Religion is seen as a very difficult topic in public school, but is it really? At RMHS, a teacher by the name of Sean Radcliff is teaching a World Religions class which is a brave gesture in the eyes of most teachers.

Radcliff shared his feelings towards the possible difficulty of teaching religion in a non-religious setting.

“I don’t think it has to be [hard]. Part of the problem is that so few educators are trained in how to teach religion in an academic manner. So many people have valuable experience with their particular religion in a devotional sense, but that’s not the same thing as approaching religion from an academic, non-devotional perspective,” Radcliff said.

Students are passionate about this class already because they all have a chance to have their voices heard or gain the opportunity to learn about cultures from a perspective different from theirs.

“Each student has a perspective that is built off of our experiences and who raised us. We call it a situated perspective because our perspectives are all situated in a particular time and place. It’s a simple concept, yet it’s a powerful tool that allows for some incredible analysis on divisive issues,” Radcliff said.

While students are passionate about this class, there may be a lot of teachers on the other end. However, for Mr. Radcliff, there is no lack of passion for teaching such a moving topic.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the different beliefs & practices that people have. When I majored in history at ISU, I became brutally aware of religion’s capacity for violence and destruction,” Radcliff said. “Since then, I’ve also seen dozens of examples of religion’s ability to inspire peace and serve communities. In that sense, religion is this incredibly powerful force in the world, so it should be understood to the best of our abilities. It has the capacity to inspire devastating violence or incredible peace.”

There are big plans for the future of this class, after all, it is just beginning. Coming next year, the class will feature a dual-credit opportunity through Eastern Illinois. Luckily for RMHS, other schools have paved the way for a class like this to be successful. At Prospect High School, there is a major waiting list to get into the class for the semester, and the same could be headed here. So if you have any interest, jump on the opportunity to take the class before it’s gone.