To think people complaining about a school church visit are silly?

[MarioandLuigi]

The school have a trip every year which the year 2's walk down to our local church - its not for a service but they have a look around, see whats in a church etc. It toes in with the R.E topic that year.

Some of the parents of this years year 2 are complaining and have started a petition they asked people to sign against the trip - there are three Mums who have organised it and they are all atheists.

Now I could understand if they were going for a service, to pray etc - but its just a look round type of visit (I know because I volunteer at the school and have been on a few of the previous trips. Also, The years 3's attend a synagogue and year 5 pupils attend a mosque. Its more of a learning experience because it ties in with what they are doing in school.

At the very least, if you dont like it, dont go - but a petition seems a step too far to me.

Its ridiculous if you want respect for your own beliefs or lack of than you should respect the beliefs of others. Its not as if they are going to a strip joint FFS.

Totally agree wth xstitch. My children have visited Sikh temples with school as well as churches and it is part of a well balanced education - ie enabling pupils to experience places they would not normally visit.

YANBU - that's just plain dull! The children of those atheists, if not given a thorough background in other peoples beliefs, will probably end up being amazingly intolerant towards other people who choose to believe something they don't. I'm an atheist, however I wouldn't ever presume to try and tell people how they should be taught about religion, or anything like that. I'm even having my child christened, because although my family don't hold religious values per se, it's still a rite of passage that I've been through, and so has my partner.

Children should be educated about religion so when they are old enough they can make an informed decision about what belief system, if any, they choose to follow. It shouldn't be crammed down their throats by their parents. Do people boycott Oakwood because they don't believe in rollercoasters?!

YANBU. They are.

Ridiculous. It is intelligent to understand religions, even if you choose not to have one of your own.

YANBU, how completely ridiculous.

When I was at school we went to a church, synagogue and hindu temple. It was a really important thing to do imho as it was much a part of my learning as the trip to The Imperial War Museum or the talk by the Bergen Belsen survivor or the demonstration by the police dog squad.

As xstitch says, if they were off to Spearmint Rhino I could understand...

i would ask them what they're worried about. do they think that being near a church will turn their children christian?
i presume they don't go to ANY church weddings, baptisms, funerals etc??

and I also presume the same goes for any other visits to anywhere else remotely religious (christian or otherwise)?

do they plan on shielding their children from ALL forms of religion for their whole lives? or would they be open to their children LEARNING about other religions so that they can make their own minds up?

do they celebrate christmas and easter?

nuff said.

How ridiculous! And I say that as an atheist! There is a difference between education and indoctrination. Many RE teachers at secondary school are atheists but it doesn't stop them teaching and learning about the various world faiths.
It is a pointless and ignorant stance they are taking. School need to nip it in the bud.

Very silly..SOunds like teh school has a good balance on RE of all kinds...... Maybe one of the against mums should come along and see....

yanbu, fucking twats

bet they celebrate easter and xmas

sorry this really annoys me!!!!

Well, I agree with you so I think no.... Total over reaction. RE class can be about different faiths and different beliefs. Very enlightening if taught properly.

oh good grief. There are some people who will always find something to be offended by!

IME, children love going on these trips - going inside the place of worship of another faith is always exciting. It's a world you wouldn't see otherwise and ensures that children grow up understanding and being tolerant of others, which is surely what we all want!

I'm an atheist and YANBU, churches still have cultural & historical significance.

Sounds very silly. I would be surprised if many people would sign it.

YANBU. I think they are being totally ridiculous and it would be mildly interesting to see if they have thought their objection through properly. Do they actually know the purpose of the trip or do they think it is for some religious service? Have they asked you to signe OP?

It would be interesting to see what they have to say if challenged about their reasons.

YANBU
I think they are being silly (and I'm an atheist).

What exactly are their objections?

I am a devout atheist.

I was happy for my DCs to visit various religious buildings so long as they were not pressured in any way to participate. The problem with the visits to the local CofE church was that this was presented to the children as being the normal religion. So it was quite common for a visit to the local church to involve a ceremony of some sort, a bit of hymn singing, a blessing etc. They were in fact never taken to another religious building.

I do believe that state education should be entirely secular. If parents want their children to experience any form of religious education then it should be the responsibility of the parents. Religion isnt required to give children a moral compass.

We do celebrate Christmas and Easter in the sense that at least in Britain they are largely secular events.

YANBU. So if they were going on a outing to St Paul's Cathedral or Westminster Abbey, would that be wrong too? There are churches all around us, it's part of the landscape, surely the children are allowed to look inside the bogeyman's den?

YANBU at all.

BUT ds1 (age 6) had a "compulsory" Easter service at the church next tp the school, and came home asking if he could go to the Monday after-school club at the church "cos they paint and draw and play fun games - and best of all, it's FREE!". I wasnt too chuffed, tbh. It's up to parents if they want their kids involved in church - they dont need a minister telling them about a "fun club" they can go to, implying that we dont have a reason to say no, cos it's free of charge!!

Could it be that specific church that they are leery about ?

My son goes to church youth club and we go as a family to mass for various family events, so I am not allergic to religion despite my lack of faith.

But I kept him off school the day when the kids were taken to the other nearby church. It was not for a religious ritual, just a historical visit, but the priest there couldn't avoid preaching if his life depended on it, and his brand of Catholicism involves exorcisms for people who are mentally ill and could do with a more positive form of help IMO.

I didn't want my kid anywhere near the place and I sure as hell didn't want him near it on a school visits where the priest's views would appear to be condoned by his educators by both their presence and lack of rebuttal.

Maybe they're afraid their DCs will be outted as the antichrist, Damien-style.

It's the only rational explanation I can think of

YANBU. These campaigners are being a bit twattish. Their DC will probably grow up to be Mormons or something

Is it a CofE school?

If not then I think that parents are perfectly within their rights to petition to have the school rethink these visits. The description 'more of a learning experience' implies that there is a religious element.

Parents who dont want this are not silly, irrational, twats, frightened of bogeymen, ridiculous. They have an opinion, if others dont share it then they wont get many signatures on their petition. If they get plenty of signatures then the school should rethink.