do you address those students who stand up and say that they don't believe in evolution, that they believe God created the Earth, or Allah is God and he created all? Do you allow students to stand up for what they believe in, or do we censor them for fear of the responses it may create? English teachers, how do you address students, who feel uncomfortable reading Puritan literature that is centered around God and religious belief without teaching the Bible passages they reference in the text, to ensure students gain a full understanding of the literature? I just find in interesting that topics that used to be taboo, like gay marriage, (and I am coming short on any other examples so any you could share would be great as I am not trying to create a debate between religious freedom and orientation freedom, these were just the two comparisons discussed the other day) are encouraged in classrooms, but discussions about religious freedom or lack of religious belief are "taboo" How do we tacle this incredibly sensitive subject? How do we support all of our students without silencing them? My belief, is that all ideas and beliefs, should be supported and celebrated in our schools. We are told in our program to ensure we support our students, that we allow them to celebrate their identities, celebrate their culture, celebrate their traditions and encourage them to talk about them, be proud of them. Why then, do we silence the students who want to discuss and celebrate one of their constitutional rights; religious freedom, why are we so afraid of this topic?