Intelligent Design (What should be taught in schools?)

by Carl, Saturday, August 16, 2008, 02:32 (5942 days ago) @ George Jelliss

George: "As I understand it in the USA religion cannot be taught in state schools, not even comparative religion". 
A class on comparative religion would pass constitutional muster in the US if it was presented from a neutral perspective, included all major religions and was elective. This has even been discussed as a way to deal with the desire to teach intelligent design and creationism. Those types of laws are left to individual states and school districts as long as they do not violate the constitutional separation of church and state. The US forbids anything that could be construed to be the practice of religion in public schools. I am not familiar with what is currently being taught in different states, and it will vary from state to state.
According to Wikipedia, the term we use in the US, religious education, is referred to in England as religious instruction. Religious education in England refers to more generalized teaching about rather than of religion apparently.