DS's RS teacher "polygamy not that bad"

[IfyouseeRitaMoreno]

and when asked why women weren't allowed multiple husbands he said that this wouldn't work as you wouldn't know who the father is.

DS was annoyed bless him but didn't challenge. I felt a bit rageful because really he should his evo-psych opinions to himself and it's not exactly great for his female pupils to hear.

But then maybe that is life and he's just describing it like it is. Genuinely not sure IBU.

Yes that is true. I am just pointing out that there is no natural reason it has to be that way.

I agree brasty but often the way that woman are treated isn't based on nature but trying to fit in with a patriarchal world.

LurkingHusband Whose morality ?

Read the thread, Modern British morality.

C0untDucku1a just literally outlined the Religious Studies Gcse course hmm

So why is it pretend it is RS? (and include things like polygamy) rather than just teaching British morality?

There isn't a single 'modern british morality' because British people have MANY ethics and moral frameworks which are compatible with British values.

When ethics is taught in school, students study different ethical viewpoints from religious and philosophical viewpoints including situation ethics, utilitarianism as well as theological ethical frameworks.

The central point of Religious studies is NOT to teach chilsren what to believe (because people are annoyed at that, and rightly so!). Yet the point of these 'morality lessons' is to do the very thing people are incorrectly criticising Religious Studies for. It's all a bit don't learn ABOUT religion because we don't like religion and think God is stupid, but please tell children what to think when it's what I believe in. The hypocrisy is astounding.

In school children ALREADY look at British values. It is written into the teacher standards and comes up in PSHE as well as many other subjects. In RS, they learn about other people's beliefs so they can empathise and be tolerant in a multicultural society.

OP, how old is your DS? I'm interested to know to age group of students this discussion would be directed at.

theclaws
I've found myself in the most bizarre discussions with students from y7-13.
Some linked to the work, some linked by odd teen logic.

No doubt Maisy. My kids have never had RS so I don't really have any idea of when they might discuss things like this.

No worries claws.

I teach English (and all staff teach Pshe) and we cover loads of British values stuff in our topics and texts.

British values also comes up in history, geography and RE. Often in drama too. Also a lot of the topics people have mentioned are in the PSHE curriculum.

I think some people on here don't really understand the purpose of religious studies and have their own view that religion is irrelevant/pointless because God probably doesn't exist so why do kids need to be 'taught religion'. The reality is that there are many belief systems in the world and understanding them aids integration and mutual understanding (and that is important for religious people, agnostics and athiests alike).

Historically, polygamy was one of a number of strategies humans used to develop stable social systems and allow successful reproduction. And - in that context - it wasn't necessarily worse than alternatives such as monogamy, and the huge pressures of constant pregnancy/childbirth that came with it. .
These days where there are concepts like bodily autonomy, alternatives to reproduction and subsistence farming for women, it's not so great.

I just feel uncomfortable with girls being taught about unequal practices as if they're inevitable and natural, without teaching the other side.

But the other side is UK society - you're not allowed to be married legally to more than one person at the same time and there's a crime called bigamy. People who have grown up in the UK and got to secondary school age will have absorbed that most people have one wife/husband and that it's very frowned upon to be sleeping with more than one person at a time. (Especially if they've ever seen an episode of a soap opera).

RS is more of a debating and ethics subject rather than true RS.

Dd debated China's one child policy, abortion......so the teacher would discuss both sides. It's a great subject as it teaches children to question stuff, think about both sides of an opinion, to present their side.......

So yes, at times the teacher will say stuff which is controversial. But this is a good thing. Kids are growing up fast in secondary school and will soon become aware of stuff outside their personal bubble. Questioning things is great.

I hate that it exists or has ever existed. When me and DP got married in the Middle East (for work reasons) he got given a little book with my name in and 4 empty pages for his other wives We tease each other about it but I can't believe it's a thing. But then like people say it fits more with biology than our western constructs. Still don't like it though..

The thing about the "it's biology, innit, look at the animal kingdom" line is that it always cherry picks. We're invited to look at the bits of the animal world (lion prides, herds of deer) where the strongest male mates with multiple females, not the bits of the animal world where pair bonding happens (a lot of bird species) or the cheerfully, promiscuously polyamorous with both sexes bits (bonobo chimpanzees). So you have to ask who is doing the cherry picking, and why? And the answer appears to be a subset of male biologists with a vested interest in defending certain human culturally conditioned sexual practices over others!

Primatologists Sarah Blaffer-Hrdy and Donna Haraway have written a lot about this tendency among their fellow primatologists (rather than the animals they study). Hrdy in particular has a great article - both informative and witty - called "the myth of the coy female" about multiple mate selection among female animals across a wide variety of animal species.

The more we look at the animal kingdom Prickly the more we learn that everyone is screwing around behind their mate's back.

There isn't a single 'modern british morality' because British people have MANY ethics and moral frameworks which are compatible with British values

Umm yes there is, we call them laws. for example polygamy is wrong, FGM is wrong, the death penalty is wrong.

In RS, they learn about other people's beliefs so they can empathise and be tolerant in a multicultural society

You dont need to know what a person does in the privacy of their own home to be tolerant of them in public.

It's all a bit don't learn ABOUT religion because we don't like religion

No it isnt. Its all a bit dont learn ABOUT religion because religious morality (like polygamy) is very questionable. And teaching children about it without condemning it makes it a more acceptable lifestyle.

There are some things we should not be tolerant of.

I've been an agnostic all my adult life but left my DC to decide for themselves by answering question with, "Some people believe... but no-one really knows for sure."
DGC know and like most of the Bible stories like Noah's Ark, and also enjoy religious lessons in school, but I don't think any of them believe in any God.

It occurs to me that one of the problems here is that it isn't always easy when teaching such subjects to leave out personal views completely. Nevertheless that's what has to happen if they're to be delivered in an equitable way - or at the very least there should be a clear distinction made between views and facts

Whatever we all think of individual teaching staff their position lends an air of authority to what's being taught, which can create issues around controversial subjects given that it's hardly possible to have constant vigilance

As I've mentioned before, many years ago I went to a non denominational secondary school but was taught RE by a staunch catholic who considered it her role to get as many conversions as possible ... something I imagine would be stamped upon very quickly today

At least, I hope so

Laws are not the same as morals
Of course they are not, laws are the tools we use to enforce British morals.

Pengggwn

Of course not everyone agrees with the accumulation of British morals that are enforced. However most of us have agreed to abide by them.
So why do we need to teach what any random individual(s) thinks is right or wrong? Teach tolerance of all people but if you start to teach tolerance of beliefs then you start to make all morals acceptable, they are not. Polygamy is illegal and children should not be taught that some people think its ok, without teaching them that it is immoral and illegal.

I find RS must be a hard subject to teach & cover every topic in the short time they have, it isn't a fact what they are teaching its belief's & a little history which make it more of a debatable subject in class than a textbook lesson, I agree it should only be presented to the class as 'some people' & then let the discussion go from there teachers shouldn't fetch they thoughts on what they are teaching into a classroom as can influence the students should be the same for they beliefs too,
On another note I am surprised to hear this as only this morning me and my bil were discussing a mutual friend & his new wife who has recently decided to see other people, not just see other people but have proper relationships with other people too,
I'm from UK & in my 30's so is bil, mutual friend is 22, & it lead to us talking about how a lot of people we know younger than us seem to be doing this now & just wondering if how these lessons are taught now have anything to do with this increase in younger society relationship choices/beliefs or maybe its the multi cultural society we now live in or is it just they feel they can be more open now than when we younger to make these choices