Written by Yasmira Estrada
Cuba was extremely religious and Catholicism is still a dominant religion, but things have changed as the nation is now following the greater trend in Latin America and the United States to place greater emphasis on secular schooling in comparison to the Catholic doctrine of follow religious regulations.
Today, research reveals that Catholic schools have become too restrictive and alienating. Rather than being a source of strength for society by creating an escape from a child’s daily stress and chasing away negative influences, religious education has become a burden for parents and an emotionally damaging regiment for students.
Parents have no freedom to choose religious schools. Even though it is illegal for a school to deny an applicant for anything other than religious reasons, religious schools still have strict policies on attendance and admissions. Often with strict attendance requirements, schools in the United States are leaving a gate open for anyone to come in, every day, to experience the glory of religion.
Some schools, like St. Agnes School in Raleigh, North Carolina, have strict regulations on the number of religions one can hold in the school, which in practice is creating a divide between the religious and secular in society.
St. Agnes has a very strict test for admission where all applicants must be in the school prayer group for at least three months, recite a Catholic prayer together and participate in confession on their way in to school.
A typical day in St. Agnes is a 10-hour stretch of assembly, lectures, social studies, English, and religious studies. Students were interviewed as they filled out their school year reports, stating what activities they were involved in, asked questions about their social lives, and they were offered opportunities to discuss their feelings and feelings.
People are missing out on pursuing their passions and fulfilling their ambitions due to unfair rules and unnecessary requirements.
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