Should faith-run schools receive government funding? |
Why not?
It is still a school for children right? If the parents choose to put their child in a Catholic school, then that's their choice.
Why should their childrens school receive less funding than others.
I don't go to church, I'm not even religious. Children are the future, no matter where they get their knowledge from, we can't cheat them because of our outdated traditions. And that bullshit about a kid going to a faith-run school with grow up and be a hardcore christian politician, is people being naive. I went to a Christian school and I can't stand hearing about how God creating everything, because my science classes taught me otherwise.
So quit being selfish and superficial everyone!Posted by: AnonymousI support government funding for faith-based schools, because they are educating the future leaders of our country.
Some families make the choice to send their child to a faith-based school. When they make that choice, they need to know that the same, or better, opportunities exist in that school, as would exist in a public school. Funding, including government funding, allows the schools to have the teachers and materials needed to provide a quality education.
Posted by: SpitefulChiAtheists often claim that their belief is not a religion
This allows them to propagate their beliefs in settings where other religions are banned,. Atheism shouldn’t be taught or enforced in settings where other religions are banned and shouldn’t be favored by laws which imply a religiously neutral government. Preventing the discussion of God and/or morality is promoting the Religion of Atheism. If you doubt Atheism is religion do a Google search on “Atheist ministers”. The biggest reason for school choice is so parents can choose the values their children will learn. For generations now schools have left God out of education. Most parents would not choose Atheism as their religion. So why do the Atheist get to control the schools. Our population no longer has the moral compass that made this country great. Selfishness is the rule not the exception. Why can’t parents take their $15,000 (on average) per year to the school they choose? Why Can’t education compete like it did in the beginning? Education benefits all of society particularly when morality is allowed to be part of it. The schools can accept all comers if they want government $ (otherwise they can do without government $). This may be the single most important issue underlying all of society’s problems. Only the rich can afford education that they choose. It is sad we have come to this point and we better start waking up or we will go the way of other Atheist countries.
Posted by: BackSchools should not be financially supported by the taxpayer pool, because we have no say as to what they teach.
A faith-based school could be run with any sort of religious background: Christian, Jewish, Islam, Wiccan, etc. There is nothing wrong with sending your children to a faith-based school. But, we, as taxpayers, should not have to financially support the teaching of every religion under the sun.
Posted by: AnonymousYes Faith and or private schools should get government funding.
Faith or being private would have nothing to do with wether they get government funding.
Yes they are all children and we need to educate them wether in public schools or not. From reading some of the yes and no debates. I did not see this put into the equation. Taxes taxes taxes. We all pay taxes wether you send you kids to a private school. So faith or any other reason of why not doesn't matter. When you send you kids to a private school your are paying up and beyond what your taxes is all ready paying. There is no tax exempt private school form. So yeah for a private school not to get funding then I would want my portion of taxes back then. Thought behind it is your paying for a better or faith education above what yours taxes pay for.Posted by: AnonymousAll students have a right to an education, for many people faith is a priority in learning
If state run schools are not going to provide religious education then we must have the alternative of offering faith based schools. These schools provide kids with the same education and skills as state run schools but with the addition of faith based education.
For parents who choose these schools they can not always afford to pay expensive private school fee's but the education of faith is an essential life skill for them.Posted by: AnonymousSupport education as much as possible
Just to clarify, I'm assuming this is referring to the voucher system, where the school would completely provide for itself, but would receive a monetary voucher to help out a bit. I think that faith-run schools can be really great for kids, especially in areas where the public schools are rough or contain a lot of high problem elements. A faith-run school is a great option for a family who's child needs extra care and attention for whatever reason. I know several people who swear by them, and I have noticed that the kids seem to do really well. The government pays for public schools completely, so why not give a little step up to a faith-run school? The public schools are saving the money they would have spent on that child anyway, so why not give it to the other school?
Posted by: sarahgarnerIf tree hugging and Homosexuals get their day in our public schools then heck yes!
We have day of silence, we have all these earth worshiping programs and Christians that do not believe in that stuff have to pay for it even if they do not like it, then why not! A school is a school! You can't sit there and tell me that some sort of sick liberal indoctrination is not going on in our public schools. That's what this is about too.
Posted by: AnonymousEducation is education, whether it's religion-oriented or not.
I'm a 17-year-old who attends a private Catholic school, and take it from me, there is literally no problem with it whatsoever. People seem to think that ALL that the school will attempt to teach your child is about "God" and whatnot. Obviously, yes, God will be mentioned on a somewhat daily basis, but by high school I'm sure your kid would be intelligent and independent enough to make his own decisions, so don't worry, no one's getting brainwashed or force-fed religion.
Oh, and BTW, I'd say only about half of the students that go to my school are strictly Catholic.
If you cut government funding to religious schools, then guess what, a LOT will be in debt and will likely shut down. Then, bam, a bunch of kids not in school, then in turn flooding into public schools, which just creates even more problems. Google "the Goulburn Strike."Posted by: AnonymousPreserving Our Family and Religious Values and Heritage
Children should be supported and guided by their teachers, priests, parents and grandparents or guardians that will teach their values. At the same time, the children and youth will continue to do Math, Science, Business Studies, History, Geography and Language in addition to their own religious studies that should be offered at all schools whether it is elementary or secondary. Schools that has values will help children to believe in the Lord our Saviour. Peace be with you. Amen.
Posted by: AnonymousI'm an Athiest
All persons should receive quality education, and I don't mind an education tax credit or government funding for this nation's storied catholic school tradition. The issue of faith is relatively minor in a civilized society; what's more important is that schools that are fraudulent or teach fraudulent science NOT receive funding.
