To email school AGAIN re religious assemblies

[pineapplepenthouse]

I have twins in year 4 both in different classes. I have expressed my feelings about not letting them be involved in religious assemblies or having anything to do with religion. My children are in different classes. Today for the third time my DDs has come home saying he has been included in the religious assembly.
I have strong feelings on this but other mums just say 'it's not a big deal' and 'it didn't do us any harm'.

AIBU?

They don't miss any lessons!

I did higher RE myself (not a compulsory subject in secondary after second year). I also studied the sociology of religion at university because I DO find religion interesting.
My children learn about ALL religions and we discuss it at home.

If I am 'imposing my views' on then by withdrawing them from religious WORSHIP, then surely the same can be said about Catholic parents that send their kids to Catholic school. How is that not the same? Let them go to non-faith school then make their own mind up once their older?
The only difference is it doesn't bother me in the slightest what they do, that's up to them! Same as this is up to me!

If the minister and guitar guy are not coming in to share their beliefs as fact then why are the coming in at all? What is the point of it? They do it from nursery btw, so the 3 year olds are exposed to it too!

And yes, I fully expect someone to supervise the twins whilst the assembly is going on because it's THE LAW that the school must do so.

@Villanellenovella that's what my family thought many moons ago when a cousin was studying at university and just fell off the grid, into very structured organised religion ... it happens... this also happened auto a friend's mum and another friend's sister ...

I assume that throughout their school life OP will be happy to collect her children during all lessons regarding all aspects of religion and various religious festivals. Or does she expect school to lay on extra staff a few times a week for her children?

As stated, no she doesn't. She doesn't even expect them to lay on extra staff for the few religious assemblies she wants her children withdrawn from, and in practice they don't. I really struggle to understand how people cannot grasp the basics of this.

Because they don't want to grasp it. It doesn't fit with their beliefs.

Because they don't want to grasp it. It doesn't fit with their beliefs.

Plenty of those who don't agree with the OP's actions are not Christian. There's been a lot of 'it never did me/my children any harm to listen to this nonsense' 'I'm an atheist, but I think it's important to learn about others' beliefs' 'What are the poor teachers supposed to do?' etc. Your assumption that everyone who can't follow what the OP is on about is actually deliberately misinterpreting because they are dogmatic Christians doesn't really have any grounding. Most of them just haven't read the OP's posts.

I wish just one of the people who claims that this is such a major imposition on schools would make the effort to explain exactly why they think the school will fall apart if one TA or playtime supervisor misses assembly. It's not even as if the time would be unproductive, presumably they can get on with preparing lesson materials or marking whilst keeping an eye on the children who are opted out.

Thelost Yes, it is classed as a Christian country. The fact that the whols population doesn’t identify as Christian doesn’t alter that. It doesn’t depend on the percentage of Christians.

Children are taken to Temples and Mosques, as part of the curriculum. They will also be involved in Diwali, Hannukah, Holi, Easter festivals, to name a few. What is wrong with children from all faiths, and none, making a Diwali card as part of their learning about Hinduism and Sikhism? It's no big deal!

That's an entirely different thing. Learning about all the major religions (and possibly some of the minor ones) is part of RE, and imparts knowledge. Insisting that a child specifically prays to one God and that God only, and sings their praises, in an environment that is otherwise unrelated to learning about religion in general, is telling that child that worshiping and believing in that particular God is The Right Thing To Do.

There is a difference in an annual visit to temples etc as part of a particular lesson, and regular acts of worship as part of day to day life.

Assemblies are not necessarily about 'Christian' worship. And even if it is all about Christian worship in OP's children's school what exactly is the problem with them singing a song - and there are never hymns anymore - or learning about ethics and values? Does OP not adhere to the same ethics and values as Christians? If she sat down and thought about it she will find she does. Has OP asked school what these assemblies consist of?

Are your children exempt from taking part in the largest Christian festival every year OP? Are they exempt from learning about The Nativity? Or are they only allowed to take part in Christmas plays if it involved Jack Frost? Do they have Easter eggs?

