To think RE is a big waste of time

[Himalaya]

I don't mean that kids shouldn't come out of school with a basic knowledge of the world's religions and some skills in philosophy and critical thinking, but to have to take RE classes every week for 12+ years seems like overkill, and a waste of their time.

They certainly don't come out at the end of it with twelve years worth of knowledge, so you have to wonder what is the point. The only point seems to me to be to instill in them strongly the idea that religions deserve a special kind of RESPECT.

Most of the stuff in primary and early secondary is just mush content-wise (but with a heavy undertone of respect).

I think the facts on religion they need to know could be covered in a couple of modules of general studies, or under humanities at KS3 and KS4. It would free up time that could be used for critical thinking, philosophy, study skills, economics, public speaking, sport, creative writing etc....

The French do philosophy don't they? (A lot of that is nonsense too though, TBH.)

Yes, the French do philosophy in school. It tends to be the more useful, classical and C18/C19 stuff rather than PoMo bollocks, although pointing out to a Frenchman that Derrida etc is the emperor's new clothes has got me into a lot of trouble in the past

I still find it worrying that we cannot find time in the school day for MFLs and separate sciences. It's not as if the school day has got any shorter has it?

/off topic

Beyond Belief yesterday was about Immortality. I don't think I have ever hear such utter, utter tosh being taken so seriously in my life. It was worse than an Archers sex scene.

Post-Modernism must be destroyed. It is possibly one of the most evil ideas ever developed by intellectuals to exclude the masses and it is having catastrophic consequences for the future of civilisation. Barthes was a cunt as well.

It is quite quite loony. The French were ever thus.

I have a sneaking fondness for Houellebeq. He is quite post post.

I don't think we need to actively destroy post-modernism. I think it is shuffling off to die a quiet death in a corner somewhere.

It went so far up its own arse it got stuck.

It was alright when it was just the French, but it has infected the US and most of the rest of the West destroying critical thinking and rationality wherever it goes.

MillyR - It's not you know - the ongoing attack on rationality over the last 20 years is a direct consequence of post-Modernism.

Enlarge, Coalition

I still find it worrying that we cannot find time in the school day for MFLs and separate sciences

DDs school does. The local comp does, for the top set at least. Worrying if a school can't, but its certainly not impossible.

Yep, we have sep sci and mfls.

School days are too short.

Oh I loved po-mo (ha), gives arts students something to think about. Keeps em quiet. And away from politics.

Although they wore bad jumpers iirc.

Damnit the NYT article I wanted to link has dissapeared behind a paywall.

The main idea is that as PoMo has become the Intellectual Orthodoxy across a wider and wider range of disciplines the idea of objective truth is further and further undermined. This fuels a distrust of Science and rational methods expressed in things like opposition to GM crops, Climate change denialism etc. etc. as groups on both the left and right attempt to undermine things they dissaprove of.

I'm a postmodernist. I like to think I value rationality and critical thinking too. A rather English postmodernism. You've all just been hanging out with the wrong sort of postmodernist.

There are many postmodernisms, you know.

1: We teach, we don't preach - proselytizing is not acceptable for any RE teacher./

2: Students need some degree of religious literacy - this is NOT covered in Citizenship.

3: RE is the only subject taught by law in England. It is base curriculum. The Sec of State can vary the teaching of any of the others by an SI - it takes an act of Parliament to take RE off the curriculum.

4: It is academic at A level - Kant, Mill etc, Philosophy of Religion. It is also quite academic at GCSE, at least for the more able, and as someone said earlier, this may be the only chance they get to discuss abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, just war etc.

5: You can do a lot to 'debunk' myths about people as well. I was teaching a unit on Islam on 09/11, having watched the footage of the planes. That was a very interesting time to be an RE teacher.

No I still love it. Even in science it is recognised that observing a subject changes the outcome. I like that sort of meta stuff. It should always be questioned.

Recognising subjecting is important.

Although off topic now.

ah subjectivity. (autocorrect)

Coalition - that is very hinterestin. I can see that, I should like to know more.

Oh it all takes me back. 30 bloody years back

ST, I think your point 4 is what disturbs me. There is something very wrong with a school system where the only opportunity pupils have to learn about issues like abortion and euthanasia is within the context of an RE lesson.

Fennel - You're just a postmodern apologist. Or something.

She's a pomoapo

I can't discuss postmodernism - I can feel my blood pressure rising at the mere thought of it.