Posted by: AnonymousFaith is a human manual
You need to live your life according to a structure, law and order in life. Therefore religious education and awareness is very important. They must receive the same importance and value as any other educational institute. As all faiths give out message of peace n tranquility. It is important that good teachings are embedded in a child's system of development from a very young age.
Posted by: AnonymousNo. Although there are important pro-funding arguments, the best long-term choice seems to lie in withholding funding.
Education is an important goal. Yet the best way to protect the freedom of religious organizations, especially schools, and at the same time protect the impartiality of the government with respect to religious claims, is to refrain from funding the sectarian programs of such organizations. The separation of church and state, once breached in small ways (especially those involving money), too easily collapses amidst the competing needs of various religious factions for government support, and the scandal attending support of controversial minority religions. It's best for the government not to go down this road. It should be noted that vouchers given to parents who may use them at religious schools do not necessarily present this problem, although in practice, there's plenty of room for concern here.
Posted by: M4I4cFeIineA school is a school
Maybe they should not get 100 percent funding, but they should be entitled to some funding. Even if it might violate separation of church and state, that's a legal issue. The bigger issue would be a moral one because if they received no funding, that would mean no funding for the future of the united states (they are children just like every other). Nevertheless, they are still a school, teaching children (what schools should be doing), but inclusively teach some religion as well as values.
Posted by: AnonymousIt's only fair.
People who go to faith based schools should also receive funding from the government. Their parents pay taxes that go to public schools, shouldn't those taxes go to private schools too? All the parents want for their students is an environment that grows them in their faith. They are still getting educations to be able to lead the next generation, so why not give them support? Why is there a separation of church and state when our country is a proclaimed Christian country? What is that saying on the dollar bill again? Oh yeah in god we trust. Or I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all!. Think about it. I am a high schooler, I have been to both public and private school and I now attend a private school, my mother has to work 4 hours a day at my school just to pay for tuition, which does not include the cost of books, field trips, sports, choir events, or any other extra things. My school is one of the cheaper schools, tuition is 5000 dollars a year which doesn't give us any extra money, we have not cafeteria, no gym, we eat lunch in an ally way, and the school also serves as a church. Now just because we have a Bible class and pray in our other classes means that we have to pay over 5000 for our schooling and give our taxes to public schools? That doesn't seem right.
Posted by: AnonymousIt's education
Children are still being educated and parents of the children are paying their taxes, so why not let Christian schools be funded by the government (taxpayers). The funding doesn't come from the government anyway as they brainwash people to believe. The taxpayers pay for education and as I say parents of children attending Christian schools pay their taxes. I would rather have my child attend a Christian school than a public school where they are influenced at times by hoods. I am not forking out my tax dollar and have my child influenced by peers that are hoods. Things can happen in Christian school also, but Christian schools are more structured.
Posted by: AnonymousWe are teaching the faith of Atheism now.
Atheists often claim that their belief is not a religion. This allows them to propagate their beliefs in settings where other religions are banned,. Atheism shouldn’t be taught or enforced in settings where other religions are banned and shouldn’t be favored by laws which imply a religiously neutral government. Preventing the discussion of God and/or morality is promoting the Religion of Atheism. If you doubt Atheism is religion do a Google search on “Atheist ministers”. The biggest reason for school choice is so parents can choose the values their children will learn. For generations now schools have left God out of education. Most parents would not choose Atheism as their religion. So why do the Atheist get to control the schools. Our population no longer has the moral compass that made this country great. Selfishness is the rule not the exception. Why can’t parents take their $15,000 (on average) per year to the school they choose? Why Can’t education compete like it did in the beginning? Education benefits all of society particularly when morality is allowed to be part of it. The schools can accept all comers if they want government $ (otherwise they can do without government $). This may be the single most important issue underlying all of society’s problems. Only the rich can afford education that they choose. It is sad we have come to this point and we better start waking up or we will go the way of other Atheist countries.
Posted by: AnonymousAll Schools Preach Values
All cultures have values. In a plural society like ours those values will not always agree with each other, but there's nothing unusual about people having spiritual faith.
A large proportion of our country believes in a God in one form or another. To deprive an educational institution of funding simply because it also supports a religious viewpoint seems silly to me. To fund only one type of faith based school is a problem, but to fund accredited schools that also have a faith based element doesn't bother me at all.
It wouldn't be bad if schools spent more time focusing on worshiping God and less time on worshiping money. All schools have a value system; in non faith based schools it's simply more subtle, but principles like discipline, property rights, and profit motives are nearly uniformly preached - and most people agree with that (which was the point of teaching it in the first place...)Posted by: AnonymousFaith run school should get funding; they are an institution of learning.
Just because a school is run by a specific faith or denomination they should still get funding where applicable. Although I understand that most faith run school are run on tuition, tuition can not supply programs to children that are government based. Academic programs that may require government funds need to be given to these children also.
Posted by: WillowsErvWhy should my tax dollars pay for the teaching of evolution??
Simply put, I pay my taxes too so why the heck should I pay to educate people on something I dont believe in? Atheists get to have their ideology taught by my tax dollars but we cant have creationism taught? Why? There is a difference between scientific fact and theories. I dont mind teaching kids about biology and how the body works but as soon as you bring theories into the classroom that BS.
Posted by: AnonymousActually, I think vouchers are the way to go. Let parents (and non-parents) choose where they are spending their money.
