Response to Danielles Blog

tolerance...blah blah blah I have always been raised relgiious but i have never heard of people being mean to people who dont believe in anything. People who are athiest are normal people. I understand that there are many religions that have been established but I dont see a reason why they cannot co-exist. I thought that most religions were based on the morals of decensy towards other and love for all. I thought that people would hlep out each other in need and would not push eachother away.

Response to Thoughts of Yesterdays blog

I have known a lot about the topic of gay rights and yet I have never truly seen the hurt of the people. Watching the YouTube video of the post secret things, I saw how it truly made people feel to be alone and not be accepted by society. Then one topic that truly stood out to me was the education in school about gays. It is not a very talked about issue therefore is left up to the kids to find out for themselves. The post included examples how kids got made fun of for being different and how parents have a big influence on their kids opinions. Parents are usually looked up to as role models and a majority of their ideas will be passed on in some form to their kid. Whether the parents are homophobic or not I think that kids should have their own ideas about the issue.
Another issue that I found interesting was the “Don’t ask Don’t tell” policy of the army. The author of the blog asked about how a president could make a law restricting what people can and cannot talk about. I don’t think that gays should be treated any differently than straight people. The are just people trying to help their country like every other citizen in the army. I think that the law made gays feel even more segregated and different than the other general public. The president in turn took away their freedoms and rights to have their own life. That must be a horrible feeling to have to hide ones own identity for fear of judgment. I don’t understand what the problem is with people. We are all put on this earth for a reason and it shouldn’t matter what sex we are attracted to.

response to the cheese log blog

This blog was about the environment and mainly how pollution is killing our world. A shocking statistic that I found in the presentation was that 30.3% of the worlds population is caused by America...resulting in this is the 33% of Chinese people who live in such polluted cities that it is equivalent to smoking "2 cigarettes a day". This came as a big shock to me because I'm not very informed on this topic but I was aware that pollution was a growing problem. I was not aware of the fact that it was getting this deadly, and WE as Americans were the cause of this mess/ well, at least part of it. I never understood until now how necessary it is to protect our earth for future generations. There was a slide in the show that described how schools are now trying to use recyclable trays instead of throwing them out after one use. I found this very interesting because for my 3 years at Deerfield High School I have always been accustom to reusable trays and I am very happy to say that. I think that our school is pretty green because we use those trays, we have recycling bins in every classroom, we also have a can receptacle in the cafeteria. We also have earthworks which is a club working towards the goals of less paper and a more green school. I would think that in this day in age that we would use less paper because we now have the internet and more social things on there. By cutting down trees it produces a mass amount of carbon dioxide that cannot be removed therefore resulting in global warming. I’m very happy that I was able to be informed on this topic and I learned a lot.

Works Cited

"African American religion and education during Reconstruction." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .

Annals of American History, "On the School Prayer Decision". Feb 1, 2010

Associated Press. “Court rules that Pennsylvania woman Donna Kay Busch can't read Bible to son's kindergarden class.” New York Daily News. New York Daily News, n.p. 8 Feb 2010.

Banerjee, Neela. "School board to pay in Jesus prayer suit.(National Desk)." The New York Times. 157. 54234 (Feb 28, 2008): A15(L). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 < http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=OVRC&docId=A175515368&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0 >.

Conyers, Lisa, and Phillip Harvey. "A Lack of Religion Does Not Cuase Crime." Current Controversies: Crime Paul A. Winters. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Opposing Viewpoints Reasource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 5 Feb. 2010

Dinesh D'Souza. "Atheism Harms Society." Opposing Viewpoints: Atheism. Ed. Beth Rosenthal. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010

"Frederick Douglass: Fourth of July speech (1852)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. .

"Great Awakening." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

John H. Calvert. "Outlawing Discussion of Intelligent Design in Schools Is a Violation." At Issue: Intelligent Design vs. Evolution. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 5 Feb. 2010 < http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.>

Lawence,Jerome and Robert E. Lee. Inherit the Wind. New York, NY: A Bantam Book, 1955. Print.

"Leopold and Loeb trials." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .

