Krishna for kids: Students get lesson in foreign religion and culture

"If you drive a Volkswagen, you don't introduce yourself as Mr. Volkswagen. The driver of the self is the eternal soul, and the soul transmigrates from one body to another," he explains. "The power that governs what your next body will be is called karma."

The students look at each other, some perplexed with the idea and others nodding in a understanding, if not belief.

Chanting mantras with musical instruments is next on the agenda, followed by a basic yoga lesson.

While teachers who bring their young charges here have cleared the field trip with school administrators based on its cultural and educational, many others may avoid the experiences our of fear over student or parent reaction to what may be seen as a clash of church and state.

It's a notion that Martha Ball, director of Utah's Three R's Project (Rights, Responsibilities and Respect) says has no place in the classroom. She trains teachers statewide on ways to approach the subject of religion in school. And her guiding principle is "You can't ignore it."

Why?

Ball maintains you can't understand the history of America, or the history of the world for that matter, without understanding the religious beliefs and practices of those who have shaped it.

Yet there is hope the misunderstanding and fear regarding religion in the classroom are fading when Caru discusses the nearly 1,200 formal tours of 2-3 hours each that he conducted through the temple last year. While many of them were college students or other adults, more high school, middle school and even elementary school age students are discovering what's inside the multiple domes.

Ball has helped educate many about the virtues of freedom in learning about religion in such settings, he said.

"Not only can teachers do this, but they should do these kinds of things," he said. "They have a right to bring students here. The kids get so much from this. I would hate for misinformation to keep people away. We don't want to convert anyone and we haven't converted anyone."

What he has done, he believes, is offer a detailed glimpse into a culture and faith that many would never experience without a trip to Spanish Fork.

Amie Huggins, whose honors geography class was the group whose shoes were scattered outside the temple, said she's been bringing students to the temple for the past three years. It's among the most popular learning activities they experience all year, she said.

Some have been hesitant when she explains the venue, she said. "I tell them that 'just as your religion is important to you, theirs is important to them. You don't have to believe in it or agree with it, but you need to understand and respect it."

To date, there have been no complaints. Some parents have even thanked her for expanding their child's horizons, she said.