How Much Religeon Should Be Discussed In Our Public Schools?

[Decoy of Fenris]

255. Doesn't seem over the line to me. Agnostic history fanatic here.

As it has been stated numerous times upthread, the Church not only played a massive part in European history, but in many ways, European history -was- the Catholic Church. As the Church moved, so too did almost every nation in Europe for almost two millennia. That influence wasn't limited to Europe, by the by, as the Byzantine Empire post-Schism posed almost as influential as the Church and followed many of the same guidelines as the Catholic organization. See Orthodox Christianity for more information on that (or its heresy, Iconoclast Christianity.) A clear and in-depth knowledge about the workings and structure is of paramount importance if one is to have a firm understanding Medieval Europe.

I could give example after example of the Church's influence on Europe and how each question posed to your kid is related, but that would belabor the point. The questions asked provide a clear and concise (if basic) window into the workings of the largest and most dominant religious force to shape the western world over two thousand years. "Establishment of religion" and "understanding history" are two completely different things, and it is functionally impossible to fully understand historic context or contemporary works without a proper education in the period.

I would advise you to ignore the zealous anti-intellectualism some are suggesting to you here and at least walk into any meeting with the teacher with an open mind regarding the multitude of aspects required to fully understand history as a study. Preaching is one thing, but just because you know something does not mean you -believe- in it. The same applies to your kiddo.