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.

I went through a convent school and Catholic secondary school, no child had that reaction - maybe
a wider discussion around the death of your friend would have helped. It’s concerning your daughter couldn’t distinguish between your friend and the Jesus in the Bible - who wasn’t in the cave- being the whole point!

Im sorry for the loss of your friend.

My investment account has grown for the fourth year running, but that doesn't make me a millionaire.

I would suggest that’s unlikely

Which nationally important gatherings can people routinely expect to attend?

12% of the country attended church at least once a month last year. In 2021 just under 47% of the country identified as Christian - given the rise in church attendance since that time this is likely well over half the population (ie the majority) now. Largely driven by young people.

Your last paragraph is what this thread is seemingly about. Immigrants, know your place.

I would hope Remembrance parades and services

Nope

Church attendance has risen since 2020 (most of that will be migrants), it is still lower than it was in 2019. We are not getting more religious.

Communal singing is lovely - as long as people can opt out. I mimed to songs at school as I've always been aware I don't sing in tune.
We have a wide canon of traditional songs in the English language so let's celebrate those. But no need to try and revive something as divisive as Christian hymns. I mean, why would you do that when you can be inclusive?

Being inclusive doesn’t mean blindly accepting other cultures diluting yours.

There you go, we are gettting somewhere now.

I would change diluting for enriching.

Is it?

i think we will have to agree to differ on this.

Happy to do so

Once a year. What else?

So you’re saying that because it happens once a year it’s not an important thing to pull us all together to remember?

Ah.
"We want our country back"
"We're being overrun by the immigrants"

Of course that's what your main concern is.

Protests where they dress up as Maltese Knights with inflatable dragons?

and yet you want children to learn and sing songs that are not relevant to THEIR families?

Not everyone attends Remembrance Day services. They may still respect and remember. You talked about national occasions in the plural. So how many others are there and why is a curriculum of hymn singing necessary?

In CofE, yes. Average weekly attendance in 2019 was 850 ish, vs 2024 it was about 700k. Up from the covid low, but still down and remains only 1.5% of the entire population.
Pretty much proof that most of the country don't give a shit about hymns. And neither do you really, or you'd be in the pews every week too.

Yet we’ll all jump on the bandwagon at Christmas, Easter, for weddings and funerals. Regardless of whether you think they are Pagan or Christian events they are religious and people will happily celebrate when it suits them but apparently a hymn crosses the line.

The labour shortages following WW2 saw a massive influx of multiculturalism from immigrants who were both fleeing an impoverished lifestyle in their home countries or who were infact openly invited to Britain to bolster the economy.

Nepalese gurkas, people from the west indies, and freer movement of peoples from Britains commonwealth nations all contributed to a massive change in our culture, and this was only within the last 80 years.

If there hadn't been a significant change in the society of Britain at the time, there would never have been any need for Enoch Powell and his famous "Rivers of blood" speech.

I have lived here 20 years and have yet to be anywhere where people are singing hymns. I’ve been to Remembrance Day parades that the public are welcome to attend but I think you have to be important to go to the church bit.

I have been working on learning Flower of Scotland as we are very excited to be in the World Cup next year. Maybe that’s something that can be encouraged in schools if the goal is additional nationalism.

We should be free to choose which bits of our own culture we want to continue. If you feel personally that hymns are important, go and sing them.