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?

You can't use the "that was the Old Testament, times have changed since then" argument and not consider that times have also changed in the 2k odd years since the New testament was written, the status quo of the time as you put it.

The covenant forged in the Old Testement was fulfilled by the new Covenant with Jesus in the New Testement. That's part of the reason we don't follow Old Testement law. I also mentioned in an earlier post about the different types of laws and reasons why we only follow the moral laws.

Also, Catholics don't believe in sola scripta, so not all of the Old Testement is to be taken as historical truth. There is also different genres.

Allergic

Perhaps- but in Britain it is Christian faith which has shaped the literature etc.

In most other countries, they are taught/ practise the religion which has shaped their nation.

Why should children in Britain (no matter what faith, or none), not be taught about the religion which shaped the nation they live in?

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

That's not what I said - what I said was that that the individuals who made discoveries etc were deeply influenced by their faith, for good or ill (and this included Darwin, though many people feel that his theory of Evolution is incompatible with an omnipotent creating deity)

Schaden I love you

Why . . why Derxa . . . .

. . . . this is so sudden . . . .

I'm glad to see you on this thread of madness.

I love a thread of madness . . . it makes me realise that I Am Not Alone

The trouble with the Bible - or any book of religion - or indeed, any book, I expect - is that it can be abused as well as used, and can therefore be employed to prove anything that the reader wants to prove.

A bit like statistics (and most scientific experiments) actually. Depending upon how the parameters are defined, what data is included/excluded, which statistical tests are employed, how the analysis is made . . . That is how both believers in global warming, and those who deny it can use the same data to back up their opinions.

As a very famous biblical figure is reported to have said - "What is truth?"

There's an awful lot of aspects of science we (collectively worldwide) know that were discovered by people of different faiths though. Having A faith may be what led them to their discoveries, but for others it wasn't a Christian faith. Admittedly much modern science is based on the work of Islamic scholars in the medieval period, so I suppose at a stretch you could include the Old Testament as having influenced them?

Why should children in Britain (no matter what faith, or none), not be taught about the religion which shaped the nation they live in?

We have a history class for that, where we are taught about how Christianity affected us. Like the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem Witch trials, the Dark Ages, when the King told the Pope to do one so he could divorce, when a Catholic tried to blow up Parliament etc etc.

But I would question how much faith had to do with any of it, it was just game of thrones power plays, and the actors happened to be Christian because well, they didn't have any other choice and were indoctrinated from birth.

Lets leave religion to the churches and education to the schools.

Why should children in Britain (no matter what faith, or none), not be taught about the religion which shaped the nation they live in?

One more time for those that the back. The OP has no problem with her children being taught about any religion - they participate in RE classes. The objection is to participating in collective worship. This is such a basic distinction I am aghast at literate people's repeated inability to grasp it.

Navigator

That comment was not directed to the OP.

Keep up.

Do you think sharia law where the death sentence and amputations are standard punishments? What makes those punishments abhorrent to us? It is the teachings of Christ who said 'you were ignorant of the law so you were not to blame, but now that I have given you the law you have no excuse.'

Do you seriously believe that only Christians are capable of finding those punishments abhorrent, @llizzie? How very unchristian of you.

Ooooh.
I know this guy!
He’s lovely and his assemblies are fantastic. So engaging. The younger kids love him....for the 10 mins a month that they get to see him.
Are you concerned your children are unable to form their own opinions re religion OP?
Do you allow them to watch adverts on TV?
Being exposed to this kind of stuff and the motivation of others is a higher order skill. A great life lesson!
I don’t believe in God either.

MrsSmythFarquarson, please RTFT, or at least RTFOP's posts. She's happy for her children to go to RE lessons, so obviously she's happy for them to form their own opinions on religion.

SaturdayNext I think you’ve misunderstood.
My point is if the children can watch and enjoy and take part in this 10mins a month and view it as they would (hopefully) view an advert on TV (ie - see the motivation behind it without it necessarily changing their opinions) then it shows a greater level of cognition. It’s an important lesson for later life.
Honestly, this guy is a joy. It’s just a shame you don’t want them to share that joy.
On a practical note. If you’ve said you don’t want them in, they shouldn’t be in. Colouring in / reading outside the school office is what they’ll probably get though. Teachers can’t split themselves in two.

Sunflower
The author wants to withdraw her children specifically from religious assemblies. I asked her why. I would still like to understand why

Maybe because she takes religion a lot more seriously than many here, and understands that the hymn singing and praying are supposed to express or inspire personal belief.

Many people here seem to think a religious activity is equivalent to watching an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants.

Or a TV advert...

You’re right!
TV is much more of an influence on your average 9 year old raised in an atheist household.

@MrsSmythFarquarson - but WHY?why should this man get 'air time' with our children?

TV is much more of an influence on your average 9 year old raised in an atheist household
Not quite, no one pretends TV is factually correct, but schools do pretend to be a bastion of actual knowledge.

I wouldn't let my 9 yo watch an advert for Freddie Kruger, just like I try to not let them take part in cults that worship malevolent child killers (however happy clappy).

OP, I honestly have read most of this thread but cannot remember if you have said how old your twins are (I'll probably find that after posting this). Kids get to an age where they can choose things for themselves, they question every opinion including those of their parents. Mine did, I did.

I'm assuming they are still very little but if they are, say, eight years old, surely they can make their own minds up about the worship part of school assembly.

PS: I get year 4 so they are aged 7-8, yes?

No, they have to have reached age of 8 on 1st September of year four, I just looked it up. So they're old enough to choose for themselves.

I disagree.

They are not old enough to make any serious decisions at eight.

Or do you think religion isn't a serious matter?

MrsSmythFarquarson, somehow I doubt that this man flogs out to a village school to spend 10 minutes with the children.

This thread has astounded me! Wow 😮