Psychology questionnaire: God in school.

[Semage]

My girlfriend is doing a survey for psychology. The survey is over Religion in schools. We realized, today, that most of the people taking the survey were Christians, and all believed in [G]od. I suggested that she let me post it here, as most of you are atheists. If you want to discuss the survey or topic, go right ahead, just make sure you actually take the survey, please. Thank you.

Oh, yes, and if it is a “yes/no” question, please answer “yes” or “no”. If you want to explain your answer, no problem, just make sure you answer “yes” or “no”. Thank you, again.

(tip for if you get stuck on a yes/no question) If it does not apply in all circumstances, it is false. For instance, if I say, “do Asians have black hair”, your answer would be “no” because there are some Asians with other hair colors. And now, for the survey:

This is an anonymous survey for my Psychology class. Please, answer the following seventeen questions honestly with a “yes” or a “no”. Some questions ask for you to explain why you chose a certain answer. This will be confidential, but if there are any questions that you find too personal and/or do not want to answer, just put NA.


Age:
Sex:

1) Do you believe in God?
2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?
3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?
4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?
5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?
6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?
7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?
If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?
9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?
10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?
11) Why or why not?



12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?
13) Why or why not?



14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?
15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?
16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?
17) What about witnessing to people?

[DPDarkPrimus]

[quote="Semage"]
This is an anonymous survey for my Psychology class. Please, answer the following seventeen questions honestly with a “yes” or a “no”. Some questions ask for you to explain why you chose a certain answer. This will be confidential, but if there are any questions that you find too personal and/or do not want to answer, just put NA.


Age: 18
Sex: Male

1) Do you believe in God?
No

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?
Atheist

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?
No. Establishment clause.

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?
No. See above.

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?
No. See above.

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?
Yes.

If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?
No.

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?
Possibly. It depends entirely on the teacher.

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?
Yes.

11) Why or why not?
Learning about the world educates you. I don't care if my child would choose to become a practioner of a certain religion after taking the class. They have their own life, and their beliefs do not have to be controlled by me.

12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?
Yes.

13) Why or why not?
One can never learn too much. A school course would be unbiased (hopefully) and would teach about religions equally and objectively.


14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?
No.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?
Yes. It is their First Amendment right, freedom of worship.

17) What about witnessing to people?
Be able to, yes, but without reprecussions, no. They are certainly welcome to talk to others about their religion, but if they start becoming a nusience or harrassing people, then action would have to be taken.

[kojikun]

Age: 17

Sex: Male

1) Do you believe in God?
No.

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?
None.

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?
No.

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?
No.

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?
No.

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?
--

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?
No, not unless its an objective look at religion, not a promotional class.

If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?
--

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?
No, not unless it was objective.

11) Why or why not?
A proper analysis of religion is okay, but promotion is not.

12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?
Yes.

13) Why or why not?
Great debate potential.

14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?
Yes.

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?
No.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?
Yes.

17) What about witnessing to people?
Explain.

[Robert Treder]

Age: 19
Sex: Male

1) Do you believe in God? No

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow? Not Applicable

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity? No

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too? No (schools should support no religions)

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school? Where else would they have it? But seriously, No

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow? Not Applicable

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School? No

If yes, do you believe it should be a required class? Not Applicable

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased? Unknowable, but likely (esp. considering that you said everybody you know is Christian...there isn't much apparant diversity there)

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this? Yes

11) Why or why not? I would allow my children to take whatever classes they wanted to.

12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course? No

13) Why or why not? I already know more than enough about religion.

14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct? No

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle? What's this "kept," kemosabe? I attended public school; we didn't have religion.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them? Yes

17) What about witnessing to people? No (witnessing to people certainly qualifies as "bothering anyone else around them")

[CrimsonRaine]

Age:
Sex:

1) Do you believe in God? Yes
2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow? N/A
3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity? No
4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too? Yes
5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school? No
6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow? N/A
7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School? Yes
If yes, do you believe it should be a required class? No
9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased? Depends on the teacher
10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this? Only if they wanted to.
11) Why or why not? It's up to the child whether or not they want to pursue a religious course.



12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course? Yes
13) Why or why not? I find almost all religions interesting



14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct? Yes
15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle? No
16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them? Yes
17) What about witnessing to people? No

Crimson Raine

[CrimsonRaine]

Eep! Forgot this:

Age: 20
Sex: F

[Darth Raptor]

Age:

19

Sex:

Male

1) Do you believe in God?

No.

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?

I follow no religion. I'm an Atheist.

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?

I don't understand the question.

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?

Again, what do you mean?

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?

Absolutely not.

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?

If you mean a secular class on theology, then it is acceptable.

If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?

No.

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?

Not necessarily, no. If they were, they should be relieved.

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?

Absolutely.

11) Why or why not?

