Religion and Education

How does religion contribute to social control and support for the government?
How does education contribute to social control and support for the government?
Is either one of these more effective in maintaining social control? Should maintenance of social control be a function of religion and/or education?

For me, religion is something cultural that one is born into it. Being born into it doesn't mean having to embrace it. Not in my case. Religion is something one can adopt, ignore and even capitalize on. To some cultures  or sects, religion is such a big deal as religion is like the supreme being itself, like God, Jesus Christ!
If religion is the opium of the masses as Karl Marx said, then religion is thus  a  very powerful tool for social control tool for the government. Religion could provide the illusions of being in such a perfect place that all one needs is to have faith and devotion to the supreme powers and wait for divine intervention.
As to how education contribute to social control and support for the government, I like to go back to a quote I have used earlier by Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world."
With Mandela in mind, I am also reminded of Paulo Friere's approaches to liberating education that transcends social control and support from the government. Education is definitely the more effective tool in maintaining social control. Education which paves way for understanding and communication  or dialogue however does not have to disregard other factors which might bring about social control and support for the government.


What are your thoughts on the separation of church and state with regards to public education? Is the government doing its job?
I am inclined to favor the separation of church from state when it comes to public education. Part of my early education was from a catholic school and my agnosticism started mostly during my years of catholic education.
The separation of church and state paves the  way for religious freedom for every individual. Religious freedom, which is a civil right granted by the first amendment of the US Constitution, may however be studied in public schools in the context of history.

The word "church" is even vague. Yahoo lists some 21 major religions practiced in US and with each religion comes a church, a mosque, a shrine or even a tower. The church can't also representative a god who is referred to in another name in other religions.

As for the government doing its job in public education, I think it does for the most part. But public education is not sole responsibility of the government of any level, it should always be the partnership between parents, the community and perhaps even the church or sect that the student belongs to. The parents who are the foundation of each family should be responsible for the religious education of the child, if any. Parents always have the option to  use the resources available in the community or the church to educate the child about their specific beliefs with regards to their faith.