Conditions For A Religious School

[milotach]

I wanted to know what its the diferents in the law between Hawaii and Delaware for a religious teachings, or any other state. For exaple could any religion like a buddhist to have a distance learning program for ONLY RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION in Delaware or Hawaii or any other state freelly. Till now you are discussing about christhian matters but your free of religion can be applicated to others like asian religion.. How the point of acredited or not acredited could be aplicated over them?, if noone has no idea about this teachings in a acreditor agency. Isaw just a few others college in asian teachings like hinduism and budishm, what is the legal status for this colleges in generally. Sorry for my bad english, and thanks for your answers.

[J]

In all states of the USA, a bona fide religious school may operate without oversight by anyone unless it wishes such oversight. Usually it is necessary to provide proof to the state department of education that the school meets the conditions for religious exemption from licensing or other requirements at which point it will be given leave to operate.

This applies to Buddhist schools as much as it does to Christian schools or indeed those that are interfaith. The faith taught is irrelevant to the status of the school under law.

Texas is currently challenging the right of religious schools to operate without state oversight, which may change the landscape somewhat if the state wins. Equally, similar cases in the past have ended with the upholding of the separation between church and state that is enshrined in the US Constitution.

[milotach]

Texas is currently challenging the right of religious schools to operate without state oversight, which may change the landscape somewhat if the state wins. Equally, similar cases in the past have ended with the upholding of the separation between church and state that is enshrined in the US Constitution.

I think that USA is a unique and a very good example of freedon in this area. I did not know that religious schools have this chance. I think that your freedon is going beyond of other countries where they claim that the state is separeted from the churck but in fat they do not allow religious independent school giving their own degrees. France is good expample of this, they are specifically against the religious schools. I think that the actual USA model is one, may be the unique, that allow a real separation from state and church, in such a manner that the state is not on favor or against anyone.Simply let this freedon on the hands of the followers of a specific religion. May be this from time to time can give us an anecdotic affairs with a strange groups, but at the same time is the only guaranty that in the future no fight for religious questions could be find it. Good for the USA Constitution on it. I think Texas is putting the foot on on it.

[Bill Dayson]

For exaple could any religion like a buddhist to have a distance learning program for ONLY RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION in Delaware or Hawaii or any other state freelly. Till now you are discussing about christhian matters but your free of religion can be applicated to others like asian religion.
I don't think that it would be legal for the government, at any level from local to federal, to try to discriminate against non-Christian religious schools.

Here in California, in order to qualify for a religious exemption, a school is only allowed to teach courses in religion. What's more, the law requires that all degrees granted by the exempt schools have a religious title: M.Div., M. Rel. Studies, Th.D., D. Buddhist Studies etc. Unfortunately, the BPPVE doesn't really enforce that one and several exempt schools offer Ph.D.s and M.A.s, which isn't exactly legal. But they get away with it.

Again here in California, religious exempt schools do have to register with the state, and they do have to meet some regulations concerning their business practices and such. But the state enforces no academic requirements on these schools and they are free to grant degrees for anything or nothing.

Some of them are pretty good, but most of them are mills or little better than mills.

Given California's diversity and free-thinking ideals, there are all kinds of non-Christian schools operating out here. The Buddhists in particular have been very active, powered in part by immigrants from Asia. Several of these Asian-influenced start-ups are actively seeking accreditation.

How the point of acredited or not acredited could be aplicated over them?, if noone has no idea about this teachings in a acreditor agency.
The Buddhist University of the West is currently a candidate for regional accreditation with WASC. (And it never sought a religious exemption.)

WASC is obviously in no position to dictate which Buddhist doctrines are correct and which aren't. It doesn't try to decide that stuff, for schools of whatever faith. WASC doesn't dictate theology to the Christian seminaries it accredits and the North Central Association has even accredited Maharishi University.

But WASC does want U.West to offer a credible syllabus. It can bring in Buddhist scholars from other schools to take a look at it. (U.West's president is the former chairman of UC Berkeley's Buddhist Studies Ph.D. program, so no worries on that score.) More generally, WASC wants to make sure that degrees at U.West represent the same kind of accomplishment as degrees elsewhere, and that U.West has in place all the internal procedures and structures necessary to turn out a consistently credible product.

Isaw just a few others college in asian teachings like hinduism and budishm, what is the legal status for this colleges in generally. Sorry for my bad english, and thanks for your answers.
If all the school is doing is using a religious exemption, the institution can legally do pretty much anything that isn't a clear public danger, provided that it sticks to teaching religion. That means that it is entirely legal to run a religious degree mill. Prospective students have to be very careful.

But there is nothing preventing religious schools from seeking recognized acceditation. The accreditors are private associations, not government agencies, and they can enforce academic standards on religious schools as they see fit. But that means that if a religious school wants to successfully win accreditation, then it has to offer something that closely resembles a conventional academic degree program. If what it offers is too non-scholarly, teaching things like meditation practice or temple rituals perhaps, then the accreditors may decline to accredit it. One of the better California Buddhist schools had that kind of problem with WASC.

[milotach]

What's more, the law requires that all degrees granted by the exempt schools have a religious title: M.Div., M. Rel. Studies, Th.D., D. Buddhist Studies etc. Unfortunately, the BPPVE doesn't really enforce that one and several exempt schools offer Ph.D.s and M.A.s, which isn't exactly legal. But they get away with it.


This is also a problem. I will be absolutly agree with a law that will force religious institutions to use religios titles like M.Div, Th.D., this is the proper area for them. I do not think that a religious degreemill will be a problem in educational world. Nothing happend if you tray to past your self for a D.D. this will not give it to you any professional status on bussines. I think that degreemill in religion are cheating themselfs. But your free on it in USA is a very good example that is worth to continue, the religion must have a separeted place from the rest of the educational teachings.

What is the way to look similar in religious teachings to a traditional teachings as you said is really very dificult. The way that theachings are done inside of an indian temple are far away from a classroon with a blakboard and examinations. I find a great contradictions on it no possible to be resolved. But I must say again that this position on your Constitution is the very best all over the world on it. For example on my country Spain you can have any kind of church and can teach what ever you want, but only Chatolic universities are allowed to give degrees on theology. This is a great discrimination against the other religions that can not call themselfs universities or call to their degrees Licenciado en Teologia Hindú, for example. Here you need 100.000.000€ deposit to open a privated institution of higher education and you must be approved by the Council of Universities, that are formed by all the universities, public and privated. Here you need to have the same instalations and money than a public university to be an a privated one. So only the multimillionary Chatolic universities are giving their degrees, due also to old agreements with the kings. This let out of the university the rest of religions degrees.

May be you have to support some degreemills on it on your country, but is a very cheap price for the real freedon of religion, is unexpensive price for allow people to make their own choices.

[milotach]

Here you need 100.000.000€ deposit to open a privated institution of higher education

Actually the amount is 66.000.000€ about 85.000.000 us dollars. :o