History and Religion: Adhering to Conflicting Views

It always happens in at least one class. When you get to a touchy subject, there will always be that one student whose religion disagrees with whatever you're teaching. Sometimes, the student will not care; they'll absorb and learn the info, but disregard it based on faith (or, if you get a REALLY good student, they'll be open to differing opinions and may change their mind). But many times, the student will take it upon themselves to be their class' "savior": outbursts over your material being wrong, refusal to compromise, threats of civil suit, etc. While usually condensed to science courses, religious arguments are often found in history class. Many find the idea of Abraham basing the Jewish god Yahweh on a Persian god sacrilegious; many Christians will agree. The mere mention of Muhammad having child brides can send an Islamic student over the edge.
What I'm trying to get at is that teaching about history can be tough when it involves religious figures that are still quite popular. Students may have been told from a young age that this is what they believe in, and anything trying to "disprove" it should be met with scorn and denouncement. But there is a way you can teach about religious history without being called a pagan. It only takes Understanding, Compromise, and Education to break through to those who need to learn the material, but refuse to.

Understanding

The point of teaching history is to give your students a full picture of what came before them so they can better prepare for the future. When a student refuses to actively participate in learning about something they disagree with, it can be frustrating for teachers to understand why a student would get so worked up over something. As a personal experience, one of my fellow classmates refused to learn about evolution in Biology because they believed in Creationism. I'm a Christian myself, and I had been fed the Creationist view, but I rejected it because it didn't make sense to me. However, I could understand that the student most likely didn't want to experience their whole belief being brought into question, or didn't want to realize that they themselves didn't believe it. If teachers can come to the understanding that some students don't want to lose their whole faith in one day, then the process of their teaching can continue unabated. In these situations, either let the kid go or figure out a compromise where they can learn about the subject in a way suited to their beliefs.

Compromise

Let's say you and your student have come to an understanding between faith and history. Now it is time to find a common ground where you as a teacher will not upset the student and where the student will respect the material they are given. A lot of people seem to think that only the student's views are affected in situations like this. It's often hard for them to see that the teacher's whole lesson rides on the participation of the class and for them to see that there exists more than one opinion on a subject. They learned all of these things in college, where they spent years refining their craft, and are now teaching it to as many people as possible so we don't enter another Dark Age. To compromise religious views and historical understandings, a compromise from both parties needs to occur. The student could only participate in material that is irrelevant to their religion and then leave the room when it becomes too touchy. The teacher could structure their lessons to avoid saying certain things when the student in question is present that would upset them. While it's never fun to have to bow over to make sure students learn something, at least they're learning. But the best way to go about a compromise is with education on all differing views involved.

Education

Even with compromise and understanding, it's your classroom. Just teach about all of the conflicting viewpoints WITHOUT any pandering opinions. Don't imply that one side is more right than the other, or that one side is very flawed; if you can keep it very neutral, everyone will benefit. The war between faith and fact will never be over, so it's in the best interests of everyone to just teach as much as you can about Abraham, Jesus, and Muhammad. If you and your students can have a professional level of involvement, you shouldn't have a problem with conflicting views.

Religion is a slippery slope. History, however, shouldn't have to slide backwards every time it tries getting over it. With Understanding, Compromise, and Education, you can adhere to all of your students without having to worry about a lawsuit. Just be careful about what you say.

-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep