It is my considered opnion that if there were a true separation of religion and state, we either wouldn’t be able to teach anything in our schools, or would have to teach everything - from evolution, to monotheistic, polytheistic and alien creationism.  This is because, as I’ve noted elsewhere, secularism (science and other disciplines taught with the deliberate intent of denying the existence of God) is just another belief system, not unlike religion.

"Secularism", or secular humanism, as it is known by some in the United States, is in some ways as good as a religion.  Harvard University in the US, for example, boasts of a Humanist Chaplain who heads its Secular Humanist Ministry.  (The First Humanist Manifesto, by the way, says at article 7 that "the distinction between the sacred and the secular can no longer be maintained".  I wonder how that is consistent with their efforts to keep even a hint of religion out of American public schools ?)

Therefore, should non-religious people or freethinkers / atheists / agnostics be surprised that religious people take offense when science and other disciplines, taught as a belief system bereft of God, is forced upon them in a school curriculum ?  (See my previous posts on "Creationists vs Evolutionists" and "Proselytism in Schools a Cause for Concern".  Note also that I’m not saying that God should be deliberately injected into every discipline; I’m just saying that the existence of God should not be deliberately denied).

Interestingly, the Association of Christian Schools International (which as far as I can see, is not international, but American … uhm, that is so typically American ?) has recently filed a "viewpoint discrimination" lawsuit to challenge a University of California (UC) policy that bars students taught from a conservative Christian viewpoint from being admitted to schools in the UC system.  According to their attorney,

"The University of California, in reviewing courses, has objected to a ‘biased’ English text because it emphasizes Christian themes in great literature through the years … it has objected to a science text that teaches the standard course content, and then teaches creation. It has objected to a history text that emphasizes the role of Christianity in history. It has objected to a social studies text that emphasizes the Christian heritage of America."

The university’s reply is that that it does not practise "viewpoint discrimination".  Its spokeswoman said that

"This is not a viewpoint issue for us … teach whatever [ your Christian schools ] want. We don’t want to be in the position of dictating what is taught. But we do have a right to set standards for admission, and ours are not unreasonable requirements."

I think the lawsuit is rather timely.  I’m also inclined to think that the Association of Christian Schools International has valid grievances that the US legal system should rightfully redress.  (You can read up on the lawsuit from Crosswalk and the New York Times.)

In Singapore, denying a student entry into a public school because of his previous religious education would be equivalent to saying that a madrasah (Islamic primary school) student should not be admitted into a public secondary school.  It is unthinkable.