Teaching atheism to primary kids...

[sparklewater]

Posting here for traffic. Have somehow ended up agreeing to talk to DD's school tomorrow, as they're having a prayer for world peace week - learning about different religions and the refugee situation.

I popped along to one to see what was going on as have no religion and got nobbled. They want me to explain that not everyone believes, but that we still help others because of x, y, z.

Any advice on how to do this without coming across as negative about religion?

I have always thought that the Ten Commandments were good general rules for life and I don't think you have to believe in the Sky Fairy to lead a decent life with 'Christian' principles.

five or so of the ten commandments have nothing to do with being good, just how to and how not to believe in god. The last commandment (depending on the version) implicitly equates women to property. One tells you not to commit adultery, which appears oddly in the same list as not stealing, murdering and bearing false witness.

there's good elbow room for improvement there.

Actually, many of the ten commandments are unpleasant, irrelevant or stupid. They demonstrate quite clearly that all these myths and superstitions and imaginary friends are about social control and enforcing obedience.

The two key points OP probably can't make in a short speech to primary age kids are that religions exist to concentrate power and resources in the hands of a minority and to reinforce as much as possible the idea that reproduction is under the control of men rather than women.

I am still trying to figure out the significance of boiling kid goat in goat's milk. Why do we need a commandment for that? How is that in any way a good general rule for life?

I am still trying to figure out the significance of boiling kid goat in goat's milk. Why do we need a commandment for that? How is that in any way a good general rule for life?

??? I'm not an expert on the 10 commandments, but pretty sure this isn't one of them! Are you meaning one of the many bizarre laws in Leviticus?

"I am still trying to figure out the significance of boiling kid goat in goat's milk."

Dodgy stuff in the water?

Not eating pork is pretty widely believed to be about avoiding illness...though there's research that shows it might be because chickens need the same space and food and are better to keep in that environment.

I'm really impressed you're doing this- and I'm not surprised you need some help and I'm surprised at those who are surprised :)

Remember also many of the children will presumably come from atheist homes and will have parents who don't believe in god. So they'll be very happy to hear a deeper explanation from you. My dc would be delighted.

you might get some ideas from here about how you don't need religion to be good / kind

news.uchicago.edu/article/2015/11/05/religious-upbringing-associated-less-altruism-study-finds

SolidGoldBrass: "Actually, many of the ten commandments are unpleasant, irrelevant or stupid."

Yes. When people say that the 10 commandments are a good guide for life, I always assume they haven't read them.

Even the ones that are uncontroversial are too vague to be helpful. Take "Thou shalt not kill". What, never? What if there's a war? What if someone is threatening to kill you? Is capital punishment OK? What about animals - can you kill them?

Given that the Old Testament is full of killing, and given that the majority of Christians find it acceptable to kill in certain circumstances, I'd say it's pretty useless as a commandment.

My dc would be delighted.

So would mine! He's a bit of a social pariah at shcool when he announces that he doesn;t beleive in god - I think he kinda likes it

I would add that if a school is having a presentation about different belief systems then it would be unbalanced and quite biased to not represent atheism/agnosticism too otherwise you are giving the message that we all have to pick one of the religions. Well done that school.

Interesting piece in The Times today - a study has found that kids brought up in religious households are more selfish, believe that people who are religious are 'better', and transgressing peers deserved more punitive punishments.

Nice, eh?

Hackmum - a Jewish friend once told me that the word used for "kill" in the Ten Commandments is the one usually translated as "murder" in the rest of the Torah.

"Atheism is anti religious - a firm disbelief in there being no deity or merit in any practised religion"

Hmmmm..... I'm an atheist. But I can see some merit in practised religion, as well as a lot of negatives. I think churches mosques synagogues etc had an important role in bringing dispersed subsistence farming communities together. They have often looked after the weaker members of communities and have often preached caring and charity. (As well as often preaching bigotry and intolerance).

"Atheism is anti religious - a firm disbelief in there being no deity or merit in any practised religion"

Does that mean that they do not consider Buddhism a religion? Even though it is definitely atheist.

Interesting piece in The Times today - a study has found that kids brought up in religious households are more selfish....

Very interesting article!

But I can see some merit in practised religion, as well as a lot of negatives

As with most facets of life, there's good and bad... that includes religion. Yes, a lot of bad stuff can be attributed to it, but good stuff too. Lots of good charitable work carried out by people and organisations with religious convictions. Damning religion as wholly bad is unfair imo

OriginalMavis - my own unscientific research has shown me that groups of religious people mixed with others not of their 'club' tend to be very selfish, grabby and cliquey in their behavour. A group of so called Christian women even tried to tear a bunch of balloons from my three year old's hands 'for the Sunday school children' (this was my own sister's wedding party) and they also tried to pinch my Dad's bottle of whisky (not sure why they wanted that).

I totally support compulsory worship in British primary schools
as its the best way of making atheists that I know

??? I'm not an expert on the 10 commandments, but pretty sure this isn't one of them! Are you meaning one of the many bizarre laws in Leviticus?

Not at all. Moses smashed the first set of plates that he had been given and had to trot back up the mountain to get another copy. In Exodus 34, God gives him the 10 commandments again. Except this time they are a bit different. The tenth commandment is to not boil kid goat in its mother's milk.