Should Religion or Ethics be taught to Kids in School?
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Should Religion or Ethics be taught to Kids in School?
According to some, religion and ethics are a vital part when molding a child to become a respectable member of society. Religion, through texts such as the Bible, contains teachings on real-life situations and how to act in an upright manner when confronted by them. On the other hand, some argue that children should grow up unshackled by any precepts and should be free to explore and in the process, develop their value systems and a religious choice. I feel that the former is the more useful practice as I will prove based on several premises laid out in this paper.
Ethics and religion are beneficial in the long run for any individual. Religion, in many cases in the USA, is Christianity. It espouses appreciable values such as kindness, honesty, and humility. Surely, no one likes a spoilt child or a sly or untrustworthy adult. Christian teachings to children seek to uproot such practices that when allowed to grow, will create a population of undependable adults. Ethics are the cornerstone of productive work environments in workplaces all over the USA. It is crucial to impart concepts such as fair treatment of peers, accountability and discipline in kids to make it second nature to them as they also increase in knowledge and prepare to enter the workforce and become the next crop which the countries rely on. Teachers should similarly seek to demonstrate these ethics to their children in their dealings to prevent a situation where the kids get mixed messages. It is difficult to find fault in teaching kids concepts that are universally acceptable, and that will have them in good stead in the future
Children have an ability to learn and incorporate teachings at a faster rate in their formative years as compared to when they are entering adulthood. When in the age bracket of between five and late teenage, their brains are growing and can integrate new information that is unlikely to be replicated throughout their lifetimes. It is a ripe time to be teaching them good morals and giving them a basis of spiritual nourishment which they are likely to need for the entirety of their lives. If for instance, they learn that misdeeds often have adverse consequences, they are unlikely to perpetrate actions such as embezzlement if entrusted with financial duties much later in their professional career. On the other hand, seminars and workshops will hardly teach a middle-aged executive that it is wrong to promote their childhood friend at the expense of more deserving workers within the organization provided they can get away with it. It is probably something they started doing as soon as they got into management and no longer feel remorseful about. Therefore, it is only beneficial to instill ethical values into children as opposed to waiting to teach adults who have already developed strong positions on some issues.
In conclusion, it is essential to teach religion and ethics to children because they promote values that we all desire to have and see in others and because that is the age at which humans are most receptive to new information. Failure to do that may result in a population of self-serving adults who will likely doom the country to fail.
