To up dcs chances in this way

[benetint]

I've always believed in God. I went to a church school and really enjoyed the religious education and found a lot of comfort in my faith. However my parents weren't religious at all so I was never baptised and we didn't attend church. In adult life I gained the confidence to start exploring my faith and I really wanted to start attending church. I considered myself a Christian but had no idea which church to go to. My gran was a devout catholic so I decided to go on the Rcia course which I really enjoyed and I was baptised catholic last Easter. I could have as easily gone down the cofe e route.

Now it's coming to school applications and some of the really good schools around us are catholic and cofe. To get your kids into catholic school they need to be baptised catholic (which they are) but to attend the cofe school it's church attendance that's required.

So basically I wanted to know if it would be really wrong for me to attend a cofe church as a baptised catholic? Like I say I was religious anyway and didn't really mind which side I went down so there would be more to me going than just schools..but it would tick both schools boxes too. I feel guilty even asking...

Seeker it's very difficult, not to say impossible to get your kids into a Catholic school by "lying" about your religion. Plenty of Catholics are "lapsed", but all the groundwork (baptised themselves as children, their own children baptised soon after birth, recognised member of local church) is already in place.
You can't fake the background. Whether it's ethical is between you and your conscience, but it's not lying and I myself have no compunction in doing just that. Shoot me.

My mum lied to get me into a decent primary, which was a c of e school, and she lied to get db into a catholic school. So we were brought up with different religions. Db is still a catholic, but I am of lapsed faith! There wasn't really much choice of schools when I was younger though, so I guess she did what she needed to do. I'd struggle to lie about it myself though, its a pretty big thing to lie about your religion for all those years, (from my mums point of view). It didn't matter to me as a child though, I quite liked going to church and having the belief in god at the time.

When I say the creed at mass in an anglican church I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church and the only son of God became incarnate from the same Virgin Mary. All christians believe in the same God. All in England were catholic until Henry VIII split from Rome. It is the same God, and it is God who ultimately forgives not the local priest, vicar, rector, parson or pastor.

I have been made welcome in any church I have ever entered by the way.

MothershipG Sat 25-Aug-12 20:46:48
but I would say you are being seriously ethically dubious, if you say the creed at Mass every Sunday that will be "the Holy Roman Catholic Church" you are swearing fealty to won't it?

whereas, as I recall, CoE say the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic church.

Hence "Romish" and Popery.. etc.

It might be the same god (although its not remotely true that all christians worship the same god), but its not the same church. How can a catholic take communion in an cofe church without breaking all belief in transubstantiation?

I have great respect for actual religious people, you a la carte half arsed types not so much.

Sorry not read the whole thread but I thought that schools with a chosen religion have to take a certain percentage of non believers too so that they are able to receive government funding, might be wrong but worth checking out.

For me, the question shouldn't be how c of e or catholic you have to be or what proof should be required. It's more about why religion should come into it at all when 90 per cent of th funding of va faith schools comes for the state.

Because its still providing people with education who pay into the state?

That's 90% of current costs. The religious body has provided 100% of purchase of land, construction of buildings etc. I do not think, in the current economic situation, the Government could afford to buy out the property, or even top up the 90% to 100%. It wasn't attempted, even when the Govt coffers looked full, and with both main parties opening more faith schools when in office, I think th chances of abolition being deemed either an affordable or a vote-winnin policy are pretty low.

As I said before - ick.

Very articulate, Seeker

Ick is quite possibly the post pointless post I have ever seen on here, it's not constructive nor does it actually achieve anything to a discussion or debate.

it wouldn't work round here because you get to submit one church cert for ALL your 3 school choices, so the catholic one would see you were attending COE not Catholic

Ick maybe inarticulate but it pretty much sums up for me the whole messy, inequitableness (not sure that's a real world either) that religion contributes to our state funded education system, so I'm with seeker and I second her ick and raise her one argh! Of frustration.

Ick sums up my "drawing my skirts aside" repugnance for the self serving, looking after number one manipulation of "belief" to grab something perceived as "better" for your child.

Do you have a child at grammar school, Seeker? Did they sit the 11+ on the grounds that passing it would give them entry to a better school?
I'm in London so grammar isn't an option for us, but if it was available I'd have no qualms at all. What's the difference?

11+ rewards their ability and acheivement. Lying about going to church is hardly the same thing, is it?

Floggingmolly- that is the most bizarre post I have ever read. The 11+ is a crap way of allocating a school, but it doesn't involve either the parent or the child lying about something which is completely irrelevant to school achievement!

Yes, - I was going to say "I agree,Penis" - not something I've ever typed on MN before...

Lying or being underhand about your faith isn't at all the same as putting your child in for an exam which is part of the normal schools admissions procedure in your area.

The point is that as a Catholic, a catholic education is available to my children. I choose it because I do indeed perceive it to be "better", the results peak for themselves. Why wouldn't I? If I lived in a grammar school area, I would hope my children passed the exams for much the same reason. I don't get Seekers repugnance for wanting what's best for your child. I've already said how you can't "lie" in the real sense as the background has to be there to be eligible in the first place. What's the issue?

Your not lying about going to church though penis... You are going to church...

You can attend any church you like. I am thinking of trying a Quaker meeting- according to the website they are very welcoming. It is the same God if they are Christian.

I can't see where the lying comes in. They ARE baptised and they would be attending a particular church.

Flogging I was brought up RC so I have the "background" so I could have got my DC baptised and taken them to church and it would have been one big lie. So I didn't and consequently they have a hugely reduced choice of school, great reward for my honesty isn't it?

Whether a child passes or fails an exam is down to their academic ability, whether a child can attend a religious school comes down to their parent's religious belief or willingness to lie.

If you live in the catchment area of a Cof E school you come first- it is only if you are not in the area that you might have to jump through hoops.