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?

[Sirzy]

I don’t like the idea of faith schools, and wouldn’t send ds to one.

However it is rather daft to expect a faith school to not have that faith as the centre of what they do, and the worship will of course take it as fact as that is what they believe. Other religions should be taught about in the re lessons.

[IceCreamFace]

But if people stopped sending their children to them, that is precisely what the government would have to do.

lol seriously? That's a completely and utterly ridiculous statement and I'm sure you know it. People have very little choice in what school their children go to. If you turned all faith schools into non-faith schools everyone would still send their children there.

[IceCreamFace]

The fact is you shouldn't allow a school to teach religion as fact. Calling it a faith school is no excuse.

[SaDo12]

All catholic schools are required to teach majority of RE lessons based upon Catholicism. They are also required to teach the other Abrahamic faiths as well as at least two others. The new GCSE requires 25% of the course to be based upon Judaism ( as per bishops instructions) and students are also required to look at humanists and non-religious beliefs.

[Toddlerteaplease]

You send your child to a Catholic school and complain because they teach the Catholic faith which believes that Christ is the son of God?!! Next you'll be complaining that Catholics think that a wafer actually turns into The body, blood, soul and divinity of Out Lord Jesus. YABU!

[Pengggwn]

IceCreamFace

In our local Catholic school you can't just turn up; you have to demonstrate Catholic practice. I don't believe for a second that most people have 'very little choice' between the (usually oversubscribed) local faith school and the secular school. Either way, however, they do not HAVE to send their child there. It is an offer of a particular type of education, one they do not have to take up.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Ok step child do not your choice. But still can't really complain about it. Catholic schools do teach about other religions.

[Pengggwn]

IceCreamFace

It is absolutely an excuse: legal, and in line with what most parents who choose those schools want.

[Hairgician]

confused
Im in ni too. Didnt know that. But on tip of that we have all the hatred and intolerance over certain schools etc. Religion is too divisive and for that i dony feel it should be taught in school. And dont get me started on fucking 'sunday school'. Wtaf? Is that just a thing here??

[catherinedevalois]

In rural parts of England there is only one school per village, there is no choice of faith or non-faith. Local villages to me that only have c of e schools, luckily don't select on faith, just distance. But from posts on MN over the years I know that some areas are not that lenient. So either believe or travel 10 miles to the nearest community school. Outrageous

[JacquesHammer]

I think choice is a misleading term.

You put down preferences for school places. There’s no guarantee.

[Walkingdeadfangirl]

1st, advertise to parents at faith schools that children have the choice NOT to attend RE lessons.
2nd, ban the right for faith schools to hire teachers based on their religion.
3rd, ban the teaching of any faith as being true.
4th, end faith as a criteria in admissions.

Then hopefully after a few years faith schools with become less of a problem.

[Pengggwn]

Walkingdeadfangirl

So, eradicate faith schools, then? That would be an issue for me because I want to send my child to a faith school.

It would take legislation to do that, in any case. I am not sure the support would be out there.

[JacquesHammer]

So, eradicate faith schools, then?

I wouldn’t eradicate them but I would remove state funding for a start.

[borntobequiet]

Of course faith schools teach their faith as fact, otherwise pupils might think there was some choice involved...and religions really don’t want that! At my convent school (admittedly some years ago now), we simply had Doctrine, which describes exactly what it was.

[derxa]

It is totally unreasonable to send her to a Catholic institution and expect the staff not to talk about Catholic beliefs as fact. Absolutely
Plus it's none of your business. Next we'll have the sky fairies crowd in.

[LyndorCake]

Arent Catholics schools funded by the Catholic church? Surely can't be suggesting that they change their teachings to suit you? It's not their fault there isn't another local school. They are what they are.

[Walkingdeadfangirl]

Pengggwn I would like to send my child to an academically selective school but I have to suck it up because they have been banned in my part of the country.
But I agree there might not be support to stop faith selection, mostly because a lot of parents see it as one of the last bastions of privilege allowed in state education, otherwise their DC might have to go to a non selective school.

[derxa]

Move to France, the education is non secular there.

[Pengggwn]

Walkingdeadfangirl

I don't disagree entirely. I know that happens and I can see why you would have a problem with it.

My issue with the OP is that she is fine with the school, she just wants the school to run along the lines she prefers. It's rather like buying a tin of Ronseal fence paint and then complaining when it doesn't tarmac your drive.

People using the services of a faith school shouldn't be moaning about something that was perfectly obvious to them when they signed up.

[dressesdressesdresses]

This is why my child is being sent too a non religious school

[Walkingdeadfangirl]

Pengggwn Yes I agree about the op, and she could have opted out of RE lessons but maybe she didn't know about that.

There are CofE schools near me. They dont have faith in admissions, they dont teach their religion is the one true religion and they dont discriminate against teachers of the 'wrong' religion. Yet they seem to still be 'faith' schools and attract mainly CofE families. Why cant other religions do that?

[JacquesHammer]

There are CofE schools near me. They dont have faith in admissions

I wonder how faith schools decide whether fair is a selection criteria. The two closest to me that are CofE do select on faith grounds.

[JacquesHammer]

*faith: ironic really as I don’t think fair comes into it

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

In terms of funding, it depends on whether the school is VC or VA. VC schools have all of their funding, provided by the LA. VA schools have all of the running costs and 90% of the upkeep of the buildings costs is paid by the LA. The church pays 10% of the buildings costs.

Pengggwyn, you might want your child to go to a faith school, but why should my taxes be paying for your choice of a school which might essentially exclude my child for being the wrong faith. That doesn’t seem particularly fair or Christian.

At the very least the number of faith places should be limited to the proportion of funding the church provides.