Religion can be a touchy subject. People butt heads and have even gone to war over differences of faith, like in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

According to the First Amendment, publicly established institutions must have no close connection to “the church.” Unfortunately, this policy may be the excuse used by many to ignore the faiths of other people.

To counter this apathy, I believe the school system must do more to expose students to all religious beliefs and create an environment where all religious faiths are welcomed.

Although Campolindo prides itself on a tolerant environment, its attempts at neutrality (perhaps a better term would be “indifference”) is actually contributing to the discomfort, the anxiety experienced by many faithful.  Our campus seems to treat religious belief like the military treated sexual orientation in the 90’s: don’t ask, don’t tell.

“Let’s not talk about religion. It isn’t an appropriate conversation to have,” said junior Stone Mao.

This idea that discussion of religion is taboo has cultivated an environment where people can spend months and years working together and never truly understand one another. I personally practice reform Judaism and only recently discovered that there are 3 other members of that faith on campus.

A report by Gallup shows that only 44% of students nationwide feel confident or engaged in their religion. This is due in part to the lack of social support they find while in their school. Sadly, when a school staff avoids the discussion of religion, the socially susceptible youth follow their example. But avoiding the topic can leave students feeling detached and neglected.

Obviously, being tolerant of each student’s identity includes respecting their practice and holidays.  In a Christian-centric culture, that is not an easy task.  Nevertheless, it needs attention. “When I am at school, there is not so much of a religious focus, especially Judaism. We still get homework on Friday so there isn’t really a way to observe Shabbat,” said freshman Maxine Gill.

When schools do not respect an individuals’ religious practices, they promote an indifference that can be detrimental to the faith of that individual. By not having a religious affiliation, or in other words, by not taking a side, public schools bound by the First Amendment marginalize religious identity by glossing over religious issues and squelching debate in an effort to avoid conflict. While this neutrality may promote general tolerance for all individuals, it also pushes individuals to compromise on their religious practices. For example, by having school on the Jewish High Holy days, students of that faith are forced to choose between a cultural experience and their school work. Many teens feel pressured to put academics before prayer.

This is not a decision students should have to make.

“There is definitely a huge conflict between social things and religious events, especially with dance [practice] which is on Saturday mornings and that’s when temple is, so I always have to choose. There isn’t much forgiveness for missing schoolwork or dance,” said Gill.

Couple this with the judgement these students experience when they reveal their faith publicly and it is no wonder this generation shows such ambivalence toward religion.

“There are definitely stigmas around people who are very religious, and people have a lot of misconceptions about what different faiths are so they start making judgements about your personality, especially if your part of a faith known to be rather strict,” said Valerie Rockwell, a Roman Catholic.

Like all prejudice, this stems from a lack of exposure to and understanding of the group being judged. Misguided bias requires education. Schools need to teach about religion.

Schools should organize grade-wide community groups to promote dialogue between sects within the student body. This would provide teens with the opportunity to learn about their peers’ religious beliefs.

Faith manifests itself in so many ways, and it is an important, though not the only aspect of one’s identity.

“I think I’m dedicated to my beliefs. Religion is a part of that but it is not the determining factor of my personality. All of my activities define me,” stated Rockwell, who participates in varsity golf and the Youth and Government program.

Even individuals who are not religious can understand what it means to be wholly invested in an area of interest. “I’ve played football for 4 years, so yes I am really dedicated,” said senior Max Flower. Thus, most people possess experience that can be used to establish common ground and a productive, healthy dialogue.

Faith can be applied to any area where a person is extremely passionate about what they are doing. Students at Campolindo may not be connected to a particular doctrine, but they can all demonstrate devotion, dedication. If more people were able to see the similarities between religious practices and other societal traditions like sports or community service or education, they would be more likely to exist in harmony.

Schools should acknowledge and support all religious faiths, without bias, to show that religion does not have to be something that divides us, but rather, something that binds us.