Page 2 | To remove dd from RS

MossandRoy · 2021-02-04T10:39:02+00:00

The lack of balance is annoying. There is an assumption that there is a god. There is an assumption that everyone believes in that god. I can remove her. Has anyone done this successfully? I'm concerned she'll be given a hard time...

spanieleyes · 04/02/2021 12:06

@breatheslowandtrust

That was presumably nearly 30 years ago. I think things have moved on a little since then-as you can see from the number of atheist RE teachers on here! I would think atheist RE teachers are actually in the majority these days.

MrsR87 · 04/02/2021 12:17

I’m a teacher (not RS) and the RS teacher in our school is an atheist and from what I have seen of his lessons, there is a real balance of different religious views and also non religious views. I think the way it’s taught where I work really encourages pupils to respect others, no matter what they believe, and for me, this is a key skill.

Rather than pulling your daughter out of the subject, if you are really concerned about the balance, I would contact the teacher. Perhaps lessons aren’t quite as they would usually be due to the online learning or perhaps they are moving on to other viewpoints later in the year. If you are not happy with the response you get, I would then take it up with the head of department who has ultimate responsibility for what is taught.

MechantGourmet · 04/02/2021 12:18

Is it Mother Teresa?

It's your job to counteract views that go against what you want her to believe. She takes her moral and ethical values from you.

My children are in rs lessons, because they study a number of different religions and belief systems that otherwise my children probably wouldn't be exposed to. It's good for them to learn about others and their beliefs and practices. We talk a lot about what they have been presented with as gospel !!

PotholeParadies · 04/02/2021 12:33

I had problems with RS in one school, because over the months, it became clear that Bible stories were being taught as fact, and stories of other religions were being presented as stories from other countries.

I do not send my children to school to be told that the Flood and Noah's Ark literally happened.

usernamenotavailible · 04/02/2021 12:34

IME year 7 RS is a lot more Christianity based than the older years. I have a child who did RS as a GCSE and part of the syllabus is learning what atheists believe. My other child is in year 8 and currently learning about Hindu gods. I’d just point out to your DD that everything she learns is open to interpretation, and she can decide what she believes. I wouldn’t pull her out as to me that sends the message that she doesn’t need to understand others’ beliefs.

strawberriesontheNeva · 04/02/2021 12:37

It's an easy subject to get a good grade in, just tell her to get on with it.

NeverDropYourMoonCup · 04/02/2021 12:40

@MossandRoy

Thanks for responding all. Not a faith school, no. She's Yr 7. Been annoyed at rs from about Yr 2. This morning's lesson particularly annoyed her. It was about a famous religious person who is idolised, but there was no balance to say that this person was also very unkind to those who didn't hold the same views, would only help 'believers'. We had a chat about it all and that prompted the conversation (again) about taking her out of the lessons. She has very much already decided for herself. 'You don't need a god to be a good person'

I can't disagree.

Mother Teresa?

Itsnotlikethiswithotherpeople · 04/02/2021 12:41

I’m coming at this with a strong personal faith and a regular church attender, but we keep our kids in RS for all of it including lots about beliefs we don’t personally share because I think religious literacy is important. I want my children to understand and respect those of different faiths and also to recognise allusions to their rituals and traditions in culture and literature.

Dogonahottinroof · 04/02/2021 12:41

Total pain for the school and she will be labelled as the one.

Also raises questions about community cohesion, preparation or life in modern Britain and Fundamental British values and tolerance when you have a parent that wants to withdraw from RE.

Itsnotlikethiswithotherpeople · 04/02/2021 12:43

@PotholeParadies

I had problems with RS in one school, because over the months, it became clear that Bible stories were being taught as fact, and stories of other religions were being presented as stories from other countries.

I do not send my children to school to be told that the Flood and Noah's Ark literally happened.

To be fair, very very very few Christians believe in the bible as historical/scientific ‘fact’ either. Although there is historical evidence of a large flood around the right time, so probably has some basis in fact.

Ginfordinner · 04/02/2021 12:43

The PDF on this link www.gov.uk/government/publications/religious-education-guidance-in-english-schools-non-statutory-guidance-2010 gives you an idea of what RE should involve these days.

If you are unhappy with the way it is being taught I would contact the school before you pull your daughter out of RE classes. If it is a non faith school they should be teaching about religion, not teaching religion.

PotholeParadies · 04/02/2021 12:44

Itsnotlikethiswithotherpeople

Yeah, it was a surprise to me, too.

redheadwitch · 04/02/2021 12:45

By removing her from the subject you are teaching her that if she doesn't enjoy something, or doesn't agree with it, she can remove herself from it all together. That may lead to a a pretty strong sense of self entitlement and ignorance.

I am agnostic. I excelled at RS at school and went on to study theology at university level. Religion, whether you like it or not, is a big part of daily life and of how our society has been built. Your daughter doesn't have to agree with it, she doesn't have to enjoy it but she does live in a multi-cultural world and should learn to understand and tolerate the beliefs of others. At least to a bare minimum level such as is taught in RS at school.

