The Day of Dialogue and the Golden Rule Pledge: Public Discourse, Religious Belief, and Mutual Respect

• In Event: Roundtable Session 104
  In Roundtable Session: Religion and Public Education

Abstract

Schools in the United States have emerged as a contentious battleground in the cultural debate over same-sex relationships and students are active participants. Each April, thousands of students participate in the “Day of Silence,” an event designed to combat harassment based on sexual orientation. In recent years, two religiously-based responses, the “Day of Dialogue” and the “Golden Rule Pledge,” have emerged as distinct vehicles for students to express opposition to same-sex relationships based on conservative Christian theology. Both responses raise critical questions about the role of religious belief in public discourse, but have potentially different implications from a civic education perspective. Because schools prepare students to live in a pluralistic democracy, it is critical to examine and evaluate these differences.

Author

• Brendan Randall, Harvard University