I am a parent of a child in a private (Christian) school. We did this for a number of reasons, the number one being we live in a, shall we say, "mediocre" neighborhood whose public schools are not exactly up to par. Since we live just above the poverty line, we make sacrifices to afford this school, even though the tuition is just under $3000. But I have found the education my daughter has received impeccable. And yes, there is a Christian influence, but to the many detractors who resort to trying to paint parents who choose private schools (and many of them are religious) as superstitious fools, my daughter's school teaches science (dinosaurs and all...GASP!) just as well as the secular ones do (or better if you go by the test scores the state puts out). And to those who say sending my daughter to a Christian school was my "choice" and it is my responsibility to pay for, well, yes, it is my choice and I am paying for it; but if I didn't, the only other "choice" I had was sending her to the school that my district says I have to send her to, one that I am sure many of you would be scared for your children to attend (if you have them, of course). If my taxes are paying for public schools, fine; but I should have the "choice" of sending that money to whichever public school I want and sending my children to whichever public school I truly want. Otherwise, it would be helpful if I could direct my taxes to the school I would like my daughter to attend in the form of vouchers (or tax credit). And if my daughter's private Christian school can give a first-rate education on about $3000 per child tuition, why on earth does the average public school need $10000-12000 per student?! (That's an estimate from NPR for VA.) Perhaps it might be a good thing that my taxes be taken away from the public education system...Maybe then they might figure out how to do what my daughter's school did...Actually EDUCATE their students well (all the fundamentals...Science is in there too...As well as art, P.E., music, second languages, etc) in a caring, safe environment (where the teacher to student ratio is 1:6) for a fraction of the cost of a public school!
Posted by: AnonymousWe need all the money we can get.
I go to a Christian high school and I have seen first hand how my school struggles with finances because they don't have enough. Tuition is high, and the only reason for this is that we do not get funding from the government. The government says that they do want to pick a side or support one religion and not the other, but they are already do that. By supporting the catholic schools they are picking a side indeed. My school just made the decision to close because it got to the point where it did not have enough money to stay open. We can rely on private donors only for so much. We need support from the government or else every faith based school will have to shut down.
Posted by: Anonymous
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.
When a government endorses religious stories, it is establishing that religion. In this case, I'm assuming we're talking about the Christian religion. Christianity is being shoved down our children's throats enough as it is. I do not want my tax dollars to be the money that does the shoving. Churches make enough money as it is off of tithes and offerings. You'd think that perhaps they could use that to teach what they want instead of forcing the rest of us to foot the bill?
Posted by: AnonymousNo government money
If churches and religious schools want government money they better start paying their taxes! This poll is absolutely ridiculous. The religious have become even more insane, on top of their delusions and imaginary friends the what people to fund their crazy so it is passed on to future generations? Religion is a disease it needs to be cured and the only way that is possible is with heavy doses of reason, logic and evidence taken daily!
Posted by: AgentcardsWant public money? Go to a public school...
Come on now. Religious organizations are already tax exempt. Now they want tax payer money?! When churches lose their tax exemption and start forking over the billions of dollars a year they are making, THEN we can talk. Until then, if you want government money, go to a public school. Or just take up an offering each Monday morning before school begins...
Posted by: AnonymousNo private school should receive public funding.
It matters not if the school is faith based or not faith based, private schools already receive the benefits of the community without having to be a larger burden on the taxpayer. That alone should be enough, but couple that with the fact that the money would also go to promoting one religion over another, and you have a Constitutional violation. Public education is already hurting in many areas, couple that with the inevitable loss of funding this would cause and the damage would be severe.
Posted by: AnonymousWe are better off without teaching our children unsubstantiated claims as truth
How can we expect to educate people to be logical, scientific thinkers when we teach them faith based ideas as if they are truth?
Also, about 'religious values...' there is statistical support that secularism reduces crime. Atheists are almost unheard of in prisons, look it up. It is a myth that people take their morality from religious texts, rather, people interpret their religion in a way that agrees with their morality.Posted by: squarjnReligious freedom & indoctrination
There is a religious freedom within the country, I respect the right for people to believe in a god, but I do not have to respect their opinions. I am an atheist, why should I have to pay tax which a percentage goes towards the running of something which is morally wrong; the indoctrination of children. We do not force political views on children, so why religious? Let them make their mind up without force feeding them one side of the argument. Religious schools, well, many do not teach evolution, and when it does come up the teacher refers to it as a theory and gives their view on it to the children. The majority of Primary school teachers do not have a phd or a degree of any type in science, so why should they be allowed teach something they don't know. No wonder why children coming out of these schools either know nothing of it, or disbelieve it, when it is a fact!
The previous head of education for the Labour party, before he allowed more and more faith schools, actually wrote on the subject, and did not like the idea of faith schools nor did he want to introduce them, allow them etc. But he did so thinking that Labour would get more votes FACT!
Religion is outdated, teach it in schools in line with Myths of Ancient Greece, do not have schools devoted towards it.Posted by: AnonymousI disagree because it is completely UNFAIR to overlook people because of their belief ,whichever it is.
I believe that every person on the planet is entitled to the same rights as we are all in the same boat - trying to survive. How is it fair to support schools that are religious when science is the only thing moving our race forward? To cast aside non-religious schools is to cast aside Einstein.
Posted by: MikJeansI oppose government funding of faith-run schools because I strongly believe in the separation of Church and State.
It is my belief that the government should not fund faith-run schools. We have an established system of separation between Church and State and we should abide by it. Governments fund initiatives using the tax dollars of all citizens, not just one group, and therefore we should have one, secular, system of education.
Posted by: g0000gaNot everyone shares religious beliefs.
"The United States is in no way founded upon Judeo-Christian values." -John Adams, "Treaty of Tripoli." Why should people of differing faiths and of no faiths pay for religious schooling demoting morality, secularism and free thought? I'm a secular humanist, but I don't go around forcing everyone by the point of a sword to believe as I do. This is what America was founded on, the right to free thought and worship or no worship.