Earslaps · 04/02/2021 12:47

My DS is Y7 and at his school it's called 'Religion and Philosophy', they've learned about some of the main Philosophers, this term they are learning about medieval Christian beliefs and the Crusades. He and I are both athiests but I think he's actually finding the lessons quite interesting.

If it was more of an indoctrination I would be annoyed as we specifically chose a non-faith school. Not sure I'd sign him out of lessons though, we'd just discuss the issues at home.

Tvci5 · 04/02/2021 12:50

It's a shame she's not enjoying it, it's a hugely diverse subject especially when it's combined with Ethics and Philosophy

Daydreamsinglorioustechnicolor · 04/02/2021 12:50

Religion plays an enormous role in why the world is the way it is today. I think its important to have a good understanding of the main faiths. I'm atheist.

Original poster

MossandRoy · 04/02/2021 12:51

Yes, being taught it as 'facts'... I've spoken to the deputy head. He's going to talk to the teacher to get her take on things

OP posts:

VinylDetective · 04/02/2021 12:54

@picklemewalnuts

Does she feel no need to understand the art and music that has arisen out of religion? Or the context within which other people live their lives?

Surely you can study what other people believe without getting irate? Wouldn't it be interesting to know the perspective some people are starting from?

To me that's like not doing geography because you don't need to know what it's like everywhere else.

Absolutely agree. It’s impossible to understand great swathes of art and literature without a working knowledge of religion. Knowledge and belief are different things.

Original poster

MossandRoy · 04/02/2021 12:55

"By removing her from the subject you are teaching her that if she doesn't enjoy something, or doesn't agree with it, she can remove herself from it all together."

I thought I was teaching her that she has choices. And if she doesn't have to do something she disagrees with, she doesn't have to. I've worked with nurses who have refused to assist with terminations of pregnancy, that's their choice.

OP posts:

AlternativePerspective · 04/02/2021 12:56

I went to a devoutly Christian school abroad. We had to pray before and after every meal, partake in individual worship in the morning and at night, everything was done in the name of God, and when I once asked how we could know that the God they were worshipping was the right one I was told that you never question.

Whether we like it or not religion is a part of society, not just Christianity, but also other religions.

And teaching about an idolised person in the name of their religion is going to show how that person was viewed by their religion, iyswim.

If she has made up her mind what she believes or doesn’t believe, then it shouldn’t bother her what other people believe or don’t believe.

I am an atheist now BTW.

Spied · 04/02/2021 13:00

Your dd is growing up in a predominantly Christian society. She can't remove herself from that. I'm presuming you don't reject Christmas/Easter and I think she will gain a lot from looking at it through a sociological perspective.
She obviously understands that people have different beliefs and not everyone believes in God but I think it will bode her well to stick with it. She will also miss out on learning about different religions and cultures.
What will pulling her out of lessons achieve?

Sirzy · 04/02/2021 13:01

So if she chooses not to do other subjects would you accept that?

Much better to do the subject and learn to question things and look into them further than hide from things because they don’t agree with your view

redheadwitch · 04/02/2021 13:05

I thought I was teaching her that she has choices. And if she doesn't have to do something she disagrees with, she doesn't have to. I've worked with nurses who have refused to assist with terminations of pregnancy, that's their choice.

I don't like paying taxes. That doesn't mean I can just decide to remove myself from the practice. It doesn't mean I shouldn't know how they are calculated. It doesn't mean I shouldn't know why they are charged and what they are spent on.

What you believe in & what you agree with do not always go hand in hand with what you know and understand.

Your daughter needs to learn about religion because she will encounter it countless times throughout her life; whether that be colleagues or friends who need to pray throughout the day. Whether it be a future husband who had diet restrictions due to religion. Whether its because her future sister in law wants her to be Godmother to a child. Religion is a regular occurrence in life and just because she doesn't enjoy RS at school does not mean you should be facilitating her in closing her mind to it.

pointythings · 04/02/2021 13:06

Contacting the teacher is the right thing to do. He/she should not be teaching faith as fact, and when teaching about religious figures, those people should be subject to scrutiny just like anyone else. Blind adulation has no place in the classroom.

GCSE RE is a valuable subject which can enrich other subjects as well as promoting a deeper understanding of cultures, but it has to be taught properly.

As for 'this is a Christian country' - not really, the UK like much of the West is increasingly secular. Fine to teach about religion. Not fine to teach actual religion, except in faith schools where people sign up for that. (I think they should be abolished).

FlyingFaster · 04/02/2021 13:08

@MossandRoy

"By removing her from the subject you are teaching her that if she doesn't enjoy something, or doesn't agree with it, she can remove herself from it all together."

I thought I was teaching her that she has choices. And if she doesn't have to do something she disagrees with, she doesn't have to. I've worked with nurses who have refused to assist with terminations of pregnancy, that's their choice.

She does have choices, but how can she make an informed choice about religion (or lack of) if she doesn't have at least a basic knowledge of the major world religions and what they believe?

The nurses can choose not to participate in the procedure and even disagree with that choice personally. Likewise people can choose not to participate in religion, or to disagree with it, but agree that others have the right to make their own choices.

I don't think some things should be a choice in education. I would have loved to never had to do art or PE- hated both. But it didn't cause me great harm to suffer through things I hated, found boring and didn't see the point of.