To think schools shouldn't teach religion as absolute fact?

[PoesyCherish]

DSD is 6 and is learning about Christianity in school. They're teaching her Jesus is the Son of God rather than "some people believe he is". Everything about the religion is taught as fact. They've also failed to mention anything about any other religion.

AIBU to think they shouldn't be teaching it as absolute fact? How are children supposed to be understanding and tolerant of other people's beliefs if they're taught one world view as fact?

Social cohesion is obviously something you hold close to your heart, but it's not the law of the land. This is a simple difference f opinion.

Yes, it is. It’s a difference of opinion that I find shocking, as I said.

Schools that are connected to a church. AKA 95% of them.

Could you link to your source? I do a lot of campaigning around this and have never seen this as a designation.

JassyRadlett

Shocking? That, to you, social cohesion is the highest good, while, to someone else, there may be a higher one? Interesting. It must be hard to go through life constantly believing that everyone needs to think the same things you do. It must make for frequent disappointment.

That, to you, social cohesion is the highest good, while, to someone else, there may be a higher one?

Did I say it was ‘the highest good’? Is your argument so weak you must invent?

Social cohesion leads to greater civic participation and a greater sense of a stake in a shared society. The opposite of ghettoisation and segregation.

In a world of disaffection - at its ultimate iteration leading to home grown terrorism - it seems a far better goal than ‘I don’t want my kids being educated with Muslims or atheists because they are not part of my community.’

Interesting. It must be hard to go through life constantly believing that everyone needs to think the same things you do. It must make for frequent disappointment.

Oh dear, you’re indulging in fiction again. Your particular opinion is, to me, shockingly misguided and if carried to conclusion, detrimental to society. Difference of opinion, and I find yours fairly abhorrent. Not all opinions that differ from mine. Just your particular one.

JassyRadlett

I assumed you must think it is the highest good, since it seems inconceivable to you that I would prioritise anything else over it.

And I did not say I don't want my kids educated with anyone, specifically. I said I want my kids educated in my faith. That has nothing to do with not wanting them to integrate with anybody.

Anyway, I believe we are done here. You think my opinions are abhorrent, and I don't give a shit what you think. Not much to be said after that.

Not very Christian pen

politicalcorrectnessisgreat

Not giving a shit what someone else thinks? Really?

What was all thaf about morality only being taught through the Christian ‘way of life’

A pretty clear example on this thread that in many cases, religion offers no morality, only justification of hideous superiority

But France doesn't have a state religion like we do so France wouldn't have state funded church schools particularly or have a need to have a daily act of worship imposed throughout the country like England in schools, council meetings, house of commons. We need to disestablish the c of e then common sense will prevail in schools. Yay! Up the revolution!

You think my opinions are abhorrent, and I don't give a shit what you think.

Just that one, based on the evidence. Extrapolation and assumption seem to be a bit of a stumbling block for you - because I think being educated with ‘people who think like us’ is a much lower priority than enjoying as a society the collective benefits of not discriminating against children because they’re poor or not Christian doesn’t mean I put everything above that.

I don’t expect you to give a shit about what anyone else thinks. I’ll continue to challenge you when you spout demonstrably false bollcoks, but that’s for the benefit of those who might you think you know what you’re talking about.

JassyRadlett

It isn't "demonstrably false" just because you believe it, Jassy. That is where you are falling down.
This is a matter of different opinions.

Happily for me, mine is currently the one backed up in law and policy.

*don't believe

It isn't "demonstrably false" just because you believe it, Jassy. That is where you are falling down.

I didn’t say that this opinion was demonstrably false. I said that when you do say something demonstrably false, as you’ve done elsewhere in the thread, I’ll mention the facts.

I thought we were done with making it clear how little we think of each other’s views on the education system - let’s call it a day unless one of us makes a false claim, eh?

yy catherinedevalois disestablishmentarianism needs a big boost.

It's disgusting that in this day and age you can be homophobic due to religion and that's ok because the bible says so but celebrating dead love ones is seen as evil 😐

That sounds like all soul's day / remembrance of all the believing departed (I think that's what it's called in English?)

MIL does feel like it's Satanic / occult but it's still very much a thing in many denominations...

JassyRadlett

Let's.

If you and your family are Jedi knights, and you can find a group of Jedi knights in possession of a school and providing an acceptable standard of education, legally, the government would have to give those people the funding to educate your child.

I think your a bit ill informed about what is allowed in a school. Catholic schools are a historical anomaly. The Catholic church is currently refusing to open new schools because at the moment it is ILLEGAL to open faith schools that are completely faith selective.

It is also ILLEGAL open selective schools for Atheists, Anti-theists, Creationists, Intelligent people, Wiccans, Scientologists and yes, Jedi Knights. So NO even if I owned the land and a building I would NOT be allowed to open a tax payer funded selective school for my beliefs.

I would also question your assertion that the the Catholic church paid for the land and buildings. I would suggest the money they used was taken from the poor of the local community in a way that would now be considered abusive and illegal.

So yes you are enjoying christian privilege that is not available to other people, and treading on the backs of other children to get it.

But Walkingfangirl the Catholic Church are entirely honest and safe to be around kids....

the Catholic Church are entirely honest and safe to be around kids

Did you actually think about that comment before you made it?
I mean seriously? WTF!

Was tongue in cheek, I’m very much in agreement with you.

This idea of the church ‘owning land’ is firstly nonsense as the state schools are publicly owned and also because the church are corrupt. Especially the catholics

Chapter and verse on the requirement for all schools to be religious in this way stems from the 1944 Education Act which required a daily act of worship. This requirement has been included in various forms in all subsequent replacements.

The law requires that there be daily, collective, religious worship in state schools and all pupils except those withdrawn by their parents (or who withdraw themselves in the case of 6th formers) attend. The current legislation is the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (most details are in schedule 20) which requires a daily act of collective worship. For schools with a religious character it is to be as determined by the governing body, for other schools it is to be of a broadly Christian character (i.e. not reflective of any particular Christian denomination). Non-religious character schools can ask to disapply the requirement for worship to be of a broadly Christian character, but there is no provision to remove the requirement for daily religious worship. There are slightly different provisions for special schools.

YANBU, OP. My kids go to/went to a non-denominational primary school and still came home talking about saying prayers and speaking of God/Jesus as fact.

There is really no such thing as a non-religious primary school in this country, as far as I'm concerned, and also as the OP highlights, many people also have little or no choice other than to send their child to a faith-based school, as that is the local school.

actual we’ve explained this at length to people on this thread but they are belligerent and insist that it is somehow fine for every school in the country to follow a regressive doctrine.

Religion should simply have no place in school

Nearly all faith schools in France (95% of which are Catholic) are state aided, follow the French national curriculum and employ teachers fully funded by the state.