Current Events Analysis

How does religion still play a role in schools? Currently, although there are many laws against it, prayer and religious ideas are still a big controversy in our country. Today, religion appears to be a very important part of society based upon how schools still get off for national holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and some other Christian holidays. The school boards and schools both accept that school is taken off to celebrate, as long as there is no celebrating in schools. Schools on that note, are allowed to teach holidays to their students but they aren’t allowed to read holy scriptures or other texts. In contrast to this point of everyone getting along, there have been people who were so offended by the religious exposure in school, they felt the need to move away from their home. Especially being Jewish, it leads to many problems that have also been caused by some history.
Today, Religion is a big part of politics also. In politics, the world has experience dealing with extremists from different faiths all over the world. There are always going to be those people who believe their religion is the best and will try to change people. They also want to rid the world of “the others” if they do not fit in with their beliefs. This leads to many conflicts over the interpretation of a text or religious beliefs. This belief contradicts the opinion that religion gives people a set of morals. It shows that religion does not always offer time for good deeds but time and commitment.
Some of the reasoning behind people’s actions today comes from their upbringing. Some people were raised in a religious house with a commitment to their religious establishments, on the other hand, some have grown in a secular world used to other ideas. For instance, in the classroom, some people were offended by the prayer decision. Students barley understood what they were saying, but when the parents got involved it was a different story. Some parents enjoy the fact that religious thinking is being incorporated into school but other parents feel very offended. One outside view said atheism harms society. The author of the article felt that that religion offered a set of moral values among which non-believers could never understand. This belief came from a history of many crimes happening and the belief that church is the best way to believe.

Literature Anaylsis

When analyzing the play Inherit the Wind, it is essential to know about the background history. Back in the 1950s, the theory of evolution disregarding God was not heard off (other then the crazy philosophies of Charles Darwin and other scientists.) Mr.Cates, the main character playing the role of a teacher, was sent to court on offense of violating a public law. He taught his class that the world was created based on a serious of events that God had no part in making. His lawyer, Drummond tried to explain to the court Cates’s views by saying, "Darwin moved us forward to a hilltop, where we could look back and see the way from which we came. But for this view, this insight, this knowledge, we must abandon our faith in the pleasent poetry of Genesis."(p.83) Now, Cates was a very smart man, he wanted to teach science the new way it was being discovered to be no matter if it was against laws or regulations. He was a character that was not afraid to take risks in a world that he knew would shut his thinking down. Inherit the wind connects to the topic of religion because it demonstrates how it is intertwined in peoples beliefs about science. Religion is involved in many parts of schooling. This simulated court case, as shown in the play, acts as a real example of what could have happened. It shows that if men like Cates did not risk their lives to teach their beliefs, our world could never change. In several instances in the play, Cates displays the humanity of an open, forgiving mind, as do the other evolutionists and progressives. Ironically, forgiveness comes more readily to Cates than to his stubborn Christian neighbors—foremost among them Reverend Brown, whose fire-and-brimstone sermons led Cates to abandon the church. Although he did not win the trial, he defiantly made a big impression on the community he was in as well as his student Rachel. It is using the two perspectives of how one man believes teaching evolution is necessary and another who is devoted to the word of God and his creations.
This adds to the definition of how religion is a form of expression to all but many still think that it is more personal and should be confined to the outside world, including educational establishments.

Background anaysis

Throughout American history religion has always been a big part of daily life. Through the diverse population of America there are many different religions practiced. Before schools were built, religion was taught in religious establishments to eager students. Once schools started to be built, religion was still incorporated into the curriculum. As time went on, the courts decided after the care of Everson vs. Board of Education, that church and state needed to be separate. From 1947 forward, the Court has ruled with regularity on religious issues, in direct violation of the original meaning of the First Amendment. In 1962 a case was filed against a New York district for making the students say a prayer at the beginning of every day. This rule clearly went against the first amendment and was quickly changed. The government and the school boards should not have the authority to require students to say prayers. Even if it only refers to one God, as most religions in America are, it is still a religious practice that was made against the law in public schools. This was a very big landmark for American society.
Religion not only has been brought out of schools but has also helped many people in history. As I researched earlier, during the reconstruction times, the blacks used religion to bond and have a hopeful outlook. They used religion to have a sense of belonging with each other when they came from a place were they were worthless. They found value. But some societies, if there were different religions present, had major issues. For example the Leopold and Leob trial demonstrated that although religion is not what caused the murder of the boy, the uproar from the community when they found out the murders were Jewish, created a lot of chaos.
Religion is defined as a belief in a God. It is demonstrated through prayers and excersizes.

