...to support the separation of church and state?

[ella1983]

Earlier today, I signed this petition calling for the church and state to be separated, as I believe that in today's Britain, it's wrong to privilege a single faith above all others.

Do you think this is a reasonable position to take?

Oh dear, sorry to hear that there isn't an opportunity to go to Sunday School or something similar.

Spider - love - HEAR ME -yes we can be peripheral in other people's events. But no scope for my ds to try before he buys - a very british concept no?

Given he has three religious backgrounds, two of which welcome him whatever, very sad the one which dominates - his df's one, if the one that's so highly exclusive.

Oh yeah - also if ds at a cousin's do he can participate fully. Just at church he's pities because he cannot take communion (not a big to me and ds - really).

I live in Canada, where we have separation of church and state.
If you want to send your children to religious school, you do. When you fill out your taxes, you check to box for public or separate school, and that is where your taxes are streamed.
Learning about culture, and religon, occur in social studies at the primary age, and in world religons, geography and social sciences at the senior stage.
The schools still have christmas concerts, but they are not about one specific religon.
There are still seasonal displays around town, christmas lights, carols and such, just not religon-specific.
And for every 'keep Christ in Christmas' in the paper, equal space is given to the 'Pagans did it first' .

It doesn't have to be difficult, or contentious. If parents feel their children need religous instruction, there is a place for that (in your home or place of worship) outside of schools.

Lking experiences outside UK. Wish our country could follow.

I think it's great to have a faith but UK skews it to being something exclusive or a way of benefiting at the expence of everyone else.

I'm giving you my experience having lived there. Towns did not put up lights, private citizens and businesses did. The lights - regardless of origins - would be connected by most to Christmas and it was considered inappropriate both for separation of Church and State and an inappropriate way to spend money. You might get white twinkle lights in trees which seem to be part of public, but end of being private land that has given public access.

And I mentioned Columbus Day because that's the only time I can think of any American teacher thinking it would be appropriate - most would not touch it with a barge pole. It's controversial enough he has a holiday - most these days would not touch him in any way to celebrate him and the grades old enough to discuss what he did would likely not be putting on plays about him. Just the Columbus "discovering" America rhetoric would raise eyebrows and make people think you've gotten lost in a timewarp. Thanksgiving Native/Pilgram plays are also going the way of the do-do for similar reasons - you really don't want a little child who has been coached by his parents to say S is for smallpox, for the blankets they gave us (yes, I've known this to happen). So plays in the States are mainly fiction (like pirates and peter pan) or concepts like the solar system. Plays about events important to religion or controversial historical events are typically out because it's just not worth the hassle. It may work over here, but I think it would likely go for at least the early years while things are worked out/ I don't think people would be willing to separate Church and State if it meant giving up the things they liked as far too many just don't care about the layers in government above.

That's cool Goodynuff. Here all schools that are funded by taxes are secular. If you want a faith school you have to pony up the dough. :) But various churches offer Sunday school, etc. DS will probably start at the Lutheran Sunday school this fall and may go to First Day School at the Quaker meeting too.