AIBU to be surprised how few people know all UK state schools include compulsory Christian worship?

[TheMightyMojoceratops]

The law in England and Wales states that ALL state schools "shall on each school day take part in an act of collective worship... wholly or mainly of a Christian character". All UK state schools have to do this: at least 51% of collective worship - often embedded in assemblies - has to be Christian. And this is worship, as distinct from education.

Yet I quite often see threads on here where people are surprised to find their children are coming home saying things like "we said thanks to God today", or "it makes me sad God died for me"... Christian worship is a legal requirement in school, even if it's one I disagree with. Most people I talk to seem unaware of this and express surprise when it's explained to them.

AIBU to be surprised that more parents aren't aware of this?

What I would like to see is the Religious Education lesson used properly. Someone can tell me if it's changed these days, particularly now that we are multicultural, but when I was at school the only religion discussed in that lesson was Christianity.

...and I don't remember anybody paying attention in the class either.

latera, there seems to be evidence that some form of Christianity did exist pretty much from the end of Jesus' lifetime - what relation it bore to the more formalized versions of the 2nd century I don't think we know, but I think historians accept there's some continuity.

The Catholic Church could either be dated from this early period, or, if you prefer, from the schism with the Eastern Church in the eleventh century.

I don't see how it makes sense to say that Protestant and Catholic versions were 'created in the Middle Ages'. The Protestant Churches obviously weren't, though I agree they've some roots in medieval Catholicism. And the only way you could argue the Catholic Church is a medieval creation is if you're Orthodox and date it to the eleventh century - and how many Orthodox Christians are there in English schools?!

did you not go to school in this country, did you not sing songs in assembly? joy to the world, he's got the whole world, etc etc. things haven't changed massively. we are a Christian country not overtly but we used to sing songs in assembly and talk about jesus at easter and christmas hardly insidious is it and does not exactly breed a nation of christ loving bible bashers, it is no different now.

" did you not go to school in this country, did you not sing songs in assembly? joy to the world, he's got the whole world, etc etc. things haven't changed massively. we are a Christian country not overtly but we used to sing songs in assembly and talk about jesus at easter and christmas hardly insidious is it and does not exactly breed a nation of christ loving bible bashers, it is no different now."

I think that's why there are so many threads about it - because it shouldn't be.

I do not want my son told that jesus died to save our souls or whatever it is they say (I was taken out of assemblies as a child) or that God created the earth. IMO that is based upon nothing but a myth yet my child will be told this as if a fact.

Insidious is exactly what it is.

It establishes belief in the supernatural as a norm, perpetuates the notion that 'faith' - any faith is a Good Thing.

Boomerwang - yes, RE is different now, much improved: it does cover major religions. Some areas it might even touch on non-religious worldviews; at secondary some philosophy and ethics.

We just moved here from Eastern Europe (I'm from the States, dh is from France). We are both appalled at this idea of worship at school. My dh had me go into school and ask questions. This is precisely the reply from youngest dd's teacher (quoted from someone above):

"I work in a primary school and yes, we have a collective worship every day - but there is no mention of deity whatsoever. We simply take two minutes at the end of every assembly to "think" on something - for my assembly last time we were thinking about ways we could be kinder to people we take for granted (parents, friends, siblings), letting them know we ae grateful to have them in our lives."

Yet she comes home every day talking of Jesus saving the world, of God, etc. Sometimes it's in song, but the message is still seeping into her unconscious.

My dh is ready to go in himself to complain. We can't believe that this is the one secular primary school in the whole area and this is what we hear every afternoon.

I am catholic but I cannot abide today's talk of saviours and sin and saving the world. To me Jesus' central message had nothing to do with morality.

Also, I can't fathom why nearly every school in this nation is asking its students to contribute shoeboxes to a charity run by a fundamentalist Christian like Franklin Graham (Samaritan's Purse) who says Islam is evil -- amongst other diatribe. He could never pull this off in the States. He must be ROFLing somewhere about how he can get his messages into every school in the UK.

If you have objections you are well within your rights to request that your DCs leave the classroom. Just an FYI.