Calling Atheists / Agnostics / Non-Christians (OK christians are allowed to have a viewpoint)

[Twiglett]

DS has a letter asking for permission to 'visit a church' which is a 'crucial part of our RE topic' and focuses on what 'we can learn about Christianity' by visiting a church

they haven't visited a mosque or a synogogue or a meeting hall when covering other religions

am a little pissed orf and would not like him to go tbh (due to the unfairness not because I have an issue with churches)

what to do?

Indeed, you can't understand Shakespeare all that well without a knowledge of Christianity, and of course anti-semitism.
In a way, I'm sad they don't teach stuff like Nazism as well. If you genuinely think you can teach superstition without screwing with kids brains, why not this as well ?
The most damning condemnation of Nazi ideology is the original works themselves. Much makes evangelical Christianity look smart and objective.

Twiglett - I am not sure about this, but i think there is a National Curriculum imbalance, that says something like 'In addition to christianity...' other faiths will be studied, and a straucture that means that Cx is the bulk of the curriculum. DS has been taken to a church, too, but not other places of religious worship. I was wondering if they do that in later years, or f it was to do with cost of travel. But it could possibly be a NC thing.

I would ask (in an enquiring sort of way...and then respond accordingly), but not prevent my DS from going. Actually, now you have mentoined it, I probably will ask why they have been on one trip but not the other.

Actually you can opt our of RE as much as you like. The school won't like it, but if you put your objections in writing they have to go along with it.
Got that for myself when I was at school.

Surprisingly enough the RE teacher did not object one little bit

You can indeed opt out of RE by parental request. Mind you, the only parents I know who asked for it had very strong Christian beliefs.

Yes, but it's open to all parents, superstitious or not.
You don't need to state a reason, indeed my parents were never told why.

I know that.

I was just saying...

2001 census:

"Over one per cent of the population of Westminster are Buddhist" - how many people is that????

But look at the % who described themselves as Jedi. In some places we outnumber Jews.

That's not a coincidence...

Tell me you did not describe yourself as a Jedi DC!

I'm going to make you keel over with shock Twiglett...so make sure you are sitting down when you read this...
I'd just let him go.

Seriously.
I'd actully rather ds didn't waste his entire year trailing round a zillion places of worship.
When we visit other countries on holiday nd he's older, he'll go into Mosques etc as I am demon sightseer.
The Hindu temple in Neasden near Ikea is worth a visit btw. Lots of elephant gods etc which children find fascinating.

Dh thought that unless you actually state a religion you have no rights to not-do something as it goes against your religious beliefs. In other words, if you put Jedi down as your kids religion they can say they don't want to do assemblies/RE in school cos it's against their beliefs, but if you put down that you have no beliefs then you have to go anyway. I guess that's not true then. I wonder if it was ever true or he just got told a load of b***ks.

You are a demon sightseer Aloha??? Surely you wouldn't be allowed in temples etc then

They don't spot the horns under the 'respectful' headscarf

I described my family as Jedi because I really don't like the idea of the state having a list of peoples religions. Some of my Jewish friends did the same, for the same reason, hence the relative numbers of Jews and Jedi.

If you were a Moslem in today's climate would you want the police having that info ?

My personal view is that this was a cynical ploy by Blair's cronies to support faith schools and other groups.
The census data is very suspect.
If so many people are "Christian" why is there such a very tiny attendance at church ?

Same reason people absent-mindedly put 'CofE' on a hospital form, DC. Being 'christian' is shorthand for being a generally decent sort among the wider populace, or at least it was when I was growing up.

I think also quite a lot of people are 'culturally' Christian even if they're atheist - I'd put myself in this category. No belief whatsoever, but celebrate Christmas, eat Easter eggs, find myself humming hymns just because they have resonant tunes, etc. So much of European society and culture is bound up with Christianity.

[waves to Sue. Are you under water?]

waves back at pw - just the back garden, thankfully!

No. The tiny amount of people attending church but large number calling themselves Christian is because many people who believe in God to any extent class themselves as Christian. But church is boring so they don't go. How they justify this to themselves is beyond me, but then how do so many so-called Christians justify any disregard of the ten comms/christian doctrine, and then still find comfort in the thought they believe in God and are off to heaven when they die?

Blu, my children have walked to a synagogue(on LCR). There are mosques a short bus ride away, and bus journeys are free for schoolchildren and accompanying adults. So I doubt travel costs would have anything to do with it. It's possible that your son's school does mosque, synagogue etc. trips for the juniors - there's a limit to how many RE trips they can fit in one school year.

God doesn't exist, but it's nice to think of a nice, welcoming place to go after you've popped off where you get to meet up with everyone.

NB:

Without the campaign I suspect the number might have been a little lower

My italics.

GB, you said exactly what I think, thank you

Yes of course there was a campaign of civil disobedience spontaneously on the web, I helped it a little.
It is none of the state's business whether I favour the love of Christ incarnate, or blowing up your planet for a laugh.

"there's a limit to how many RE trips they can fit in one school year. "

LOL - well yes, and having read Aloha's post, I tend to agree! Also, depending on what local places might be like, I'd rather he went to places that were of serious historical and / or architectural interest as well as a religious context. I mean, given the choice between the Paris Mosque and the one Twig and Aloha live near (which if it's the one I'm thinking of is a converted terace house), he can wait until we next see a special offer for tickets on Eurostar!

Ds visited dozens of churches in France last year. We had a lovely time! Beautiful buildings, music, statues, candles - all v interesting.
But no, terraced house converted into Mosque on Old Kent Road, not my idea of a fun trip out
If we ever go to Instanbul again lots of beautiful mosques (the loveliest of whichw used to be churches btw)