Can't read Bible for show and tell

Recently covered in the Associated Press, was a story about a mother who was not allowed to read a passage from the Bible for her son's show and tell presentation. The mother argued with the court that holidays have been talked about previously at school so reading a passage from the Bible would be no different. In response the court said, "there was a 'significant difference' between identifying such holidays and reading from Scripture." The lawyer said that the school district can restrict material but they have to be "viewpoint neutral" once they invite parents in to celebrate their children. In the end this argument was more so about the mothers interest then the son's connection to his religion. In reality the son's babysitter said that his favorite book was "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" instead of the Bible.

I think that this is a significant current event because it shows how there is a very thin line about how much religious references can be taught in school. I believe that holidays should be taught as a learning example but not looked into as far as the Scriptures.

Associated Press. “Court rules that Pennsylvania woman Donna Kay Busch can't read Bible to son's kindergarden class.” New York Daily News. New York Daily News, n.p. 8 Feb 2010.

School board to pay in Jesus prayer suit.

Two Jewish Families sued a Delaware school over their policies on religion. They sued, "over the the pervasiveness of Christian prayer and other religious activities in the school." For instance, school board meetings starting with prayer was one thing that upset thedon't feel parties. One of the Jewish mothers, Mona Dobrich, suggested that the school board should consider more generic and less exclusionary prayers. Although the school was made to change its policy, the Dobrich family decided to move for the well being of their children.
As a Jewish student living in Deerfield, I that there is a big religious bias in our school. If I were living in Delaware at that time I would have been a little annoyed with all the Jesus talk but I would accept it as part of a religion as long as it did not get in the way of my education. I don't think that these two families should have made such a big deal about the issue. They embarrassed their kids and have hurt the school financially for having to compensate them.


Banerjee, Neela. "School board to pay in Jesus prayer suit.(National Desk)." The New York Times. 157. 54234 (Feb 28, 2008): A15(L). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .

Inherit the Wind

This play deals with the topic of teaching evolution versus religious theory in schools. Mr Cates, the main character, is taken to court for teaching his high school class about evolution. The court found that there is no way to explain to kids how the world was formed without God being involved in it as well. Cates's lawyer, Drummond, argued "Darwin moved us forward to a hilltop, where we could look back and see the way from which we came. But for this view, this insight, this knowledge, we must abandon our faith in the pleasent poetry of Genesis."(p.83) In addition to that statement, Rachel, one of Cates's students testified that Cates taught her, "God did not create man! Man created God."(70) This accusation left Cates's case down the gutter. Brady, a lawyer against Cates said, "in fact, he determined that the Lord began the creation on the 23rd of October in the year 4,004 B.C. at-uh, at 9 A.M.!(85) In the end the court found Cates guilty of violating public act volume 37,statute number 31428. His punishment was a fine of 500 dollars. Although Cates did not win the case he did however set a great example of fighting against the majority with what he believed was right. Religion has no place in the classroom. Drummond said, "You don't suppose this kind of thing is ever finished,do you? Tomorrow it'll be something else- and another fella will have to stand u. And you've helped give him the guts to do it."(110)
From this i learn that no mater what religion a teacher is, it is important to teach the facts to the students without religious bias. I'm happy today that we are taught evolution in school because it is necessary to learn from where we came. I was upset that Cates did not win the case but happy that he took the first step in trying to make a difference even though he did not have a chance.


Lawence,Jerome and Robert E. Lee. Inherit the Wind. New York, NY: A Bantam Book, 1955. Print.

A Lack of Religion Does Not Cuase Crime

In contrast to the previous article I read about how atheism is harming society, this article argues that lack of religion does not cause crime. He said that people with religious affiliation are actually more likely to commit crimes. He says that being religious does not always promote good deeds nor prevent crimes. An exception to this rule are those people who can sit through services in church. "They do not need to engage in activities to get themselves aroused or excited. So, they may not commit as many crimes."
I believe that people who only practice religion will be likely to not commit crimes because if people do not have something to occupy their time, they are likely to get bored. They turn to crime,as the article explained, for excitement even if it does go against their morals.
A lack of religion, as well, does not cause more crime. People who are atheistic have mastered living in a world without the belief in a God and the restriction of religious rules to follow, therefore they have more self control than others who are kept in line with harsh rules of society and religion.

