To think all schools should teach children the old traditional hymns

[Staringintothevoid616]

Just switching between channels and Songs of Praise came on. It was a run down of the most popular school hymns.complete with recorders It brought back many memories and how important communal singing is. It doesn’t matter what your religion is, everyone should know the most popular hymns as a way of uniting society.

We could do something useful with communal singing and all belt out some bangers by ASAPScience. Science GCSE's would skyrocket.

I love a bit of the periodic table song while I clean the kitchen.

I'm going to ask again, which gatherings do you mean?

I don't know really. There's no need to know hymns unless you're Christian. If you were meant to be singing them at some national gathering or other they'd put the words on a screen or on a sheet of paper.

@Staringintothevoid616
I’m not Christian and wouldn’t call it forcing Christianity on anyone. We are a culturally Christian society, the idea is that all kinds know the same songs. When I was a kid, any child would be able to sing All things Bright and beautiful etc

What you're saying is that the words don't matter - it's the singing together that's important.

Well, the words matter to me. And they mattered to me when I was a kid. And they certainly matter to me as a parent.

However, if you don't think they matter, I'll re-write them, and then it'll be difficult for anyone to disagree with you that everyone should be able to sing along.

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All things bright and beautiful,
all quadrupeds and birds,
all things wise and wonderful,
show evolution works.

Each little flow'r that opens,
each little bird that nests,
is naturally selected
to do what it does best.

All things bright and beautiful,
all quadrupeds and birds,
all things wise and wonderful,
show evolution works.

The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
are small parts of a cosmos
that at some point must die.

(Altogether, children!)

All things bright and beautiful,
all quadrupeds and birds,
all things wise and wonderful,
show evolution works.

Did you go to church or Sunday school as a child OP?

I feel this way too, though I get into trouble about voicing it!

A profession with one foot in the history of (Western) art, architecture, and the literary canon is inconceivable without solid familiarity with Christianity’s supreme influence. (Well, not just Christianity of course. Same applies to a familiarity with the Old Testament)
A degree in English Literature requires a similar cultural hinterland. (Try Chaucer or Milton from a cold start, for example!)

It all this which makes me so very anxious about the elimination of all Bible instruction in schools. We risk cutting off access to a great deal more than joyous carol singing.

Yes! Why?

Yes to both these things, you really can’t understand anything about the last 2000 years of European history, art, literature and culture without a full grounding in Christianity

What are these nationally important gatherings?

I don’t identify as British, don’t support the Royals (so don’t watch Royal weddings or funerals - and wouldn’t be singing along - I say that having worked on the queen’s funeral and king’s coronation), don’t watch the olympics, don’t sing the English national anthem………. Both DH and I attend Rememberance events - we don’t sing or pray. We don’t attend carol services or religious events and church weddings these days are rare. We didn’t attend christenings. Most funerals are secular in our circles. We don’t sing in churches.

I know all the hymns but almost 40 years after leaving primary school there is literally no scenario in which I can see that being of any personal or national benefit whatsoever.

Because any child who was required to spend years of sunny Sunday mornings sitting in a dusty church hall colouring in pictures of Jesus and the apostles would surely have an inkling of how Christianity would negatively impact a kid. 😂

Where did I say the words don’t matter, they matter very much. You’ve just put your own interpretation on there to er showcase your extraordinary poor poetry.

I hated singing hymns in assembly. Thankgod my kids didn't have to do it. Yes they sang songs in school. Usually based on what they where learning in school at the time or happy feel good songs. They made assemblies more memorable for the right reasons. Why should kids have religious songs rambed down their thoughts?

Didn’t negatively impact me at all, it gave me the knowledge to access lots of our culture, history, art and literature. Feel very privileged to have had access to that.

Do you think a kid sitting in a class room learning science rather than being in the sun is negatively impacted by the scientific method?

You said, "You can sing them without having to believe you know!"

"What are these nationally important gatherings?"

Tommy Robinson rallies?

You said that you don't have to believe it to sing it. So it doesn't matter what they are.

As to the quality of my lyric, I tried hard to get it on a seamless par with the original.

There was no culture, art, history and literature before Christianity?

When in society are you talking about again @Staringintothevoid616 ?

Which is clearly not stating the words don’t matter. If I read Stephen King do the words not matter even if I don’t believe in demonic forces appearing as clowns?

Did you appreciate that at the time? Or would you rather have been playing in the park with your pals?

Has all that knowledge made you more broad minded, generous spirited, open to new ideas and cultures? More inclusive?

Well as I stated, the last 2000 years of European history

But you're not inciting other people to sing about Stephen King's demons at 'national events'.

And there were no influences before that?

Incidentally, I agree that you need to understand Christianity to appreciate the last two thousand years of western civilisation.

But you don't have to take part in its rituals.

"You can sing them without having to believe you know!"

Why would anyone want to do this?

Would you have been happy to join in with a few choruses of "Deutschland über alles" in 1937 because, like you don't have to believe you know?

Do kids generally appreciate being stuck inside learning to read and write when they could be out playing?

Oh I’m quite open to new ideas. I’m very open to new cultures, I’ve done lots of travelling. It’s such a shame certain pressures have been pushed so the world has become more of a blur, you used to really notice different cultures as you travelled place to place. Globalisation has wiped out these beautiful differences you used to get travelling. Such a pity.

I Welcome anyone into the UK willing to fully integrate into traditional British culture and not try to change it. Being inclusive doesn’t mean blindly accepting other cultures diluting yours.