No!! Religion per se should not be a mandated program of study for anyone at any time.

If religion is lifted out of its context as one element in every social and cultural system, it almost inevitably turns sectarian. If religion, however, is treated as one aspect of a culture, shaping that culture’s history and values then obviously it cannot be avoided and becomes a part of every social discipline.

How, for example, can one teach medieval history without being involved with the presence and power of the Christian Church that literally dominated the Western World at that time? How can one teach the history of the Middle East and avoid looking deeply at the presence and influence of Islam in Middle Eastern life? How can one study the political and social movements that have affected the Asian sub-continent without looking at the tensions created between Hindus and Muslims? How can one evaluate the administration of George W. Bush without examining the religious base that he courted so vigorously?

Religion is a part of the matrix of every society. Its manifestations have been both positive and negative. Isolate religion from the whole of life and you cannot avoid sectarian partisanship. The last thing this country needs is mandated sectarian partisanship.