Knowledge is harmless. I will not force my religious beliefs on my children.

12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?

Yes.

13) Why or why not?

Mythology is interesting.

14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?

ALL teachings must be historically correct, or else these courses have no place in a public school.

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?

No. That's absurd.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?

No. That's what homes and churches are for.

17) What about witnessing to people?

Under no circumstances whatsoever.

[Hobot]

Age:19
Sex:Male

1) Do you believe in God? No
2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow? None
3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity? No
4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too? No
5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school? No
6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow? N/A
7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School? Yes
If yes, do you believe it should be a required class? No
9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased? Yes. When are people ever unbiased?
10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this? Yes
11) Why or why not? It's their education, they should be allowed to decide what they want to take.



12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course? Yes
13) Why or why not? I find religion interesting.



14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct? N/A
15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle? No
16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them? Yes
17) What about witnessing to people? No

[Durandal]

Age: 21
Sex: Male.

1) Do you believe in God? No.

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow? Nothing.

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity? No.

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too? The wording of the question assumes that I believe schools should support Christianity. Public schools should not support or condemn any specific or general set of religious beliefs. As institutions funded by the government, they are bound not to comment on the issue of "which religion is correct or incorrect" in order to preserve citizens' equality in the eyes of the state.

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school? No.

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow? Not applicable.

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School? What's a "class on religion"?

8) If yes, do you believe it should be a required class? You've failed to define what a "class on religion" is.

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased? If I was in charge of the selection process, they would not be. This question is entirely too vague. You haven't defined what a "class on religion" is, so it's impossible to determine who would be most qualified to teach such a course.

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this? You've failed to define what a "class on religion" is. If I was a parent, though, I would disapprove of my child being indoctrinated into religious beliefs which I do not share by the state.

11) Why or why not? The state has no business promoting or demeaning any specific religion or general set of religious beliefs. This is outlined clearly in the Constitution.

12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course? If it is simply a historical and societal examination, yes.

13) Why or why not? Religious societies are like any other. In history classes, students examine the Roman Empire without being taught that its religious beliefs were correct. Such is possible with the examination of other religious societies; Christianity is no exception.

14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct? If you're talking about a class which is a purely historical perspective on the growth of a certain religions, then there is no problem. It is eminently possible to examine a religious society just as you would examine any other. Problems occur when such a class is taught from the perspective that a certain religion is correct.

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle? There is no evidence to support that connection. Bible bashers constantly point to the "decline of religion in schools" as a cause for the social problems we have today. But if they want to associate the rise in drug use and violence with the absence of religion in schools, I could just as easily associate the radical change in society's views on child abuse with the decline of religion in government as well. In the 1950's (the typically nostalgic era for neo-conservative religious lunatics), it was perfectly acceptable to beat your child.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them? The procurement of publicly-funded property for religious services is unconstitutional. If you want to pray, pray privately.

17) What about witnessing to people? If you mean "nagging them about religion on school time using school facilities," absolutely not.

[Rogue 9]

Age:19
Sex:Male

1) Do you believe in God?
Yes

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?
No

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?
If you mean public schools, no.

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?
Not in a public school.

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?
Yes.

If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?
No

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?
Depends on the instructor. I don't know the staff at your school.

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?
Yes.

11) Why or why not?
I was permitted to decide for myself. I will allow my children (if any) the same opportunity.


12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?
Yes.

13) Why or why not?
You can never know too much.


14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?
How do you mean?

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?
I went to a private Christian school where the violence and drug use rates were lower than any public school I've ever attended, but that's not enough data to draw a conclusion about all schools.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?
Yes.

17) What about witnessing to people?
No.


Incidentally:

No. That's what homes and churches are for.

If they're not disturbing anyone, how do you plan on even noticing, much less stopping them? Thought police?

[Shadow WarChief]

1) Do you believe in God?

No


2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?

No religion. Just an atheist.


3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?

No


4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?

No. Schools should not support any religion



5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?

No



6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?


If the class is an religion comparison course in which all religious beliefs are given equal legitemacy and subjected to logical scrutiny then my answer is "yes". If the class is little more than Bible-memorization than my answer is "no"



8) If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?

No



9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?

No. The teacher would not necessarily be biased – it depends on who is selected to teach the course.



10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?

If it was the aforementioned logical comparison: yes
If it was the aforementioned bible study: no




11) Why or why not?

Logical comparison: Religion, like it or not, is one of the most influential factors in human civilization. It certainly couldn't hurt to have knowledge of all the religious forces acting on society.

Bible study: Brainwashing is never a good thing.





12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?

Logical Comparison: No
Bible Study: No


13) Why or why not?

Logical Comparison: There are probably more interesting classes to take.
Bible Study: I'd probably get the crap kicked out of my after school for questioning some fundie's religious beliefs.


