| The
purpose of the Three Rs Project is to provide education for citizenship
in our increasingly diverse society. Our nation is struggling with
the basic question: How de we live with our deepest differences?
The
Three Rs Project is built on the conviction that the guiding principles
of the First Amendment stand at the heart of democracy and at the foundation
of citizenship in a diverse society.
The
Three Rs Project reaffirms the following shared civic principles of the
Religious Liberty clauses of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution:
Rights: Religious
liberty, or freedom of conscience, is a basic and inalienable right founded
on the inviolable dignity of the person.
Responsibilities:
Freedom of conscience is not only a
universal right, but it depends upon a universal responsibility to respect
that right for others.
Respect:
Debate and disagreement are vital in
a democracy. Yet, if we are to live with our differences, not only what
we debate, but how we debate, and is critical.
At the heart of good citizenship is
a strong commitment to the civic values that enable people of differing
ethnic backgrounds and religious convictions to treat one another with
civility and respect.
What
has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools and
the other half hypocrites . . . Reason and persuasion are the only practicable
instruments. To make way for these, free inquiry must be indulged . . .
--
Thomas Jefferson
Presently
there is much confusion and controversy about the role of religious perspectives
in the process of public education. Pennsylvania
3Rs seeks to formulate a framework based on the civic virtues of Rights,
Responsibilities, and Respect within which the curriculum
of our schools can include study about the religious traditions
of the world.
This
appoach to curriculum will allow for a balanced presentation of religious
and spiritual values that are now sadly absent from the public classroom.
Pennsylvania
3Rs feels a curriculum that includes study about all the world's religions
will enhance the ability of people from differing ethnic backgrounds
and religious convictions to treat one another with increased civility
and respect, and thus help foster good citizenship, and a strong
commitment to the civic values.
For Additional
Information
Concerning
The Pennsylvania 3Rs Project
Please Contact:
Wilson Kratz
Pennsylvania
3Rs Project
P.O.
Box 500
Harleysville,
PA 19438
(215)
721-4626
e-mail:
wkratz3rs@juno.com |
|
Last revised ihs 13 June 1998 |
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