To wonder why non-believers send their doc to faith schools

[Latetothematch]

Not a thread about a thread but thought whilst reading a thread when reading 'dc goes to a faith school and comes home with questions but we don't believe'.

Why send your child to a school where you do not believe what it is teaching?

TattyDevine but wouldn't it be better if they were taught about all religions in the first place instead of telling them to worship the god that the headteacher likes best?

What we have is a tug of war between the religions with the kids in the middle.

It's the nearest. Secular one is miles away.

Tatty I agree. No problems at all with discussing it with my children etc. I guess I'm just not understanding the fear some people are feeling about religion in education.

Back that made me smile . Oh and never assume all people celebrate Christmas!

bubbles there are no secular schools in England, which country are you in?

Emmabombemma about once a month we get someone who doesn't know any better wondering why atheists are allowed to have christmas. I really should save one post and paste it in each time.

And you were the one calling people hypocritical.

I suppose it has not dawned to some that winter solstice celebrations have been celebrated for around 4000 years in mid winter when night and day were almost equal and jesus was reputed to have been born only 2000 years ago and no-one was to sure what time of year he was born

Back why are you so upset about this?

emma, I'm not sure if you've read the whole, thread, but there is no fear of religion in education here. People are just fed up of having to pay taxes to fund schools which under no circumstances would admit their child because the parents don't worship an imaginary supernatural being.

It's only a matter of time before someone comes on here claiming this is "another religion- bashing thread". It's not - it's about fair access to local schools and the rights of everyone to have their beliefs valued and respected, not just those who have religious views.

And I personally don't think it's about "not doing any harm". You may have had a good experience of religion in your school, but that all it is - your experience. It's no basis for education policy.

I think from my posts you can see I am not commenting on, or trying to re-write, education policy (other than agreeing that more choice would be ideal). I've expressed my own opinion, as I have every right to do, without people like you getting shitty with me. I have the grace to respect your opinions, you should try the same. Have a lovely day!

Sorry meant to add that was in response to back, not suburban.

You seemed a bit confused about the origins of Christmas Emma - I don't think Back was upset about anything, just explaining to you.

Thanks hettie. Just saying that's back's opinion which she's entitled to. Whatever we believe it is all stories without proof.

I think religion should be removed from all schools apart from Faith schools.

Am quite surprised by the people I know who have suddenly started attending church so their kids get into a certain school. Why do that to a child if you don't believe in God(s) yourself?

I think there's a fair bit of historical evidence that mid winter festivals were celebrated well before the advent of Christianity tbh.

Hetienne's right - and on the flipside the New Testament itself contains a lot of pointers to the fact that Jesus was born nowhere near December (what the shepherds were doing with the sheep, the timing of the Census, the timing of the conception of John the Baptist and the point Elizabeth has reached in her pregnancy when Mary conceived).

The co-opting of pagan festivals to the Christian calendar was a clever and successful PR job by the early church in its work to convert pagan communities. Christmas wasn't celebrated anywhere until about the fourth century.

DD1 goes to a C of E primary school as we did not get a place at the local community school.

I am a bit at the "Christian" value of the week poster in the school hall and the lunch time and end of day prayer that she recites daily and I nearly fell off my pew the first time I went to Harvest Festival and the whole school made the sign of the cross. I heard her telling another adult recently "Mummy says that some people believe in God and some people don't. Mummy and daddy don't believe in God but they are wrong".

But it's a lovely school and she is really happy and that's what matters. At the end of the day, she can and will make up her own mind about religion.

Emmabombemma you called atheists who celebrate christmas hypocrites because you thought christmas was somehow owned by christians.

I'm afraid that the history is christmas is something you can look up. The Pope and the Archbishop of the CofE church will both confirm what I've said. it's not a big mystery.

Perhaps you were educated in a faith school in which case it's not entirely your fault that you didn't know.

mrswinklepicker, I bet you wouldn't be saying that if the school was persuading her that her parents had the wrong political views, rather than religious views!

"My understanding was that the usual criteria for church schools was something like 1. looked after/SEN 2. Churched children 3. Every body else. I would be very surprised if 2. filled up a school nowadays?"

Hahahahaha. Come and live near me. Well, don't, but if you did you'd find that 2 comfortably fills up a whole bunch of schools (although come to think of it, of the three Church schools that we're close enough to to be in with a good chance of a place if not for the churching thing, one of them (the one whose admissions criteria specify that only a certain number of places can be awarded on the basis of churching) did admit ONE pupil into Reception as a "community" (non-church) place last year. And that child lived 50m from the school when we're about 300m.

The historical basis of the Christian festivals is not really the point anyway, Emma. There's nothing hypocritical about pretending you believe something to get what you want - that's just lying. Most non Christians enjoying Christmas and Easter with their families aren't even lying, they are just enjoying a community and family festival.

The hypocritical person would be the person who condemns her neighbour for playing the system (perhaps by calling them a hypocrite) while (or subsequently) playing the system in some way herself. Or to put it another way, let she who has never ever played the system cast the first stone.

I know this thread is somewhat old but I would like to comment anyway.
My problem is somewhat different to most here. I live in an area with an abundance of non faith schools (although I admit most are not good) and find myself unable to get my DC into a faith school because the only two faith schools are over subscribed by those who have suddently aquired a faith

I attend a church but not the C of E, we believe but cannotget into a school . We have been allocated the local state school instead.

I think it is very hypocritcal and downright devious (and should be illegal really) for parents to suddenly claim a faith to get into these schools.

I have a faith. I have brought my DC up with that faith yet I cannot send my DC to a faith school,whilst I read all sorts of offensive comments about faith here from those who could go to ordinary schools and do not.

Instead my DC have to go to a school where they are laughed at because they believe in "imaginary friends". I find that very offensive frankly. They are taught RE by an atheist who clearly knows less than nothing about real faith. I just thought I wouldlike to put the other side. The next time anyone wants to laugh about imaginary friends or colouring in beardy blokes or DC being told fairy stories. Someof us have a faith and want nothing more than for our DC to be given the chance to hear the Bible stories, to celebrate the nativity, to sing hymns and to be brought up with the pinciples we stand by in our daily lives and are denied that by those who lie and cheat their way intoschools just because they deem them
"good".

Maybe, just maybe, if you snt your precious ones to those other schools, those schools would become good too and those such as myself could just toddle off to the nearby school where imaginary friends and fairly stories are allowed. Just my rant.

Fine, take them to church, that's what Sunday school is for...

They go to church every sunday. Why cant some of the atheists take their DC out of faith schools and allow mine a place instead?

Would you all be so offensive if I were muslim or Jewish for example? Would you be so willing to call my God an " imaginary freind then? Think about it.
Fine .... send your DC to a state school and let me have the place in a faith school. Thats what faith schools are there for. There are 10 state schools for every faith one.

Where I grew up, there was no choice. I was an adult with a 3 year old kid before I even realised that there were schools that didn't have "C of E" as part of their name and that faith school / non faith school was part of the decision I'd be making for where she went.

My son has school friends who aren't the school's religion. They go there because it's far and away the best academic school available. (There is zero selection on the basis of religion - it's a private school.)

angelfire, many state schools are faith schools. It's not either/or. Your statistics are nonsense.