“She is only removing them from assemblies that occur once a month or so. She is happy for them to attend RE lessons. And repeat

Then that makes no sense!”
It makes perfect sense. It’s the difference between a vegetarian child being told at school that other children eat meat and being expected to eat a burger.

Quite a red herring to say this is a Christian country. Is there even 1% of the population that are practising Christians?

Given our history I think it would be completely sensible to have the army lead assemblies every week, where everyone has to pledge allegiance to queen, country and the armed forces before singing military songs from WW2.
No one would object to that surely, its not going to affect the little children in any way what so ever.

The British Social Attitudes Survey shows more than half of the population have no religion. This is linked to age as well, 3 out of 4 18-24 year olds have no religion.

I go into schools and lead assemblies. I've done this is church schools and community schools. When I did the training for this we were told to say 'Christians believe that....' when we led any specifically Christian input. It should be obvious as I wear a clerical collar and am introduced as a vicar but it doesn't hurt to remind children. We were also advised that if we led a prayer at the end to phrase it as 'I'm going to say a prayer. If you want to agree with the prayer you can say amen at the end. If you don't then don't.' This gives permission for children to not engage with the prayer but. I never prayed with children in the community schools.

One of the best bits of doing assemblies is introducing children to philosophy and ethics. Love it.

I also love the way many posters on this thread are saying "THIS is what is done in assemblies", not considering that some schools may do things differently to the ones you know about.

Flat statements that they are singing songs and never hymns, that they "only" ever talk about values or ethics and those aren't couched as Christian worship, there's no evangelism. The OP has stated that once a month they have a minister come in and take a Christian assembly - this may not happen in the schools the majority of people on here know about, but it happens in the OP's children's school. She has also stated that they have a "happy clappy" type Christian comes in on a regular basis who has stated that he does what he does to spread the word of his God. Again that may not happen in all schools, but sure as hell does in this one.

One of the best bits of doing assemblies is introducing children to philosophy and ethics.

Oh, wonderful, my heathen children would be completely ignorant of a basic education in ethics and philosophy were there not some kind of intervention like this.

Saturday

Sorry - I skim read ops posts and managed to miss the bit about the local minister.

Why should people know the Vibe OP?

Because whether you like it or not, throughout the history of our nation, and indeed our continent, most people have had a very deep Christian faith which has influenced them - for good or ill.

A n awareness of the Bible opens up huge areas of knowledge in history, geography, science and literature. You might not want to believe that, but it's true. You may not believe in God, or in the truth of the Old and New Testaments, but thy have been massively influential, and you can't change the past.

*Bible, not Vibe, ffs!

Not trying to change the past, but hoping to change the future. At least for my own children.

Perhaps the Scottish education system needs a wee update and the parents who want their children to be involved in Christian worship can send their kids to Sunday school.

This is my opinion but the original point of my post was the teacher ignoring my request. Hopefully after today this will be sorted.

Schadenfreude surely that should also be true then for the Quran, the Sutras, the Vedas, the Talmud etc? All these are sacred texts of major religions which have shaped millions of people and are equally influential.

In England it will take an act of parliament to change the law on the daily act of worship of a broadly Christian character. I assume it will be similar in Scotland.

I hope you manage to sort this out OP. You have a right to withdraw your child and the school should fulfil their statutory duty.

If the secular, atheist, agnostic, humanist groups want to go into schools and lead assembles I'm sure they would be welcomed.

I'd love to know what aspects of science we only know because of the Bible.

“If the secular, atheist, agnostic, humanist groups want to go into schools and lead assembles I'm sure they would be welcomed.”

But this will not change the fact that the norm in state schools is Christianity.

The Humanists society has people specially trained and experienced to speak at schools. Also, one of their big campaigns is against state funded faith schools which I fully support

An awareness of the Bible opens up huge areas of knowledge in history, geography, science and literature
Maybe for a priest? I have never heard anyone in real life quote the bible as a source of information. And I would be very very worried if a science teacher where to open one up in class.