If you grew up in the melting pot that is the United States of America, chances are you went to school with somebody from a profound religious background-- potentially even one different than yours. A survey by the Pew Research Center found that 40-50% of U.S. teens at public schools have witnessed some sort of expression of faith from their peers, whether that be wearing religious clothing or saying a prayer before big sports games. 

So, there's no doubt that faith, or even simply spirituality, is an important part of many American lives, and our youth is no exception to this. However, despite our personal connections to it, in our country, religion is treated as a touchy, taboo subject in fear of this said melting pot. And when topics of religion do have to come up in conversation or life, Americans don't know how to deal with it: we may get uncomfortable, confused, hostile, or even violent. We are lacking a fundamental cornerstone of genuine interfaith solidarity in America: education. I believe this problem is mainly the fault of the American education system-- most of us never learn about different religions at school.

To avoid confusion, this is absolutely not to be mistaken with forcing kids to believe in a certain religion. “Teaching about religion is not the same as teaching religion, because we are not proselytizing,” says a curriculum specialist for a Californian public schools district. “We are just teaching facts about belief systems of various religions, to understand how the narrative of world history has unfolded.” The curriculum should be taught in a completely respectful and objective way, with no room for hate or bias from any teacher or student.

As someone who is lucky enough to attend a progressive high school in Massachusetts, learning about worldviews and religions in my 9th grade history class was one of the most valuable and eye opening experiences I’ve ever had. I learned about a myriad of different beliefs, from Judaism to Sikhism, from Buddhism to Daoism, and so much more. I studied the fundamental aspects of what each faith believes in, how it is put in practice by real life followers, and the historical context and prevalence that surrounds each religion. Most importantly, my teacher repeatedly made clear that our class was a judgment and bias free zone, teaching everything from a neutral perspective.

In hindsight, I know first-hand how ignorant about my friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans´ beliefs I was before that class. I always made poor judgments and assumptions, and I, too, was scared to engage in much needed respectful discourse about people's different beliefs. Now, I have an immense amount of respect, interest, empathy, and awe in all faiths, and I no longer fear talking about religion. Still, not everyone has been as fortunate as I have to receive this sort of education. Another study by Pew shows that American adults have very limited knowledge of different religions and religious minorities. For example, only 15% of Americans recognize the Vedas as a Hindu text, or only 24% know that the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah celebrates the new year. However, the same study finds that those who have taken a class about world religions score much higher on average than those who have not.

So, my experience with a world religions class was beneficial, but how specifically would it impact our country? 

First of all, it would reduce hate crimes and violence against religious minorities. In 2017, nearly 1 in 4 hate crimes were motivated by religion. As the American Psychological Association explains, violence and hate crimes are almost always due to ignorance and fear of the unknown. Giving youth the ability to understand and empathize with those from different faiths is the best way to remedy the hate. 

Second of all, a religious education would put all traces of religious hostilities, rifts, and awkwardness in the past. We find it hard to talk about interfaith religious issues, or even hard to kindly share our personal beliefs with our communities. A prevalent example is the post-9/11 Islamophobia our country has suffered. Many Americans know nothing about Islam outside of politics, and many Muslim-Americans are afraid to talk about or even express their faith in fear of immediately being shut down, which in turn, leads to an environment full of misinformation and tension. We need to show kids that it's absolutely possible to talk to those in different religions in a respectful way and come to educated conclusions and agreements, because in the end, any follower of any religion is still human.

Lastly, teaching about different religions is a fundamentally American piece of curriculum. More than ever, the First Amendment needs to be revitalized in our country by actively proving why it is important to our youth. In addition, by exposing children to different worldviews, we will cultivate a future of open-minded, informed leaders who are ready to improve America by having the best interest in mind for all Americans from all different backgrounds.