School Teaches Kids Religion Is a 'Disease'

God is dead? At a top Brooklyn middle school, He is.

Just when you thought the separation of church and state was more than an option, like paper or plastic, the matter has been settled at MS 51 in Park Slope. And the lesson falls on the side of atheism.

"RELIGION," a sheet from English class, handed out to eighth-graders, is provocatively titled. The typewritten paper presents some 20 quotes that can be described as anti-God, coming from philosophers from Kierkegaard to Schopenhauer. Even a "Yiddish proverb."

"Religion is a disease, but a noble disease," reads the first quote, attributed to Heraclitus.

"Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they will think," reads one by Schopenhauer.

Another sheet, titled "GOD," asks kids to ponder whether religion should be treated as poetry -- neither true nor false.

Angry parents want to know: What the devil does this have to do with middle-school English?

And, aren't these kids too young to learn something more appropriate for a grad-school theological course?

"It's not only above their level, obviously. It's inappropriate in a public-school setting," said Ken Whelan, whose daughter brought home the assignment late last year.

"We are fighting for the hearts and minds of our children. Against MTV, 'American Idol' and anorexia. We don't need the public-school system to muddy the waters. To plant seeds of doubt."

MS 51 is considered an educational oasis, one of the top 10 middle schools to send kids to the city's specialized high schools. But the fuzzy-headed assignment, given by English teacher Rachel Rear, raised red flags with a Department of Education official, who agreed middle school "is a little young for this."