AIBU to expect religion to be taught & practised at religious schools?

[KristinaM]

I am getting rather fed up with the threads that go........

" Although we are not Jewish we have chosen to send our son to the local Jewish school, its got a good ethos and great results. Now he has started we are very angry and upset to discover that they celebrate all the Jewish festivals and have acts of worship with a rabbi present.They even take them to the synagogue.

I don't want to have my child brainwashed with fairy stories.I only want him exposed to my particular beliefs. I am worried he will grow up and have a mind of his own and not believe the same as me. How can I get the school to change to suit me??"

Yeah, that's annoying.

Slightly different to the funding issue, which I can understand, but yes, objecting to a religious school having religion in it is odd.

oh, you are going to be in trouble. Will watch with interest.

That's NOT what the other thread is about!

But as a future (I hope) RE Teacher, well of course its not wrong to teach religion in a religious school- I DO thnk ALL schools should include some lessons on other faiths, especially eprhaps in a limited experiential environment, but otherwise not an issue.

Still not what other thread is about though

erm, which thread is that then? perhaps you could give us a link to the thread you mean.

You know perfectly well Miss Harpsi- coz you've posted on it

yes well that thread is nothing like that, is it?
it says, I want my child to go to this faith school, but they won't take him because I am ap pagan.
I mean I am no theologian but that is slightly different.
perhaps it is some sort of scriptural interpretation

But i did get the impression this was a reaction to that thread, perhaps I was wrong

Esp the fairy stories- that was a quote from the other thread, was it not

Sorry if I misinterpreted though

im guenuinely interested in this topic.
why do people oppose to a specific religion being taught to their child if they have chosen to send their child to that school? they must know what to expect? i agree that education should be provided about other faiths too though....does this not happen as standard? im a bit clueless on this topic but facinated all the same.

oh yes.
a non denominational school is not a faith school though is it?? so I don't really see what the connection is between religion being taught at a nondenom school and a Jewish school?
honestly, I think I may have fallen through the looking glass.

Well, my satnce on this is simple- as longa s there are other options in a catchemnt then I haev no objection, my objection was that famillies are being turned away from their local school because the school is enabled to be selective. other than that i have no big issues.

the religiosn thing- schools are meant to cover 2 at primary level IIRC, ours however opts to add in Judaism and just does the old testament, which I feel is a complete cop out.

Can't say I've ever seen a thread like that on MN Kristina.

Plenty of threads about faith schools but never one how you describe.

Unless totally written in jest of course.

Well, in Christian terminology, a non-denominational organization is usually one that is explicitly Christian, but not tied to Baptist/Anglican/Methodist churches.

The use in the thread on Faith schools seemed to mean 'no religious affiliation'

I think there have been plenty of threads along these lines in the last few weeks, since the beginning of term when new starters at school discovered that many schools do actually attempt to teach children something about faith.

And I really don't get how people think that children will be able to "work out what they believe for themselves" if they are never given the opportunity to experience some form of religious observance in practice. Christian children have plenty of opportunity to experience a culture of unbelief. So why shouldn't children from non-religious backgrounds have an opportunity to find out what worship, prayer etc is like, so that they can decide whether it's for them. It is not something that you can make a sensible decision about if all you ever do is read about what other people believe in some dry school textbook. It has to be experienced.

Children from non-religious backgrounds are highly unlikely to be brainwashed by the type of religious observance they experience in school. There are very few schools where they will be told that matters of belief are cut and dried. But if they experience some limited form of worship during their school years, they might just have a proper opportunity to decide whether it is for them or not. And if that means parents have to have a conversation with their children about why they don't believe, so much the better.

Smithagain, that's a fantastic post. I went to a church school (juniors, small village, the only other choice was a catholic school) and although I wouldn't say I was an atheist (probably veer closer to an agnostic) it did give me something to think about.
My own dd goes to a CofE (lower) school too (as did ds) and I would expect that religion wise they will make their own choices.

I certainly think children should be taught about religion - its various forms, the beliefs of various peoples, cultural influences and so on. Everything, within reason (and time constraints) from Ancient Greek Gods to Zoroastrianism.

That, needless to say, is not the same as being taught religion.

Is a "limited form of worship" going to give children an idea of what religion is about, or just what one small corner of one belief is about?

I've always thought that, rather than teaching children what to think, we are better off teaching them how to think - using critical methods, examining the evidence, putting theories to the test and so on.

At some point I'd love it if this diagram could be brought in.

My dd goes to the local state school that is affiliated to the CofE school. They have a harvest festival service in the Church but they do not have a Christmas nativity. Last year they did a play about a giant banning pixies from his garden or some such shite. My dd has never starred in a nativity play and she is now 7. I feel really sad that she will lose out on such a wonderful thing. It's a lovely memory to be able to recount what role you played in the school nativities - but she'll never be able to do that.

I feel strongly as a Christian school that it should celebrate Christmas properly.

Even as an atheist I have no objection to Nativity plays, probably on nostalgia grounds more than anything! I don't mind reading children's versions of Bible stories to my kids either - I read them all sorts of fairytales, after all!

I think I shall attend the next PTA meeting at dd's school and cause a rumpus! I've not had a good rumpus in ages!

I teach in a Catholic school (I'm practicing evangelical Anglican), and we have lots of Muslim and Sikh girls - they have no problems singing the hymns and making the Sign of the Cross, etc. We don't ignore their faith backgrounds, for example having a Hijab in school colours on the uniform list.

I always do a morning prayer with my Form. In fact, I make them write their own prayers and read them out to the class. I think that being a praying form really gels us together as a Christ-like community.

Rumpus!! Rumpus!!

I have little truck with religion but I have even less truck with right-on, PC, let's-not-offend-anyone, inspid, "culturally sensitive" bollocks. Which is why I'd do the same!

I have read a number of threads that go something like this. Of course, the religion is not always Judaism, i just chose that as an example. Its usually Christian, specifically CofE or RC. i am amazed how many posters seem to think that these schools should not teach children about Christianity or its customs / festivals.

i remember one MNer told her child not to listen and to say soemthing else in her head when the teacher led prayers. How disrespectful! Why could the child not listen and consider whether or not they agreed with the sentimenst expressed? Did the parent not expect that there woudl be prayers in a church school?

i also find it interesting that these parents are extremely derogaotory about the religion to which their child's school is affliiated, calling it nonsense and fairy stories. If it was a Jewish or Islamic school people would be much more circumspect in their comments. Surely it is sufficient to say that you don't agree with others people's religious beliefs?

and if you dont agree, why send your child there?

Should I streak at the PTA wearing just little angel wings and calling for a school nativity do you think?