Saying grace in school before lunch

[iambach]

My children attend a small rural school which is 'non-denominational' but everyday they are made to say grace before they are allowed to eat their lunch.

Part of me thinks its harmless as my children will form their own beliefs from all their life experiences not just school, it's just at early primary school age they are so impressionable. It has made for some interesting conversations at our dinnner table and tbh it is hard to explain to them. They see things so black and white, if the teacher says there is a god and i say i don't believe to them i am almost going against what they are being taught by teachers they respect.

Aibu to feel a bit annoyed about this? My Dh feels much more strongly about it than i do, he thinks it is ridiculous!

yikes and here it is

I haven't read it

I assume that people accept the Vatican website as probably having the correct version?

Which Part, which chapter? Remember we're looking for "Islam is a route to Heaven" and "We don't know where Buddhists go after they die".

exoticfruits

If I lived in an area where they swapped to Hindu I wouldn't be happy because....

I would be very unhappy with the highjumpy-longjumpy grass hopper because....

So you think you have the right to disapprove but we don't? you are the only one whose approval counts?

exoticfruits excuse the multiple posts, but I'm catching up on all the places where you are wrong.

You say "Grace is neither here nor there. I just tested the most commonly one used-it took me 4 seconds and I wasn't garbling. I'm sure they could let it pass over them for 4 seconds! They don't have to say it

Presumably you missed the post where someone got detention for not saying it.

It is a personal thing ongar-I thought I was being asked the question-I wasn't answering for anyone else.

I am only happy with mainstream religions, therefore I wouldn't be happy with Plymouth Brethren, Jehovah Witnesses or the highjumpy thingy. I am not speaking for anyone else. You can worship strange grasshoppers if you wish-I would HE if it was the only choice.

I commented on the post where he got a detention-I'm not looking back but I think I said something like good for him, the school can't possibly insist and know it.

AliGrylls you say "These threads really piss me off for the basic reason that most of you who send your children to faith schools are essentially hypocrites. If you can't stomach it then move your child otherwise,"

Thus speaks the voice of ignorance. We use what schools are in our area. Only rich people get any choice because they can move to the area where there is a school they want.

I don't think that AliGrylls has read the thread-no one is talking about faith schools.

exoticfruits, half the time I don't know what your position is, but you have said that personally wouldn't want people telling your kids about religions you don't approve of. So I assume that means you are completely on our side when we say we don't either. That is good then.

Define mainstream religion - classical pantheism used to be a state religion once upon a time. Anyone up for a bit of daily Apollo worship?

Is your personal approval what makes a religion acceptable or not?

Are we also entitled to decide what we like and what we don't or would that interfere with our children's freedom of thought?

What if there's no one tradition that everyone is happy with?

MillyR

Islam - No documents match the query
buddhism - No documents match the query

Maybe I'm searching the wrong Catholic Catechism?

My position is:

1. I believe that all DCs need to be taught about religions in order to understand art ,literature, history, music and why things happen that happen in the world today.
2. I believe that Christianity should have a special place because my DCs whole heritage and culture is Christian.
3. I think that we have got to the point in our history where the church and state should separate and that it is not the responsibility of schools to provide daily worship.
4. Since we have not got to that point and we have not had an act of Parliament to change it I think that schools should take care to say 'Christians believe..........' 'We are going to have quiet thought about ......... and if you wish to make it your prayer say amen at the end'.
5. There are certain things that I like from our heritage e.g. singing traditional carols at Christmas and it would be sad to see them disappear.
6. If people are not happy, do not want to take my suggestion of a mass removal from assembly they can sign the petition that someone has given a link to-join the secular society and campaign for change rather than just moan on MN every few months!

1. My main point is that DCs are just born into a family-they don't get to choose their parents and I can't see why they should think the same or even why it is necessarily desirable. Schools should say 'Christians believe....' and in the same way parents should put 'I believe......'

No one should be presenting any matter of faith, or lack of it, as a fact. We won't know until we die what happens and that is probably never- if nothing happens!!!

Onagar - from article 9:

Judaism:

'The relationship of the Church with the Jewish People. When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People,326 "the first to hear the Word of God."327 The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to God's revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews "belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ",328 "for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."'

Islam:

'The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day.'

On other religions:

'Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.'

(my emphasis on the 'may')

Also this from chapter two:

'Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.'

Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 1.III, Vatican Version is pretty clear about the rejection of polytheism and atheism.

Whatever you quote also refers to those who don't know the gospel through no fault of their own -nothing about those who know about it but still believe in something else.

WW, my quotes were to Onagar, not to you. They are not an attempt to address your point.

I have already responded to your point. I will repeat - article 9 covers the church's response to members of other religions. The section you are linking to is about the beliefs that Catholics themselves are required to adhere to in the context of their faith - it is not a commentary on what their expectations should be of people brought up in other faiths.

Your original statement was:

'So either you fully observe your religion, which means your intolerant of other faiths and worldviews, no matter whether their atheist, polytheist or monotheist with another God, or the whole exercise is pretty pointless anyway, isn't it?'

I doubt this has been the experience of many people. Because most people employ a basic form of moral reasoning - Person A believes they should do X, but they also understand that as person B is from another culture/context/religion/country/generation/family etc, the correct form of action for person B is Z.

exotic what's wrong with the plymouth brethren? What do you know about their style of worship, what is it about their worship that you would not "want"?

Locally we have many members of a group called the exclusive brethren - they have many laws that I would not want enforced on my children (eg no radio, television, computers or newspapers) BUT I would view their worship within the context of a school as no different as other christian worship within a school. What's the difference?