Posted by: AnonymousGovernment has to stop pandering to religion.
Religions have special privileges simple because they are a religion. Churches are tax-exempt, and almost automatically assigned non-profit status while secular non-profit organizations must undergo rigorous audits and scrutiny to keep their status. Religious groups -- particularly Christian groups -- have an agenda to force prayer in public schools, ban abortion, even at the cost of the mother's life, to destroy secular healthcare clinics that provide contraception.
Also, many faith-based schools do not have accredited status for secular professions. They only exist to spread their faith.Posted by: AnonymousEducation should be secular.
The government should not be seen to support and particular religion, and I seriously doubt the individuals promoting this would approve of funding fundamental Islamic or Hindu schools which if this were to occur we wpuld be obliged to. Math and science etc. should be sufficient to occupy school time.
Posted by: AnonymousFaith-run schools get tuition and should not receive government funding.
First of all government should remain separate from religious issues. Funding could presume a sort of endorsement that would cause law suits galore. The tuition charged in private faith based schools isn't cheap so none of these schools can claim to be hurting too much. Keep funding in the public school arenas.
Posted by: Gri5HelpfulThey Are Private
First of all, I'll say this right now, I am not disagreeing to this because I am against religion, I myself am a Christian, and I think some of these other posts are absurd, but this is my reasoning. Private schools are private, this basically means that they have chosen to not receive government funding. They would never ask for money from the government, if they were proper. Once they take $1 from the federal government, they are no longer private, they would have to abide by many federal laws they currently bypass, faith-run schools and other private schools would probably no longer be faith-run or private if they ask for money. This is why I do not think these schools should receive government funding.
Posted by: AnonymousSeparation of church and state
It's in the constitution, I don't think I really need to say more. I don't want my tax dollars going to teach kids that Jesus rode around on a velociraptor. Public schools aren't "teaching atheism" (as the "yes" argument suggests) by not teaching religion. All government institutions must be secular, not endorsing any belief or lack of belief. No, public schools don't do that, they simply teach science in science classes. They are science classes, not religion classes.
Posted by: AnonymousThis is a nation built on religious freedoms.
Why should we use that government (and its funds) to teach religious messages and or spread religious indoctrination of any kind? It is illogical for a government based on the ideals of liberty, the freedom of choice, to use its funds(which in our case our precious few) to spread a message of indoctrination.
Setting all of that aside, you know the biggest fighters for this ideal would also be it's biggest opponents once other religions started getting funds for their own schools. Can you imagine the headlines about terrorist training camps in our homelands the religous right would spam everywhere if the government gave money to a church that taught the teachings of the prophet mohammed? Imagine the reaction if they then gave funding to a school where every girl had to burqa as part of the dress code, and where all the boys are taught that they are the final say in any relationship and that women should be thought of as less than equal?
It is already an interesting place we find ourselves in as far as funding religion goes with our IRS unwilling to enforce the tax code and keep churches responsible(and legal) for the provisions that make them exempt from paying taxes in the first place. I just feel that if we break the wall between church and state any more we not not be able to build it up again.Posted by: bob.jippsI do not feel that faith-run schools should receive government funding, since they are private schools, and it is nice to have schools not run by the government.
It would just be opening up a can of worms if the faith-run schools would start receiving funding from the government. Sadly, the government really likes to be hands-on with everything, and sometimes what fits the majority does not fit everybody. I feel that, if the government would fund these schools even though they are faith-based, they would have to alter things that make these schools desirable, like, for example, prayer in schools. I do feel though that parents who send their kids to faith-based schools should qualify for a tax refund.
Posted by: eyeslikethatThe First Amendment
I value the Constitution, and I don't see how it can be interpreted consistent with allowing government money to be used to pay for religious education. That's an establishment of religion, and the Constitution prohibits that.
Look at it this way: if you support allowing government money to be used to fund Christian schools, would you also support it being used to fund fundamentalist Islam schools? If not, then why should other tax payers be forced to have their money go to you?Posted by: AnonymousWell...for one thing...it's illegal
In Everson v. Board of Education (decided Feb. 10, 1947), the US Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision written by Justice Hugo Lafayette Black, held that:
"The 'establishment of religion' clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. No person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect 'a wall of separation between church and State.'"Posted by: AnonymousIt is not ethical.
Religion is a choice. It it a private not secular matter. Those that want pure faith based schools should get their funds from parents and other interested parties. Not from the government via taxes. Taxes are paid by many people some of faith some of no faith. Some of a certain faith others of a different faith. Why should such taxes go towards any particular faith based school? It is more ethical to have state funded secular schools and those of a faith fund for their minority. Personally I think all schools should be privatised and funded from parents. With the tax reduced accordingly.
Posted by: AnonymousI do not wish to support silly superstitions.
Many religions argue that they are the 'one correct religion' and others are in error -- in effect silly superstitions. I agree with each of these in respect to all others, but not with regard to themselves. i.e. all religions are incorrect and silly superstitions. Thus supporting the religious indoctrination of innocent minds into superstitious belief is not good for the individuals involved or to society in general. I support the right for any individual to their own system of belief. However belief systems themselves are not worthy of respect unless they can withstand the test of criticism by those who do not subscribe to them.
Posted by: TjarnNO
Giving money to any religious entity is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Regardless of your opinion the law has been written and has stood firm for over 200+ years. To fund any religious institution calls for government to choose which religion is best. Then we get into the craziness of denominations. So no we do not need this lunacy look at Iran or Saudi Arabia for examples of state sponsered religion.
