Prayer focus in schools

[annandale]

I seem to be starting a lot of potentially goody threads at the moment but I am trying very hard not to be goady, while being aware that this issue makes me truculent.

I am FB friends with a woman who is part of a Hillsong church. She works as part of a team aiming to open prayer spaces in schools. She frequently posts things about being thankful to open new prayer spaces in schools. As far as I'm aware this hasn't happened at ds'so school and I don't want it to. I'd imagine the focus would be on primary schools though.

My hackles rise at any attempt to get an increased religious practice into British schools. But am I just prejudiced? Has this happened at a school you know, has it been positive?

Our school didn't have a prayer room but that awful prayer was everywhere like a disease and it did me and my siblings no good whatsoever.
Okay maybe it did do some good. It taught us to take a lot of things with a pinch of salt.
Our parents were atheist. One local village primary. One religious head. Many nut job teachers. First hour of the day? Singing religious songs and praying. Still to this day sometimes burst into a chorus of lord of the dance. Totally brainwashed whether I like it or not. Wish I could bleach those songs out of my head.
Teachers knew my parents did not give a shit about Jesus. I was made Mary in the school play. I don't think it was a coincidence. Parents called into school countless times because we had somehow been disrespectful to God.
It was really quite terrible.
And I quote the best thing I have ever read:
Religion is like having a big dick. It's okay to have one, but please don't get it out in public or shove it down others throats without invitation.

Its not that there shouldn't be a room which can be used for prayer because not everyone prays. That would just be dog in the manger. Its just that it should be a room which is obviously available for the 'spiritual' (in a pretty broad sense) needs of all pupils - inclusive not an exclusive theist club room, if you will.

C8H the point I was making was to get rid of any element that is religion - why should religion or prayer have any kind of priority or badging of any description? It's a school not a church - leave religion at the door, or teach theory, yes, but there should be no involvement if religion

Think if it this way - if Disney started asking for rooms so they could brandish themselves in schools I believe the answer would be no, so why should the church be able to?

Our primary school introduced a prayer space last year (C of E school). Both DC initially really liked it (not heard it mentioned since they have been back at school). We are very firmly atheist in our household, and as my elder DC pointed out "you don't need to be religious to enjoy the prayer space. It's a quiet place to think about important things". I was impressed by his attitude. We use any religious practice in school as a chance to talk about what we think at home.

In my 15 years as a school parent-most of them as a governor I have never met anyone who thinks that children should not be taught about religion

Mileage varies.

DP is Chair of Governers at a large comp, has been on the body since 2001. Each year a few parents want to withdraw children from RE on grounds of indoctrination and object to the teaching (some atheist parents, some religious of various varieties). Some just want the children removed from the lessons on Religion X where X varies. The school has to remind them of the law and the difference between RE and RI. Currently they have a complaint from a parent that a teacher was indoctrinating in RE (teacher in question is not even religious or from the cultural background in question).

However I wasn't actually thinking at the school level. The evangelicals I know oppose religion in schools in any form, on grounds of inevitable indoctrination. They also argue that its reasonable to discriminate against people in the jobs market if they are religious as such people are obviously stupid. This may be something I come across more due to industry sector but it was those attitudes that decided me I no longer belonged in the SS (never been a member of BHA). They may be the UKIP of atheism but they certainly do exist and in positions of influence.

It's a school not a church - leave religion at the door, or teach theory, yes, but there should be no involvement if religion

If you mean (as I think you do) that you are happy with RE but would not want RI then we are in agreement.

I'm also fine with multi faith/contemplation room, less so with 'prayer room'.

I think it's a good idea to have a room set aside for children and staff to pray, but I think it would be better to call it "the quiet room" so everyone could use it. And this coming from someone who is quite religious!

But apparantly if you don't pray you want a "utilitarian" education with. Itching beyond the classroom.

If there was a room set aside why would it have to offend non users of the room? At an airport there is always a prayer room, you only go in there if you really want to.

"there was a room set aside why would it have to offend non users of the room? At an airport there is always a prayer room, you only go in there if you really want to."

Nobody is offended. They are just objecting to a peaceful quiet room being reserved for people of faith. Oh, and the assumption that people who don't have faith are utilitarians with no sense of transendence..

Bert I have already said earlier that I think it should be called "the quiet room".

"Bert I have already said earlier that I think it should be called "the quiet room".

So what are we talking about then?

I don't really know what you mean. I am talking about a quiet room in a school set aside for people who need calm/meditation/ prayer during the school day, adult or child.

So as an atheist I think we should campaign for very boring, alienating religious education in schools.

As far as I can tell Open the Book assemblies are doing just that. 😂They're just bizarre. It's like they've shipped in the residents of the local retirement home and draped them in dull coloured double flat sheets.

From a child's point of view they're saying 'God is for nans and grandads with a surplus of beige bedding.'