Will your child be starting worship this September?

[LichtenA]

Christian worship has been compulsory in our state schools since 1944. The law is widely ignored but can cause problems for parents, pupils and even teachers where it is enforced.

As part of their state education, this September, you child could be compelled to participate in Christian worship to a God they may have little or no concept of.

You can sign the petition to end compulsory worship in schools.

Your 'secular half-baked tripe' sounds perfect to me hulababy! My infants' school is not that diverse so unfortuately we have to go through the god/amen 5 minutes in assembly but our seal and pshe cover human values that are inclusive to everyone.

"not even well rotted" - ??????????????

You took your child out of school over a 20 minute assembly 2 or 3 times a week? We would have far far more issues if we tried having a full on religious assembly at school. Not sure how it work really we'd have far more opted out of assembly than in. It is only because of the way we deal with our assemblies and our RS lessons that allow us to also cover other religious events in detail with all of our parents.

Our assemblies work very well for our school. That is not just my opinion - it is also my experience and my knowledge, and also the opinion of the general school parental body. Maybe it isn't right for you as an individual. but schools have to act on what is best for the main school body, thats all of their children not just one child and their parents.

We have full integrated and well developed RS lessons at school which covers the curriculum and more. It has been further developed in prep for this academic year.

But our catchment pupils are what matter to us as a school and we do what is appropriate and suitable for them.

Kimaroo We have a very diverse school - the backgrounds of our children spans many countries, many languages and many economic backgrounds too. It makes for a very rich environment which we try to use to our advantage in everything we do, even assemblies:)

Wow.

I can see the good of religious education pouring out of the page right now [unsure]

Also pagan. And I won't be signing it. It's important for children to learn about other religions IMO.

"not even well rotted" - ??????????????

Well rotted BS is useful in the garden. The BS agenda isnt even that. Its too new and hot for comfort. Its a gardening analogy I used earlier.

You took your child out of school over a 20 minute assembly 2 or 3 times a week?

No, I took my DC out of the schoolsoas not to be exposedto this unhealthy BS agenda. I said that earlier too. I do not like PC type agendas. Schools aretoo full of them today. I want an education for my DC and some moral guidance not an indoctrination in modern secular rubbish.

I can see the good of religious education pouring out of the page right now [unsure]

If you mean me, you are quite wrong.
I am not religious at all. However, I stillfell my DC has a right not to be kept in ignorance of what is not just a relgious practice but also part of culture and civilization historically in the wider sense.

I explained that earlier.

I think we can over worry about religious overtones to assemblies etc.

I was at school in the 1970s when it was much more active. I remember a religious based assembly every day and yet I have not grown up distorted in any way.

Less depends on religion in schools and much more on how we as parents respond to that. My son is in a Catholic school despite us not being Catholic. He takes part in any religious stuff the school do (not actually very much) and knows that different people have different beliefs and that some have none. He is not corrupted by this knowledge. We have had some really interesting conversations about faith.

I wouldn't dream of pulling him out of anything religion based....even in a non faith school. Why would I?

It matters less than many seem to think.

THe problem is that although religion in schools does not always breed adherants, it does breed a nation of casual acceptance of religion, as is evident on this thread.

This casual acceptance allows the church to maintain a stranglehold on our society, allows unelected church members to control our laws, our social architecture.

It matters a great deal.

combust, so what is it you object to about the laws and social architechture which the church influences? I can only think of positives for this, even though myself I am atheist.

so what is it you object to about the laws and social architechture which the church influences? I can only think of positives for this, even though myself I am atheist.

When your children start coming home telling you they have learned how to identify child witches will you be bothered?

It is not just the nice gentle C of E, many school 'outsource' to other organisations and some have odd ideas.

OAC has on its website We have the privilege of being able to go into state and many private schools to take assemblies and also R.E. Classes. Biblical truth is communicated in relevant ways according to age by such means as sketch board, object lessons and puppet shows. The sense of excitement which greets our workers is quite something and testament to their effective communication skills.