Posted by: AnonymousNo room in schools for religion
Don't fund fairy-tales. If all data from any religion were to be wiped away, it would never be replicated again. If all data from science were wiped away, everything would be replicated again at some point. That's what science is. Don't throw away money on teaching kids about talking snakes and invisible sky daddies when there's people who are starving to death in our own nation. If people want their kids to learn about a certain, then they should take them to church or synagogue or mosque or wherever, not to a public school and then whine when their specific religion is not a main talking point.
Posted by: AnonymousSeparation of Church and State.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"
This means the government cannot fund any religious group or association. It also means we can't stop the religious schools from teaching their faith. If you want to go to a religious school, you can. But you will have to pay for it.
Enter rant
You will have to shell out your precious dollars to indoctrinate your children into believing a series of lies about the world we live in. Don't spend my tax dollars to teach a kid who doesn't know any better that the world is only 4000-6000 years old.
Atheism is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby. Me and most of my friends who are atheists have better morals, do more community service, and generally give more than all the religious people i know. And FYI, "atheist countries" like Finland rank top in education.
End rantPosted by: atheistbunnySeparation of Church and State
This can be as simple as this, if a Church or religious program does not pay taxes they deserve no benefit from that money. The only reason people argue that atheism is a belief and therefore other religions deserve a chance to teach their is that atheist adhere to scientific fact and not gospel. That is a confusion though, just because science is what atheist use to argue their lack of believe does not mean that it is their gospel, doctrine, nor dogma. In fact atheism has none of these.
Posted by: AnonymousFaith run schools should not receive government funding as it violates the separation of church and state.
Schools that are founded in a specific faith and in fact build a curriculum that includes lessons based on a particular religion should not receive government funding, as that funding comes from taxes collected from Americans, many of whom may not support the lessons being taught by said religious organization. It is a basic violation of the separation of church and state that helps to protect our national politics from becoming too heavily influenced by religion.
Posted by: LuxuriantKellyIt's a parent's choice as to which school; but, all private schools should recieve no government funding.
As a father and husband to a teacher I feel I have to respond. If a parent feels so strongly about a "Personal belief", academic or social environment it is their "Choice". In that choice they must accept that they should fund their child's education properly or accept general curriculum. If faith based schooling is of such importance and the parents are unable to fund it should not that faith support it? Religions of all types already receive tax breaks and exemptions. The result of these breaks mean we all pay higher taxes as a result of something not everyone believes. Why should more of my money be spent on personal opinions and parental choices? If faith and/or education is that important to a parent, get involved. I can not stress the fact enough that; poor parental involvement, is probably the leading causes of a child having a poor or improper education.
Posted by: AnonymousNo
No, this is simply ridiculous to consider. I've been working on my dissertation that has a lot to do with this and have found that there is literally no logical reason that lacks a religious influence behind this. The money, 8 times out of 10, goes to the wrong people in order for parents to save money while ripping off the state and harming the minds of the children the money is being taken from. Ah, data.
Posted by: AnonymousSecularism is where we all meet in the middle
Everyone can and should have their own ideas about faith and religion, but since we'll never all agree and it's a private, personal matter - leave it at home. Leave "there is no God but Allah" at home. Leave "Jesus loves you" at home. And leave "there is no god" at home. Teach art, teach science, teach history and math. Those are things we all agree on.
Posted by: AnonymousThe government has to remain religiously neutral.
The government can't give religions tax breaks AND give them funding on top of that. Keep government out of religion and religion out of the government. It is completely unconstitutional for state or federal governments to use tax payer money to promote any religion. I have a feeling that if this question focused on non-christian religious schools, the negative feedback would be overwhelming. The majority of those supporting government funding for religious schools would only want funding to go to the religion they are a part of.
Posted by: AnonymousAll or none not just some.
I am assuming the majority of people answering "YES" are of the Christian Religion. They would see no problem seeing taxpayer money going towards Christian schools yet would be appalled if it went to another religiously founded institution. You can not cherry pick which faith based schools get funding. You have to fund all of them or none of them. It is ultimately easier and more constitutional to not have any public funding for faith based schools. It is also against the 1st amendment and is stated as thus "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion". It has been interpreted by the local, state and federal governments that "Congress" is basically the entire government institution. If you want to fund a faith based school then do it yourself, don't make the rest of the taxpayers (who may not partake in your belief system) to further incorporate any religion into education and our youth.
Posted by: AnonymousWhy teach kids to think one way of viewing the world?
I don't believe that my hard earned money to pay for someone to be raised viewing the world one way and to view everyone else's belief as wrong. We are becoming a more global world therefore we should be giving children a broad education and teach about different religions and let them choose what they believe when they are adults.
Posted by: AnonymousNo way.
I believe there is the small matter of Separation of Church and State. Make up your minds Christians, you can either let the government be involved in everything or nothing. You don't get to pick and choose, this is isn't the Bible. If parents wanted to teach their children about God, they should do it at home. Church is for God, School is for learning.
Posted by: AnonymousFocus on the kids
Schools supporting a single political party, single religion, or otherwise one-sidedly endorsing what the parents want their kids to believe leave kids with less of an education than schools that don't have that kind of agenda. It's bad enough that parents only teach their "one true faith" to their kids at home, it's worse if the kids' education is replaced by more of that kind of church-run one-sidedness.
Posted by: AnonymousNo, Faith Run Schools Should Not Receive Government Funding
If you choose to put your child in a faith based school, you should have to pay for that choice. It is inconceivable that people who are critical of public schools should be paid to send their children elsewhere. It would be a better place to save money then cutting public education. Your choice should be your financial burden.
Posted by: rruthbjIf the government is supporting religious teachings, freedom of inquiry will be abandoned.
