My 5 year old niece was told to go home and pray

[freyjasauntie]

I am really upset that my 5 year old niece was told by her school teacher to go home and pray at bedtime. Although she goes to a C of E school, this is due to logistics of living in the country, and the school are aware that she is being raised atheist, (she was enrolled as such) with a view to letting her decide her own path when she is ready to understand what that entails.

If a Muslim teacher had told her girls to go home and wear hijab, there would be uproar, but it seems to be accepted that schools can promote Christian ideology. I have no problems with my niece being taught about Jesus, about being kind to each other, about truth telling and other so called Christian Values (which can be found in almost any religion) but I strongly object to her being told to give up something for Lent (she had no idea why she should do so), and to pray at bedtime.

Religious Education should be EDUCATION, as a qualified RE teacher, I have always presented all world religious as equally valuable, but there is a real difference between education and what I believe is insidious indoctrination.

If I was to run a successful free school, having lots of money that I wanted to use for the good of the community, I would expect that if the state wanted to take it over they would pay for it so I could use it elsewhere. Not say 'we like that-we will have it!'

Capative auidence?! Is this a joke?

I dont know about the other parents on here but my dc despite going to a faith school is still very open-minded, inqusitive and often form her own idea's just like all her friends; her best friend at the same faith school not beliving in God.

Are people really scared there dc is a passive sponge just waiting to be corrupted as part of this passive auidence?!

You might not have faith in God but you really should have more faith in your own children.

Why should the church hand over assests?

And as most church schools are heavily funded by the church I doubt leas would want to/be able to keep them open if they were fully funding them anyway!

I think the parents should have the say on this,

Say there was a large amount of Muslim schools and mosques that had been there hundreds of years before we had.

Can you imagine if all the Christians thought it was perfectly acceptable to demand they turn over their land, buildings and education to turn into Christian suit our needs? Oh and we want of these schools too so they have nothing left?

Its a good school and more importantly it provides a lot of things that as a lone parent working long hours, make a real difference to my children, one of whom is dyslexic. So I am happy to pay. After some discussion we have reached an understanding with the school over what is or isnt appropriate behaviour towards athiest children.

Most faith schools arent awful at all. Lots are very good. BUT the point remains that the LEA should not take the position that provision of education through only faith schools in rural communities is an acceptable use of public money. Anyway, I'm off now I have a meeting to go to.

Just reading this about how the Council is proposing to close a community school in the Isle of Wight, making faith schools the only local option for that community. It says that the Government guidelines (presumably developed with lobbying from the church etc..) are that if you have to close a school it is preferential to close the community school and leave the sectarian school open.

...its not by accident that the CoE ends up running 'the only school in the village' with the state paying 90% of the running costs and the parents having no real choice other than to send their kids there.

Ahh now I see. You are in the priveldged position of being able to afford private school fee's whist forgetting the majority of us arent as privledged.

So thinking its perfectly fair to ask us to pay twice for our local faith school(as our taxes have already paid for the school) and again priavate fees, and if we cannot afford this then we are denied access to any local school at all.

This really makes the argument unfair.

YABU

My dcs go to Catholic school and they promote Catholicism there. I'm fine with it. The clue is in the title

Are people really scared there dc is a passive sponge just waiting to be corrupted as part of this passive auidence?!

You might not have faith in God but you really should have more faith in your own children.

I find it odd that people think they have a passive sponge. I have complete faith in my DCs-I bring them up to question everything-including me. The real danger seems to me to be the parent who is so sure there is either a god or there isn't and then censors any other input. Let them hear it all-have discussions. 5 yr olds love that sort of discussion-they are very interested in death, it is adults who find it difficult. Could someone tell me why your DCs have to think the same as you? Did you just follow your parents without question? Did your parents just follow their parents?

It seems to me like 'killing the golden goose'-the parent likes the school but wants to remove the faith-it is then no longer the school it was.

This thread is seriously out of proportion. I am curious as to why people are so anti-Christianity but that is another matter entirely.

Back to the main point, a child has been asked to go home and pray. It is obvious that she doesn't have too and it is not going to harm anyone. Praying is actually the least harmful thing to do (and is actually a positive thing to do if one is a Christian). No-one's rights are being violated so just get a grip OP.

I doubt whether she as actually asked to pray at home anyway-the aunt-third hand-thinks she was!

I would bet the aunt didn't like the choice of school in the first place and was just waiting for something to confirm it. We still don't know whether the DD or her parents were bothered or felt it was a request.

I thought the mum did comment on the thread from Thu 21-Jul-11 13:31:24 for a few posts?

But the point is that my taxes go towards running schools that I can't, and a non_Christian, send you children to - even if I wanted to. So I am paying to provide other people with choices that I can't have.

Imagine a small town. At one end, St Mary's, a Faith school with the normal Faith school entry requirements. At the other end, Bash Street Primary - a non faith school.

The Smiths live nest door to St Mary's, but are non-Church goers. The Browns live next door to Bash Street, but are Church goers.

The Browns have a choice of two schools, St Mary's because they are Church goers, and Bash Street because they live next door. The Smiths only have one option. And if they miss out on Bash Street because they live too far away, and St Mary's because there are enough Church going children to fill it, they may end up without a school place in the town at all.

Does this seem fair to anyone. Bearing in mind that both schools are state schools, and both are funded by tax payers money.

Yes apparently the mum did come on- under a nickname with 'M'

Yabvu - if you so 'strongly object' why send her to a christian school?! If you dont like what a christian school has to say then be prepared to travel further to send her to another school but don't expect then to bend to your views when you are the one who chose to send your daughter there.

I wasn't at all sure that MammKernow was the mother-it got very confusing.

Yet lots of atheists childrens are in these faith schools anyway as proven time and time again in this very thread! (I.e the op's neice)

In your example, If you got what you wanted- faith schools banned or priviatised ,then The Smiths would be a worse position with only 1 state school now. The competition for places at St.Mary's would at least double,

So you would now but them in a worse position.

Not the faith schools fault the Smiths live where they do, so dont blame the faith school there for hundreds of years already and take your anger out on them.

The OP is specifically about those who have no choice at all in villages. The faith school has to take them, regardless of faith. Everyone in the village has equal choice-take it or leave it!

Just because something's been there for hundreds of years doesn;t mean it's a good thing!

We don;t ahve Christian hospitals, or Christian police officers or Christian any other public service, so what's the justification for Christian state schools?

ermm I am sure we do have Christian police officers - rather a daft point imo!

And you can't compare schools to any of those things because they provide a completely different service.

And of course it doesnt mean it isn't a good thing. What is wrong with choice in a normal situation? Of course as has been mentioned god knows how many times in this thread for people who live in rural areas this is more of an issue but in the instance you mentioned I dont see the issue - parents have different ideas of what they want from a school, some want religion others don't no biggy IMO

"
In your example, If you got what you wanted- faith schools banned or priviatised ,then The Smiths would be a worse position with only 1 state school now. The competition for places at St.Mary's would at least double,"

No it wouldn't. All it would take is a change od admission procedures to remove the requirement to be a Christian. The there would be enough places for averyone,a nd people who want a specific Christian education for their children would have to pay for it, like those who want a specific Muslim education, or a Steiner education or have an other specific, non educationa requirement of a school

"the instance you mentioned I dont see the issue - parents have different ideas of what they want from a school, some want religion others don't no biggy IMO"

So it's no biggy that a family living next door to a state school may not be able to get a place at it because they are not Christians?