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?

[PoesyCherish]

@Softsheen and @Mousefunky I would expect or at least hope they would teach them whilst Catholicism is what they believe, not everyone does and that is okay too.

[Pengggwn]

@Softsheen and @Mousefunky I would expect or at least hope they would teach them whilst Catholicism is what they believe, not everyone does and that is okay too.

They will. They will teach them about other faiths as part of their RE curriculum.

[RachelAnneJ]

Yanbu.

My child is at a CofE school. We didn't want a religious school but it is our catchment school and we failed to gain a place at the secular school we wanted.

I believe you should be able to opt out of religious schools when you make school applications.

[PoesyCherish]

They will. They will teach them about other faiths as part of their RE curriculum.

@Pengggwn but surely if they're teaching Catholicism as fact it'll be teaching the other faiths as being wrong?

@RachelAnneJ that's really rubbish. You definitely should be able to opt out.

It's strange because so many people want their children to go to the faith school. At one of my old churches we had so many people attending temporarily just to get a school place. I think if there was a local state school that would work for my child (which there isn't for DSD), I'd far rather them go there even if the ratings were slightly lower.

[Walkingdeadfangirl]

Religion should not be taught in any school.
Schools are places of education where facts, not beliefs, should be taught.
Our world would be a much safer place if we cut out this cancer.

[Pengggwn]

PoesyCherish

Of course they will be teaching the other faiths as wrong. They are Catholics.

If you wanted to send your child somewhere agnostic (well, if it were your child we were talking about) a Catholic school was the wrong choice. They believe Catholicism is fact, some people are not Catholics and those people are wrong.

[eniledam]

If you send your child to a catholic school, you should expect them to be teaching your child Catholicism as fact.

I'm sorry you're stuck in this situation, OP. If it makes you feel any better, I went to primary and secondary catholic schools, and I'm now firmly atheist. I think it helped that neither of my parents were religious, so I wasn't completely indoctrinated - I was able to see there were options in how people choose to live their lives.

[noego]

Haven't you realised that our children are being programmed and conditioned into the English, democratic, christian, capitalistic matrix.

[eniledam]

but surely if they're teaching Catholicism as fact it'll be teaching the other faiths as being wrong?

Yep. I was taught Catholicism as fact, and that other religions - Islam, Sikhism, Judaism - simply had their own beliefs.

[SarahDoY]

At least the Catholic and CoE schools are open in their agenda. It's the state schools teaching the trans religion by stealth as fact, that concerns me.

Everyone is entitled to their belief, you can't force that belief on another. If you send your child to schools that teach a belief as fact - be it Christianity or transgenderism - and have PR then you can either remove your child from the school or being taught that religious belief.

[Moltenpink]

YANBU

I went to a fantastic catholic secondary though, that undid all the brainwashing the primary did.

I’m still angry that as a child, I was told things as though they were fact. I really believed everything and religion shaped my early years, even though my parents weren’t catholic themselves.

[THEsonofaBITCH]

To think schools shouldn't teach religion as absolute fact?
Yes UABU to think a religious school shouldn't teach that religion as fact. They will learn about other religions in RE and be presented with -"these religions believe this, whilst we believe this". I've not heard other religions described as "wrong" or that the school's religion is "right" merely this is what we believe and this is what it says in the bible and therefore why we believe this to be true. We were Protestants in a Catholic school and discussed around the dinner table our beliefs, differences, similarities and how those same were the same or different to other religions - Jewish, Muslim, Quaker, Intergalactic (Earthlings are a lost tribe) and others. Made the kids inquire more and they learned to think about others as both similar and different and not to judge just because they are different.

[Moltenpink]

THEson you were lucky to have those dinner table discussions though. Not all children do.

[THEsonofaBITCH]

you were lucky to have those dinner table discussions though
Yes, absolutely and the highlight of my day usually. Not the schools fault if others can't/don't do the same though. The kids all are (too?) happy to argue with their teachers on absolute points as rarely is there an absolute, i.e. school said all manufacturing is bad as they pollute. DD argued that that isn't true and that the classroom was the perfect example as everything in the room was manufactured without which they wouldn't be comfortable nor learning as well thanks to Ipads, digital white boards, pens, pencils, paper, etc. finishing with only bad manufacturing is bad and there are good manufacturers like her father! so proud!