The purpose of a public education is to (attempt to) ensure that all citizens have an opportunity to gain a level of education necessary to compete in the workforce marketplace. This is where our tax dollars should be spent. If we use our tax revenue subsidizing faith-based educational institutions, we will be abandoning those of different (or no) religious faith to a lifetime of ignorance and poverty. We would be putting the authority, will and force of our nation behind the claims of the religion subsidized. This would be bigotry in its most profound form.
For true freedom, all propositions must be questionable. The very words "faith based" convey that some ideas are to be adhered to without question or the requirement for evidence. This, then, is not education. It is indoctrination.Posted by: SeekinIf religious schools were to be funded by the government, it would have no say in what they teach.
One of the many problems with funding religious schools is that the government has no say in what they teach. Children could be taught hateful, or bigoted principles in a place that is supposed to be a neutral ground where children’s minds can grow to accept others. Religious schools do not provide this environment as they show their religion as the true one. With this sort of thinking, children will never develop a healthy sense of skepticism, something that is very important in this day and age.
Posted by: AnonymousSeparation of church and state.
Faith-run schools aren't schools. They're churches. The U.S Government doesn't fund churches, and the education they provide isn't "Public" because a non-believer can't attend and get all the benefits. Simply put, "Faith-run schools" is a misnomer and our government shouldn't have anything to do with them.
Posted by: AnonymousSchooling should be completely private, regardless of whether it is faith-run or not.
Since schooling should be outside the influence of government, and most especially bureaucracy, direct government funding of education should not exist. It would be acceptable for the government to fund education indirectly by giving education money directly to families and allowing them to use it on whatever education they see fit. Direct funding leads to manipulation of curriculum and decision making, which would be especially negative in faith-based schools because they should be run by their faith, not by their government.
Posted by: MariaRNo, scientific facts only.
Science is about experimenting to find constants. These constants are highly relevant, and can be used in life to improve well being. Atheism isn't taught in the class room, science is. Science is the process of creating and proving theories though experimentation. When something is "discovered" by science, it simply means enough tests have been done for scientists to agree with the new theory.
Posted by: AnonymousSeperation of Church and State
State dollars, which come from every person regardless of their individual religious view, should not be used to indoctrinate children in a particular faith. Faith is best learnt at home, and by the parent's demonstration, not by songs and worksheets paid for by people who will not send thier children to those schools, nor would support them if they had the choice.
Posted by: AnonymousFaith run schools should not receive government funding because we have separation of church and state.
Faith run schools are not subject to the same rules as public schools as far as curriculum, and there is a wide range in the quality of education in faith run schools. If they choose to have a school that's not part of the public school system, and the school is private and not open for anyone who wants to attend, then they shouldn't receive money from the government.
Posted by: N Schroeder 60Separation of Church and State
The first amendment of the constitution states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". For the government to spend our tax dollars on faith-based schooling would amount to them respecting an establishment of religion. The subject of God (either for or against) has no place in publicly funded schools. The only exception would be a theology class where views of all religions as well as those of non-religious organizations (atheist, agnostic, humanist, etc.) are taught equally and without an opinion of which is better/right, and even then it would have to be an elective where students choose to take the class but are not forced to. After reading some of the comments from people who clicked "yes", most of them are attacking atheism, but I submit that in this country, the only faith-based schools that would receive government subsidies would be christian schools. Where does that leave all the other religions? The fact is, building enough schools to represent every religion all over the country would be prohibitively expensive. If all religions can't be represented, then none of them should be. Also, I'd like to point out that there are several responses on the "yes" side that indicate that their author's clearly should have clicked "no".
Posted by: AnonymousNot rational
Only peer-reviewed, testable facts should be taught in schools. Not myths and unfounded "facts" brought by religion. As such, government funding should only go to schools or programs that follow those guidelines. Any funding towards schools or programs that teach any religion would seem like a violation of the establishment clause of the US constitution.
Posted by: AnonymousReligions destroy scientific advancements
There are numerous examples in history where religion impedes scientific progress. If faith-run schools receive government funding, it will mark the end of critical thinking, of asking questions, of discovering new things. These will be supplanted by unproved or disproved pieces of fiction, that will brainwash a young generation into believing fallacies long since disproven, and halt or reverse scientific advancement. I need only point to the middle east. In the 15th century, Baghdad was the knowledge center of the world. Scholars met together and named the stars. Then someone decided that the Islamic religion should be made into law. Now look at the middle east: war-torn, intolerant, dangerous, and oppressive of women. Is this what you want your country to turn into? Because it will if government and church cannot be separated.
Posted by: yy2chenFaith-run schools should not receive government funding as there is separation of church and state.
Faith-run schools have a faith-run agenda and while that is somewhat admirable if you are part of their faith, getting government funding using taxpayer money is irresponsible and unfair to those taxpayers who are not part of that faith. I'm aware that there is a Christian majority in this country, but I wonder how many of those devout Christians would be pleased to know that their hard-earned taxes might be funding say, a Muslim-run school? There is separation of church and state for a reason, as religion is extremely personal and should not enter into government spending. This is a perfect example of why abortion is not illegal.
Posted by: R053NeddyNo not at all.
They should not receive funding. Indoctrinating children is child abuse. Let them grow up and experience and learn for themselves to make an informed choice, but if you did that, you would be responsible parents and odds are good they would become critical thinkers and not join. Religion targets children.
Posted by: AnonymousFaith-run schools should not receive government funding.
Faith run schools, at least to my knowledge, are private schools. Any funding that comes from the government should be for schools that are public and open to all individuals who live in that public school district. There should be in no way, shape or form monies going from the taxpayer to a private organization. If you think about it in the way that it is not actually the governments monies that they are giving out it is the taxpayers money they are giving out. The government does not actually have any income of its own.
