Why is religion forced on all children at school?

[Kateyoz]

We are not religious and so chose a state school not a faith school for our boys but they come home every day singing hymns they are taught in assembly - the school said we can withdraw them from assemblies but why should they be made to miss out? Shouldn't state schools teach all beliefs and not focus on one, or leave religion to the parents and keep it out of school? Feel like mine are being indoctrinated into a religion against our will

That's not the question though - it's the idea that you can't learn about a faith, or understand more about it, without practising it. Which is a little bizarre.

Why bother with RE in schools if it's only through observance that people can learn about any religion?

It's lovely that people are being helped by Christian charities in whatever way. But it seems a little irrelevant. The homeless man you mentioned chose to approach the church. He opted in.

School children are not opting in to collective worship.

I've been pondering on this as I've been driving between meetings and it strikes me that part of the difficulty with teaching RE is that faith is more than a set of beliefs. For the three Abrahamic faiths worship and social action are integral for the believer. RE can teach doctrine and can look at the different festivals but it misses out the other elements of faith practice. As a result it looks from the outside as if Christianity is all about assent to the Nicene Creed or Westminster Declaration or 'what my pastor says' which is very head based and misses a huge part of what faith is about. My homeless man yesterday was a Muslim and he knew that he could go to a church or mosque for help as helping vulnerable,people is part of our core purpose. I don't know how many children know that if they are only taught festivals and beliefs.

I suspect that the requirement for assemblies of a broadly Christian character in schools will disappear in the next ten years. I don't lead worship in schools because it is not appropriate when only a few children are practising Christians and there are Muslim and Hindu children in the room. Mostly we do PSHE and bit of RE in telling Bible stories.

Sorry that should have said Jassy I'm not at all sure that the purpose of mainstream religion is evangelism or indoctrination. Mind on other things I'm afraid

Mrz, it's certainly one of the purposes (or callings) of the CofE, and doesn't seem to have altered in that regard since I was a member based on some quick research.

Mission in the CofE and here for a broader Anglican view.

Thegreenheart, that sounds like more of a failing of the way RE is taught rather than an impossibility of explaining those concepts without worshipping in the faith in question, but I may be misunderstanding.

What is your problem?

Whether you like it or nor this is still a (nominally ) christian county.

Whether you like it or not it wasChristianity that got rid os the sale trade and Christianprinciple that led to the emancipation of women.

Christians are not (on the whole) monsters!

There are many more radical religions - Christianity is a gentle and loving one - or should be. It is Christian principles (whether you ike it or not!) which have encouraged the muti-cultiural society in which we die in Britain.

I'm a Christian - it pee's me off the people want weddings in church , baptisms, fi=unerals - but haven't got a good word to day for the Chritian faith (of any denomination).

What;s your problem - it sounds as though you've sent your children to a Christian/faith based school and are now pee'd because it doesn't fit your personal agenda.

*got rid of the slave trade

Bloody hell autocorrect - what are you playing at?

*live in Britain, not die - hell's teeth!!!!!

Too many misprints - I give up!

"What;s your problem - it sounds as though you've sent your children to a Christian/faith based school and are now pee'd because it doesn't fit your personal agenda."

There are no state schools in this country which are not Christian/faith based. But that's obviously fine for you because it fits your personal agenda.

But surely you can simply request that your child opts out of the religious bits if you don't like it? I can't see how that's forcing them.

"What;s your problem - it sounds as though you've sent your children to a Christian/faith based school and are now pee'd because it doesn't fit your personal agenda

My child is at a faith school because I had no option to send him elsewhere. It was the CofE school closest to our school or nothing. Given how short our borough is of school places, it was put up or shut up, and I cannot afford private school at this point.

So yes, I'm irritated about that, because the state is funding services that accord privileges Christianity over other children and none. It's funding churches to discriminate against five year olds, which is particularly appalling. Luckily for us, my son's school got a poor(ish) Ofsted that saw the number of children getting in under the faith criterion drop sharply. Apparently their strong commitment to a Christian education for their children diminished and they were perfectly happy with other schools when the Ofsted wasn't quite so shiny. So my son gets an education at his nearest school tomorrow rather than the failing faith school 40 minutes away, we could be a lot worse off. And we're certainly better off than those parents who missed out on a local school place altogether while children from outside the borough are driven in to faith schools each day:

It's a perfectly nice school so far. And we are emphasising at home not to be unthinking about religion, as the school encourages the children to be.

But what's my problem? I don't think the state should give preferential treatment to one religion over another. I don't think it should fund institutions that openly and knowingly discriminate against small children, and disproportionately against more disadvantaged children.

I think universal services should be provided on a neutral and non-discrimatory basis. The privilege afforded to Christianity in the school system falls well short.

I have no interest in interfering in the religions or beliefs of others, as I've made clear repeatedly on this thread. I simply wish Christians (in particular in this country) would afford others the same respect.

Does that help?

But surely you can simply request that your child opts out of the religious bits if you don't like it? I can't see how that's forcing them

So the child gets foisted off into a side room and excluded from part of the life of the school, so that the Church can retain its special place in the education of children?

Why? Why not opt in worship, if worship is required?

Or they could enjoy a more neutral communal and collective time, as we are told some schools practise in spite of outdated and discriminatory laws.

So the non religious child has to be conspicuous and opt out and miss part of the life of the school- thereby perpetuating the view that Christianity is the norm.

Everyone here seems to forget (or ignore)that it is the Christian ethos which makes this such a welcoming and accepting country . . .

Give me a Catholic Grammar school every day!

If the only available grammar schools were catholic , where i lived i would have become a Catholic and that is from an atheist !

My brother did exactly that so is children could get in to his local Catholic grammar!

Wise choice His DD left Liverpool University with first class Degree in French/Business studies 6 months ago and as landed a £50k job in London 'instantly' Thank God for Catholic Grammar Schools.

Nephew is 2nd year at Warwick doing politics 'Catholic' Grammar schools are ACE !

I grew up in Northern Ireland where I can't honestly say that the Christian ethos was particularly welcoming and accepting. And Christan Uganda is, of course, well-known for its welcoming and accepting ways.

Christianity (like other religions) tends to shape itself to the culture around it.

In all of the threads regarding schools, the one thing that i can't get my head around is why are certain posters let Grammar schools and faith schools be!

They are very successful and usually great schools, because they offer what is required !

Bertrand you don't seem to understand if a school is 'shit in a grammar school area, it would still be a 'shit' school without being in a grammar area.

Everyone here seems to forget (or ignore)that it is the Christian ethos which makes this such a welcoming and accepting country

Really? What distinctively Christian values and ethos are they, that are absent in secular states?

They are very successful and usually great schools, because they offer what is required

No, it's because they have special rules that let them select a disproportionately middle class (and parentally-supported) intake.

Faith schools that don't practise faith selection do no better than any other schools.

Faith school's are only "better" because they are selective. Undersubscribed faith schools are no better than any other school.

But this thread isn't about faith schools- it's about faith in schools.

My niece's best friend from school was not 'particularly' middle class with a single mother and uncle in jail , yet she has just been taken on by British Airways Long Haul at Heathrow .

The girls at my nieces school all do very well and meet their potential.

Though maybe my idea of what 'middle' class and parents who support their child and school may be different than some posters ideas!

Sandy- you're on the wrong thread.

Sandy - (a) not quite the point of the thread and (b) I think you missed the 'disproportionately'. It is not the same as 'solely'.

I have no idea what selection criteria your niece's school operates, but I'd suggest it's irrelevant, anecdote not being equal to data.