[immortalmarble]

Well, as a catholic school the ethos is ‘as catholics, we believe ...’ and other religions it is ‘Muslims believe ...’

I also would prefer religion not to play a part in education.

[THEsonofaBITCH]

I also would prefer religion not to play a part in education
People keep going to war over religion, I personally think its vital that people are educated about religion, the various religions and what makes them the same and what makes them different to de-mystify the differences and counter-act extremists. My childhood was partially destroyed by religion and I took it on myself to learn about as many different kinds/beliefs as possible so I knew where people were coming from and also because of personal history, found it interesting.

[borlottibeans]

A lot of posts here missing the point about faith schools - in many areas there is literally no choice but to use these unless you have unlimited time and cash to drive miles and miles away from home. Where I grew up all the village schools were C of E, or if you didn't like that there was a minibus running to a Catholic school in a nearby market town. That was it unless you went private (still all Christian locally!) or willing to do 2 x 40+ mile round trips per day to the nearest city.

The real problem is that taxpayers' money is being used to subsidise particular religions' recruitment strategies. If parents want their children to learn about their religion as though it's fact, they should do it in their own time not expect the rest of us to fund it.

[Pengggwn]

A lot of posts here missing the point about faith schools - in many areas there is literally no choice but to use these unless you have unlimited time and cash to drive miles and miles away from home

That's tough, though, isn't it? The right to educate your child within your faith is the law of the land, which is why faith schools are funded and inspected under that law. If you will not send your child further afield, that's up to you, but you can't blame the faith schools for existing at the same time as you are availing yourself of their services.

[THEsonofaBITCH]

The real problem is that taxpayers' money is being used to subsidise particular religions' recruitment strategies
Genuine question as I don't know/didn't know that was happening: how exactly are tax payers paying for a particular religion's recruitment strategies?

[SarahDoY]

You don't have to educate your children in a school of travelling is too much, you can move, home educate. Like private/public schooling, moving, HE is not for everyone, so they accept the CoE school.

There are choices.

[Winebottle]

Nothing is absolute fact though everything is about beliefs. I'm not religious but I don't like the idea that secularism is superior. It is just a belief like any other.

Even science does not produce absolute facts, it just produces theories. History is the same. Nobody knows what actually happened they can only guess from the evidence available.

You may believe that when deciding whether something in the bible happened that scientific theories and historical methodology are more important than religious faith but others would not share that view.

I think it is a given when you say anything that there will be people somewhere who believe otherwise. You have to pick a set of beliefs and teach them or you won't get anywhere.

[PoesyCherish]

Even science does not produce absolute facts, it just produces theories. History is the same. Nobody knows what actually happened they can only guess from the evidence available.

Good point @Winebottle but I think my issue is that I feel it's essentially teaching others beliefs are wrong. And I don't think Science or History claim that things are set in stone. Some Christians believe there is evidence to suggest their beliefs are right, some Muslims believe there is evidence to suggest Islam is right. Same as all religions but none of us really know do we?

You don't have to educate your children in a school of travelling is too much, you can move, home educate

I think that's massively over simplifying the issue though @SarahDoY. Not everyone has the ability to move or home educate or travel.

People keep going to war over religion, I personally think its vital that people are educated about religion, the various religions and what makes them the same and what makes them different to de-mystify the differences and counter-act extremists.

Totally agree with you @THEsonofaBITCH
I think it's so important to teach our children about others beliefs. Slightly off topic but I watched one of those programs about extremism a while ago and one of the young lads didn't realise the holy text didn't say a lot of the extremist beliefs. He wasn't actually educated, had never read the text and it was only when someone showed him otherwise that he found out the terrorist leaders had lied to him.

[Pengggwn]

Not everyone has the ability to move or home educate or travel.

I certainly don't think everyone can do this, but that means the other option is to suck up teaching you don't necessarily agree with. You don't get to say, "You (faith school) are our only realistic option, so we demand you change to suit us".

[THEsonofaBITCH]

but that means the other option is to suck up teaching you don't necessarily agree with
I think you can counteract anything you disagree with by dinner time discussion and cogently explaining your point of view. Your kids will learn a lot from you if you share!