14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?

Yes


15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?

No


16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?

Yes


17) What about witnessing to people?

Students being allowed to witness would be permitting religion to affect all the student body. So the answer is "no"

[Darth Yoshi]

Age:17
Sex:M

1. No
2. N/A
3. No
4. No
5. No
6. N/A
7. Yes
8. No
9. Probably.
10. Yes
11. Knowledge is power.
12. Yes
13. It'd be interesting, to say the least.
14. N/A
15. No
16. Yes
17. What do you mean?

[Semage]

Alright. I only need three, so I need two more of you who are willing to follow the instructions.

[Hobot]

I went to a private Christian school where the violence and drug use rates were lower than any public school I've ever attended, but that's not enough data to draw a conclusion about all schools.

I went to a Catholic high school and it was better in some respects, the same in others, and worse in a few cases. There was another Catholic high school not too far off that was worse than every other high school in the area. The people who went to my school were mainly from the wealthy suburbs, and were mostly Italian or Chinese (from Hong Kong). The people who attended the other Catholic school were from poorer and older suburbs and were mostly brown (that's what they call themselves) and black; many were from the West Indies. Just something to think about.

[Rogue 9]

Alright. I only need three, so I need two more of you who are willing to follow the instructions.

You know, most people said what their answer was before they elaborated. If you don't want to include the elaboration, just don't copy it down. You already have your answers.

[Darth Raptor]

If they're not disturbing anyone, how do you plan on even noticing, much less stopping them? Thought police?

Non-disruptive is not the same thing as undetectable. The point is school property is not a place for organized worship. No one's stopping kids from praying silently at lunch, recess or study hall. But this "gather at the flagpole" nonsense has got to stop.

[Semage]

You know, most people said what their answer was before they elaborated. If you don't want to include the elaboration, just don't copy it down. You already have your answers.

Most had something like "No, unless" or "Yes, but". To add conditions means that your answer is neither yes nor no. It would be different if it were “No, here’s why”. That would be elaborating. That is ok. Adding conditions to a yes/no statement is not.

[Semage]

If they're not disturbing anyone, how do you plan on even noticing, much less stopping them? Thought police?

Non-disruptive is not the same thing as undetectable. The point is school property is not a place for organized worship. No one's stopping kids from praying silently at lunch, recess or study hall. But this "gather at the flagpole" nonsense has got to stop.

How is that disruptive?

[Shadow WarChief]

Bah, forgot this part:

Age: 17
Sex: Male

[Robert Treder]

If they're not disturbing anyone, how do you plan on even noticing, much less stopping them? Thought police?

Non-disruptive is not the same thing as undetectable. The point is school property is not a place for organized worship. No one's stopping kids from praying silently at lunch, recess or study hall. But this "gather at the flagpole" nonsense has got to stop.

How is that disruptive?

It isn't disruptive, and if you'd learn to read, you'd see that Lazy Raptor even said that it wasn't disruptive. Just because it isn't disruptive doesn't mean that it's not a misuse of school property.

[Darth Wong]

1) Do you believe in God?

No.

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?

Secular humanism.

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?

In America they certainly seem to.

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?

Schools should not support any religion at all.

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?

See above.

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?

Since I don't know what FCA stands for, I cannot answer this question.

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?

Only if it discusses all of the world's major religions (not just Judaism and its two bastard children) and it does so from a sociological perspective rather than actually attempting to promote any particular religion's beliefs or values. And the instructor himself should be a qualified historian or sociologist who does not belong to any of the religions under discussion, since that would constitute an obvious conflict of interest in providing an unbiased comparison of one religion to another.

If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?

See above.

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?

See above.

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?

See above.

11) Why or why not?

See above.

12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?

See above.

13) Why or why not?

See above.

14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?

See above.

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?

No. The British Empire was pushing drugs during the height of the church's evangelistic power, and the correlation between church attendance and crime rates across America is positive, not negative. Look it up.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?

Does their religion absolutely demand that they pray on school grounds? No. So why should we allow this potentially divisive activity on school grounds? How would you feel if somebody decided to walk around the school cafeteria wearing a swastika shirt and doing Seig Heils? He could just as easily call it his "beliefs" as you do.

17) What about witnessing to people?

I don't send my kids to public school to be accosted by people trying to convert them. If you're going to allow that, then why not let people distribute Nazi literature in class?

[Alferd Packer]

Age: 21
Sex: Male

1) Do you believe in God?

No.

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?

None.

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?

No.

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?

No.

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?

No.

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?

N/A

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?

If it is not a private school, then no.

If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?

No.

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?

Yes.

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?

No.

11) Why or why not?

If my children are curious, I will arrange for them to meet with a representative of the religion they are curious about. The state does not need to be involved.

12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?

No.

13) Why or why not?