Posted by: w00tboycomicGovernment is for the people by the people, not all of them religious
Government is for the people by the people, not all of them religious. You have no right to take public money to fund religion, which is nothing but unprovable stories and customs around them.
How about my religion, which believes in ritual human sacrifice? How about Mormonism, which teaches (or taught, till it was made illegal) that blacks are cursed? How about Islam, where everyone unbelievers of islam should be killed? How about Christianity, where selling your daughter as sex slave is OK? How about Hinduism, which gloats about Vedas where the wife inserts the penis of the sacrifical horse into her vagina? Are you happy now? I better start a religion about evil emperor Xenu who cast thetans to the volcanos. Wait! Scientology already took that.Posted by: Anonymousfaith-run will never be secular
If you truly believe that a faith run school can have a secular approach to receive government funding, you're simply an idiot. and god isnt real, nobody should be teaching their children that god is real. either way people will look back at history once everyone is atheist and just laugh at these stupid religious people.
Posted by: AnonymousNo, faith-run schools should not receive government funding because it would be very costly to the taxpayers and it would be extremely difficult to divide up the money in a fair way.
No, faith-run schools should not receive government funding because it would be very costly to the taxpayers and would be very difficult to divide the money up equally which would lead to major problems with different religious groups asking for more money. The founders also believed in the separation of church and state which pertains to this issue. Leave faith-run schools to private donors or tuition.
Posted by: MycCra2iiFaith-based institutions do NOT pay taxes and should receive NO government money
The separation of church and state means the government shouldn't fun faith-based schools and programs. I have no problem with religious academic institutions existing, but they must be funded privately and through donations, not my tax money. Our education system is failing, Americans are way behind in mathematics and science, and the solution is not faith-based state-funded schools.
Posted by: AnonymousFuck Your God
Religion is nothing short of socially-accepted schizophrenia, and should be treated as such. The religious (a.k.a. the delusional) should not be coddled or enabled, they should be treated for their psychological illness before being released back into the wild, lest they continue to perpetuate their legacy of ignorance and scientific illiteracy. Any other course of action will result in the further hillbillification of American society.
Posted by: timp11Truth and Fairness
Government funded education should be for everyone. Everyone. Every christian, every jew, every buddhist, every atheist. They should have all have the right to learn at every school that tax dollars pay for. And they have a right to the truth. The truth that would be the same if every ounce of understanding of religion, and science were gone today.
Posted by: AnonymousNo standards in curriculum
With all the different belief systems, we cannot except faith based schools to teach the basic education curriculum. These students need a basic level of knowledge when they graduate. This basic level benefits the whole country currently, and future generations. Now... if these schools choose to teach the standard curriculum instead of bible nonsense, then I don't see why they should not get funding.
Posted by: AnonymousGovernment shall not endorse religion.
Religion is nothing more than ancient mythology, and government should not be spending money teaching children fairy-tales. If parents wish to teach their children such myths, it needs to be done within the confines of their household, or church. If they wish their children to attend a religious school, pay for it with their own money.
Posted by: AnonymousNo. It is unconstitutional.
In our own constitution, we have stated that THE STATE IS TO BE SEPERATE FROM THE CHURCH. Having a religious school run on government money is to favor one religion over another. If we supplied all the religious school our economy would crash. If somebody wants to open a religious school. They should do it on their own money.
Posted by: AnonymousSchool is for Education
Government school funding should be strictly for education, specifically for the math and sciences. This will not only help develop our nation, but provide more opportunities to underprivileged children. I whole heatedly agree paying my tax dollars to support this. Religion is a personal choice that I don't want to fund in anyway shape or form. You want to be religious? Cool, go do it, but don't take government spending that could be put to better use.
Posted by: Anonymousno
We publicly practice secularism, and don't promote a specific religious belief. Additionally, I don't understand why the religious among us think they need all this worldly help. Indeed, they are on the side of a divine being and will live in heaven eternally. Can't they let us heathens have just a bit of happiness before we go to rot in the fiery pits of hell?
Posted by: AnonymousSeparation Of Church and State
No tax money should be used to promote one (or any) religion. Religious instruction should take place at home not in government buildings. Religion has been -- and is -- used to oppress people that don't precisely conform to to ideal that the people or person in power decides is correct, school isn't the place to promote such attitudes.
Posted by: AnonymousLet's keep fact and fiction separate
If a parent wants to send his/her child to a religious school, there are already private schools, many of which offer financial aid if the tuition is too expensive. I personally would like government money going to schools that do not promote any religion because let's be serious for a moment, if we really allowed for government funding for faith-run schools, how much of that money (per school, obviously based on size and other factors) would go towards Christian protestant and Catholic schools vs. Islamic schools and schools promoting another faith. There simply would not be equality in terms of monetary factors. In addition, if we allow for money to go to faith-run schools strictly teaching creationism (because those schools will ask for money if this idea ever becomes a reality), then we will be turning our backs on scientific fact. The evidence for evolution is substantial and preventing children from analyzing data and choosing what they believe in seems a little silly.
Posted by: fredfredNo F$#%^ing way.
This is ludicrous. Our tax dollars should never be used to teach children fantasies about mystical men in the sky. They need to get the money from their faith-based community, directly from the community. If they get tax dollars, member not of their silly religion are forced to support their made up beliefs.
Posted by: AnonymousWhy do they need my tax dollars?
They have an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient invisible dictator in the sky that stands firmly behind what they're doing and lends them his full support. Surely, they don't need my help.