Conyers, Lisa, and Phillip Harvey. "A Lack of Religion Does Not Cuase Crime." Current Controversies: Crime Paul A. Winters. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Opposing Viewpoints Reasource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 5 Feb. 2010

Atheism Harms Society

In this article, Dinesh D'souza comments about how historically religion has been unfairly blamed for being responsible for countless deaths over the years, while dictators have killed many more in attempt to soley gain power. He believes that religion offers a set of morals that denounce the killing of innocent people while atheism doesn't. He believes that dictators such as Hitler was successful in murdering millions without having religion attached to it. Yes, a majority of people he killed were Jewish but he did not do it just because they were Jewish. This was a fight for power.
Same for the current problem of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is not rooted in religious beliefs but a dispute over self-determination and land.
D'souza believes that religion teaches morality that atheistic people do not understand. He thinks, "Atheism, not religion, is the real force behind the mass murders of history."
I don't fully agree with this because, religion is not the only way to learn important lessons in humility. Living in a world shapes who we are and I don't think that atheism is the cause for all the harm in society.

Dinesh D'Souza. "Atheism Harms Society." Opposing Viewpoints: Atheism. Ed. Beth Rosenthal. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010

Intelligent Design vs. Evolution

This article was about how teaching evolution in school is another form of religious bias.It claims that life is not designed but can be explained via material causes. The article says, "...the court has effectivly caused the state to endorse materialism and the various religions it supports. Thus the court actually inserted a religious bias into science, while purporting to remove one." And then the court goes on to say, "in no way conflicts with, nor does it deny, the existance of a divine creator." --while it clearly does!
Educators only provide students with a limited amount of evidance, therefore favoring one relgion or another. I think that there will always be a bit of relgious controversy over how the earth was created although for scientific purposes I think that it should be ok to teach in schools. I mean clearly there is a lot to be learned about how we came to be, and I don't think just because there are a few arguments means we need to stop teaching this unit to future generations. We need to bring up the materials and be able to learn and build ideas off of them.

Is God actually the creator of this world?

Can there be other reasons for this planet's existance?




John H. Calvert. "Outlawing Discussion of Intelligent Design in Schools Is a Violation." At Issue: Intelligent Design vs. Evolution. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 5 Feb. 2010 .

Where I am now?

Where am I now? After around two weeks of studying my topic of relgiion i have found a lot of areas that intrest me. Recently i read a primary document about religion relating to citizens and the issue of if it should be taught in school. I thought that was very intresting. I also like how relgion and law work together... or against one another. I would still like to find more information about specific influencial people or events that happened after the civil rights movement.

On the School Prayer Decision -1962

In New York beginning in the 1950's, the state required all children in school district 9 to repeat each morning the following prayer, "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and out country." The State Board of Regents, who originally thought of the prayer, believed that it was a proper part of the moral training all students should receive. However, not all people in the state were happy about this change. This case was later brought to the Supreme Court. The court voted 6 to 1 that the New York prayer was "illegal under the First Amendment to the Constitution."
This document displays the views of people against the prayer policy which were used as hearings before the committee on the judiciary. They argued that, "Prayers composed by politicians and governments have never been satisfactory to deeply religious people...because it contains no mention of Christ." The continue to say the prayer is "an empty salute to religion, a gesture which falsely parades as something real." These ideas intend to show that prayer is never the same to everyone and that not all people are religious enough to feel the need to say it. "To establish such a religious exercise upon these citizens is an unconstitutional use of government authority." In summary they are saying that forcing religion in school is unconstitutional. In the end they say, "The realm of religious experience is personal and private;please keep out."
I think that this was a strong argument and that religion should not be taught in public schools. I understand how it could help contribute to building moral values although the government can not for students to declare a God and ask for his blessing each morning. This could offend multiple people and their families. I believe prayer is a personal choice and needs to happen outside educational institutions. For example, last year after we recited the pledge in homeroom we had to stand for a moment of silence. Some students got offended by this new morning ritual that the moment was taken out the following year. I felt that it had a connection to religion and therefore was the reason for taking it out. Religion should be taught out of school and away from the raw education the children are trying to learn. The public system should not be responsible for formulating and requiring prayers.


Annals of American History, "On the School Prayer Decision". Feb 1, 2010

Fredrick Douglass Fourth of July Speech

Fredrick Douglass's Fourth of July Speech talked about the day of Independence for America but primarily the whites. He said that still even after one hundred years that they are still not free nor have all the rights as the whites do. He said that they all live under one God and that they should all live freely. I believe that this was a very hard speech for Douglass to write because he is showing how although people are celebrating Independence he feels sad and embarrassed that our country has not learned how to be equal and Hope to make America a free home to all.

"Frederick Douglass: Fourth of July speech (1852)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. .