Having already read the Bible and many books on religion and, having already had discussions with clergy of various faiths, my opinions on religion are already formed to my satisfaction. I would therefore gain little from such a class, and would thus opt to spend my time in more practical pursuits.

14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?

No.

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?

Not in the least. Religion is a subjective experience. The class in question would do little to affect any teenager's behavior.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?

As long as it's not endorsed by the school in any way.

17) What about witnessing to people?

If Christian students can witness, then the atheists and agnostics should be allowed to express their views, as should any Satanists, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, or any oither person of any differing viewpoint who wishes to do so.

[NapoleonGH]

Age: 19
Sex: M

1) Do you believe in God? No

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow? I have no religion, I am an Atheist

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity? No
4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too? No

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school? No

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School? What do you mean by "on religions" If you mean a class which teaches students what the historical background and basic belief structure of all major religions (not just islam/chrsitainity/and judaism) then i have no problem with it. If you mean anything else then NO

If yes, do you believe it should be a required class? No

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased? Under most circumstances (i guess that means yes)

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this? yes

11) Why or why not? As a parent it wouldn't be my place to tell my kid what he can't learn, i would probably try to encourage my kid to take a more useful class but i wouldn't prevent them from taking such a class if they so wished so long as they aren't cutting some other class out of their schedual that is necessary (ie the science classes, english, math, foreign language, history)



12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course? No
13) Why or why not? No desire, more interesting classes available.



14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct? Still more interesting courses to take

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle? Nope, religion is full of violence, and many religious people use drugs, so No


16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them? Individually certainly, as a group it depends on the situation. (in response to mike's post, i see no reason to stop a kid from wearing just that)

17) What about witnessing to people? Certainly not, no one period should have to listen to that drivel if they dont want to, especailly in school.

[Howedar]

Age: 18
Sex: M

1) Do you believe in God? Yes

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity? Schools in my area did not support any religion to any real extent. I can't speak for TN.
4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too? No, no religion should be supported.
5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school? Absolutely not. There should be no school-sponsered religious stuff of any kind. If a group of students wants to form a group themselves, I don't see any real harm in allowing them to, say, meet on campus during lunch.
6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow? If the students form them themselves, sure. But there should be no school sponsorship.
7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School? No
If yes, do you believe it should be a required class? Definately no
9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased? Of course, religion is a sensitive topic. Regardless of what the teacher believed, on such a subjective subject it would be dificult to have an objective teacher.
10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this? Yes
11) Why or why not? They're high schoolers for crying out loud, they can make their own decisions.



12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course? No
13) Why or why not? More important stuff to take



14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct? Not really, but it wouldn't hurt
15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle? HAHA! No.
16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them? Certainly. It's called the First Amendment, and while it doesn't quite hold in schools I believe it should as much as possible.
17) What about witnessing to people? Same as solicitors of any other sort on campus. If they're allowed, I'd allow "whitnessing" (which I assume is basically missionary work). If not, then no.

I'd prefer no.

[Icehawk]

Age: 22
Sex: Male

1) Do you believe in God?
No

2) If not, who/what do you believe in/what religion do you follow?
No religion at all, just a secular humanistic lifestyle.

3) Do you believe that schools only support Christianity?
No

4) Do you believe that schools should support other religions, too?
No, public schools should not support or endorse ANY religion.

5) Do you believe that schools should have religion in school?
See above.

6) If yes, should there be programs like FCA for the other religions that members of the student body follow?
N/A

7) Should a class on religions be offered to the students at Cookeville High School?
Yes, but only one which looks at religions from an objective point of view and does not proselytize for, or promote any of them.

8] If yes, do you believe it should be a required class?
No, it should only be optional.

9) Do you believe that if such a class was offered, the instructor(s) would be biased?
Not if the course is required to have an instructor who is not a member of any of the religions being taught and who is a qualified historian.

10) If you are/were a parent, would you allow your student to take a course like this?
Yes, but I would keep an eye on it and the material being taught.

11) Why or why not?
My children may choose whatever courses that interest them.

12) If you are/were a student, would you take this course?
No

13) Why or why not?
I know enough about religion now and thinking back to when I was a student, I wouldnt have been very interested.

14) If not, would you be interested if you knew for certain that the teachings would be historically correct?
Not really, but I would expect the course to be as historically accurate and objective as possible regardless of whether or not I am interested in taking it.

15) If religion was kept in school, would the violence rate and/or drug usage dwindle?
No, in fact, at the catholic highschool in my neighborhood, their is just as much, if not more violence and drug use amoung the students then the normal public highschool.

16) If religion was not allowed in school, would it still be all right for a person or a group of people to pray as long as they were not bothering anyone else around them?
If they can do it privately out of view thats fine, But any open displays of prayer should actively be prohibited on school property.

17) What about witnessing to people?
No, certainly not.