New study reports on the social value of religion in education

SALT LAKE CITY — A recent study found that there is social value in religious education.

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According to research published by the Sutherland Institute, religious education provides several social benefits that are not as commonly found in public or private schools.

“Because these schools have religious missions, they often are willing to do things that don’t necessarily make sense from purely a dollars or cents perspective,” said Bill Duncan, Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow at the Sutherland Institute. “… Meaning they may make special opportunities to allow for students to have work opportunities to leave school with less debt.”

This different motivation often allows religious organizations in education to do more than other schools to help their community.

“Because that’s part of their religious beliefs. So it’s not just purely, ‘How much federal money can we bring in through financial aid to students?’ It’s more, ‘We feel a mission to share what we believe and the benefit we are trying to provide in terms of a serious education to as many people as possible because we feel this is what God wants us to do,'” Duncan said. “… That different motivation is also an important contribution that these schools make.”

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The Institute’s research also cited that religious organizations in education often promote more tolerance and acceptance than other public or private institutions.

“The feeling that people have of belonging: Do they feel safe? Do they feel secure in a school setting? This is an area where religious organizations, I think, have a unique contribution they can make, because having students, faculty, staff all committed to the same mission brings a sense of unity from the outset rather than having to try and develop that in other ways,” Duncan said.

Research also showed that students involved in private religious universities and colleges are more involved in extracurricular activities, more committed to community service, more likely to marry, and make healthier personal choices than peers in other public or private schools.

A unique finding in the research is how deep religious roots run in American education.

“What struck me the most is that, really, the infrastructure of education in the United States was originally, historically, religious,” he said. “… Each of the Ivy League schools, almost every original higher education institution in the United States, at least, was formed with a religious mission.”

Motivation behind the research

The published study is volume 3 in a series of reports focused on helping people understand the importance of religious freedom in society.

“We look skeptically on things that we don’t understand or know much about,” Duncan said. “… We feel like there could be a lot more cooperation and maybe appreciation of religious freedom if we understood why it is that people of faith and religious organizations need room to do the important work that they’re doing, and how that benefits everybody. Not just members of those churches or the people themselves that are involved, but the whole community.”

This publication comes with two policy recommendations for lawmakers.

It primarily “encourages states to enact legislation that protects the right of religious schools to choose their own leaders, teachers, and other employees.”

Secondly, it asks states to remove any current laws or policies that exclude religious schools from receiving the benefits from grants or programs offered to other higher education institutions.

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Regarding members of the public, Duncan hopes it will create a greater appreciation of what religious organizations are trying to do regarding education.

“Even if they don’t share their beliefs, and maybe especially if they don’t share the same beliefs, they’ll at least recognize that there’s real value in protecting the religious freedom of people, even those we disagree with,” he said. “… Because they can be making contributions that benefit all of us.”

Several more reports are planned to further this religious study series.

The next planned report will focus on links between religion and mental health and is expected to be released near the end of May.