Open the book say "more and more people are grasping the simplicity with which churches can extend and enjoy their ministry to every child in their locality – especially to the 'unchurched' and their families."

www.openthebook.net/downloads/OtB-News_0413.pdf

THe problem is that although religion in schools does not always breed adherants, it does breed a nation of casual acceptance of religion

This. Exactly this.

For those of you who don't object to your child experiencing Christian worship, what if we switched it round to something like politics? Imagine if every day the Head Teacher started reading out the Tory manifesto and asked children to recite part of it. Would you be ok with that?

sashh Child witches???? Yes I would be bothered, but seeing as they don't and are not likely to I don't really see your point.

Lucas made the point I as going to say! It's the casual acceptance and the importance it gives to (any) religion just by it being a part of the school day.

Worship has NO place in state funded schools. If children wish to pray they can do it at home or in their place of worship. It blows my mind that this still takes part today.

My DC are all withdrawn from worship. They leave before the end of assembly with the Muslim children, Jehovah children, Plymouth breathren kids and a few atheists. They frequently miss announcments which the head does after worship. I also remove them from the local bible thumpers weekly visit (they bung all the non worshiping kids in front of a DVD for 45 minutes). This is a NON FAITH school. Utter madness.

I am not overly bothered about religion though, I cannot see that it has any great stranglehold any more. Most of society does not attend church any more and doesn't listen to what a church has to say.

I get the point that faith should not exist in non faith schools, I also support the idea that in an ideal world there would be no faith schools. We don't live in an ideal world though and as such we live with what we have got.

And if my child was hearing bits of any political manifesto/whatever on a daily basis I would feel able to discuss it with him. I wouldn't feel threatened by that either.....he watches TV, he sees all manner of debate.

I am troubled that a non faith school would allow any religious organisation in to their school unless it was for educational purposes and part of a general RE lesson....where the belief would be up for debate.

What bothers me most in this thread though is the number of non faith schools with such a religious agenda. It sounds far more intense than anything my son has experienced in his Catholic primary school.

he watches TV, he sees all manner of debate.

Your child is getting a balance of views by watching the news and seeing debates. This is emphatically NOT what happens in assembly.

Yep but this is why we TALK about what he hears no sees, both inside and outside of school.

It honestly matters less than many seem to think....I really suspect people get a tad hysterical about nothing here ( now definitely in the minority ).

I do agree religion doesn't belong in schools though and have signed the petition. It doesn't overly bother me but I really don't see the need for it all outside of faith schools,....especially in the form people talk about here. Even my son's catholic school isn't as extreme as some of the stuff I am seeing here,

I have signed the petition.

I am not worried about DS taking part in religious rituals, he has taken part in many over the year, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish and Christian, and some others too, for all I know. And he has never been in a state school that includes any worship in the moving uplifting thoughtful assemblies that include secular songs etc.

For me it is just wrong, and against our civil rights in a democracy that the state should make it law that religious worship is part of the state funded education system. Whether children can be withdrawn or not. Why should a secular government be decreeing that religious rituals take place in state schools? It makes no sense in a free society.

Freedom to practice religion must be sacrosanct. Freedom from religion should be equally so. It s a matter of democratic principle to me.

The church is part of the establishment, the Church of England is our state religion so the government isn't really secular. They say prayers in the Commons and I wouldn't be surprised if they have to take some sort of pledge to God and the Queen on becoming an MP. Loads of bishops in the House of Lords as well! Until we disestablish the Church of England we are stuck with our ludicrous practices I suppose.

DoctorDonna so you would rather your dc was taught an unproven theory ie Darwin

Or Gravity perhaps? Gravity is a theory, I don't believe it is mentioned in the Bible either.

Are you floating around?

Sadly, in this country that means that the children are probably being taught some obscene message of tolerance for fellow human beings, to treat others as they would wish to be treated and to ponder their own spirituality

How the hell does it do that?

I would like to leave fellow human beings to pray if they want, to any deity(or ies) they want and not if they want. I don't want children forced to recite prayers.