Governments should not endorse or force their people to endorse by way of taxation any one belief system over another. Funding should be spent exclusively on unbiased, scientifically based programs that offer children the tools necessary to see the world as it is based on the physical evidence we are privy to and choose for themselves what to believe.Posted by: WordcraftianNo
If god is so high and mighty, why doesn't he fund it? I guess he doesn't care about education. And why should I fund a school of a religion I don't believe in? You think all this money is going to go to just your religion. It's not.
Believing in things that are not real is hurting our economy. What use is a person that can't problem solve and think and help make progress? This is why big companies like Google and Microsoft have to hire from overseas because the education system here is already so bad.
If having god is so good, then why is the most religious countries in world always on the news for killing one another? Why are they also the most poor?
Here are the richest countries in the world in GDP (gross domestic product) per person for 2011:
Country US$
1 Luxembourg 122,272
2 Qatar 97,967
3 Norway 96,591
4 Switzerland 84,983
5 Australia 66,984
6 United Arab Emirates 66,625
7 Denmark 63,003
8 Sweden 61,098
9 Netherlands 51,410
10 Canada 51,147
11 Singapore 50,714
12 Austria 50,504
13 Finland 50,090
14 Ireland 48,517
15 United States 48,147
16 Belgium 48,110
17 Kuwait 46,461
18 Japan 45,774
19 Germany 44,558
20 France 44,401
Out of the top 20 countries in the list above, 14 belong to the top 25 atheist countries in the world.Posted by: AnonymousNeutrality
Which faith should we choose? Since the government can't pick one under the Constitution, then it would be better if it not choose at all. For those who support Christianity, if they wouldn't want their schools to teach Islam or Hinduism to their children, then they cannot in good faith force Muslims or Hindus to have their children be preached to.
None of this should matter, however: School is primarily focused with objective facts. Morality ought to be left to the parents to teach as they see fit. Faith-run schools would harm the greater public by presenting a biased view of the world and members of other faiths. ultimately, this will harm the nation.Posted by: AnonymousIn Violation of the Church-State Separation
This, to me, is a very clear violation of the separation between church and state noted in the Constitution. Additionally, one must wonder if this includes ALL faiths, or merely Christianity (see: The recent issue of Louisiana charter schools gaining government funding, only to have one of their main proponents "shocked" that Muslim schools would be able to receive government funding as well).
Posted by: AnonymousAtheism is as much of a religion as not collecting stamps is a hobby
There shouldn't even be a word like atheism to describe people. What do you call a non-racist, or a non-bigot or someone who doesn't believe in Santa or the Tooth Fairy, or any other imaginary being which there is absolutely no credible evidence for? I'd call them normal, well-adjusted adults.
Posted by: AnonymousFact versus fiction.
A school has a very specific purpose. It is there to educate young men and women, bestowing upon them all the knowledge and cerebral tools required to succeed in human society.
Faith-run schools fail in this regard by crippling some very important tools we need. This is an innate problem with religion itself, namely that it proliferates the attitude that evidence and proof can be dismissed in favor of fancy and tradition. This one thing alone is more than enough to completely cripple an individual's capacity to distinguish reality from fantasy, which in turn is by most definitions something that makes you liable for mental care.
Tax money should most certainly not go to such things, for that reason alone if not for the hundreds of other reasons I won't get into, like Church/State separation and other equally important things.Posted by: AnonymousNo schools should be funded by the government.
First off, remember when the government funds something, that means you fund it, through your tax dollars, they are taking your money, under a threat of penalty and giving it to these institutions.
Allow the free market to work its magic. Forcing children to attend schools, and forcing citizens without children to pay for these schools is not only wrong, but ineffective. Allowing schools to be privatized would reduce tax payer burden, and increase the level of education these schools provide. They'd have to be competitive if children weren't forced to attend and if they weren't funded through tax payers.Posted by: AnonymousSuch a proposal runs contrary to everything our country stands for
For the past year, all we've heard is pleas from the religious about their tax dollars supporting something they don't agree with (sometimes it's abortion, sometimes contraception), and now we're talking about handing government money to schools that promote a single religion?
Government must be impartial. Period. This is a a fundamental principle on which our country exists.Posted by: AnonymousJames Madison
“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.”
“And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.”Posted by: Anonymousgovernment funding for catholic school
Society does not need religion anymore. We have more knowledge now and funding schools to teach information that has no facts and is based on faith dumbs down a country. Brainwashing children should be let up to private citizens to pay for themselves. Paying taxes should better a country, for the good of all not just a few.
Posted by: AnonymousI believe that faith-run schools should not receive government funding, because it violates the separation of church and state, and allows tax dollars to support questionable endeavors.
Faith-based schools should not be financially supported by the taxpayer pool, because we have no say as to what they teach. A faith-based school could be run with any sort of religious background: Christian, Jewish, Islam, Wiccan, etc. There is nothing wrong with sending your children to a faith-based school. But, we, as taxpayers, should not have to financially support the teaching of every religion under the sun.
Posted by: babyuniqhNO!
Absolutely not. Keep church in the church. There is no reason for my taxes to go to my own discrimination. I do not believe the majority of my area. Therefore I should financially support them?? Are you CRAZY? This is America! This is the land I can live in freely without someone killing my beliefs.
Posted by: AnonymousFaith is a celebration of wilful ignorance
Faith as it is pursued by religion is a doctrine of blind obedience without a shred of critical thinking. To expose young minds to myth as fact is child abuse. To use the fear of eternal torture or similar perverse death-cult superstition to cement a lack of curiosity is child abuse. To tell a child that the only purpose of their life is to please an invisible god who may reward them only after death is child abuse.
Posted by: Anonymous