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Secondary education

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Withdraw child from religious studies

178 replies

Parentofachild · 05/10/2025 12:39

Hi!
I would like to find out about child withdrawal from religious studies in church school because I am not happy with the content they are teaching? Can you advice me if someone experienced it and are there any consequences? Thanks

OP posts:
Barneybagpuss · 05/10/2025 14:56

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 14:54

Guys - this person is religious and homophobic. She doesn’t want tolerance taught in RE. I think we can now decide what the circumstances are. Why are you all bending yourselves into pretzels to misinterpret what she’s saying to avoid this?

Makes a change from ‘I don’t want my kids learning about Muslims’, which happens pretty regularly

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 14:56

Barneybagpuss · 05/10/2025 14:56

Makes a change from ‘I don’t want my kids learning about Muslims’, which happens pretty regularly

Must’ve missed the part where a Christian mob surrounded a school and teachers went into hiding?

ThatWorthyAquaFox · 05/10/2025 14:57

How do you take an RE GCSE if you ask for your child to be removed then?

mostlydrinkstea · 05/10/2025 14:57

Is this an RC school? I have no idea what small sins are but if sex with an animal is mentioned there would be a very strongly worded letter to the school from Revd Mostly.

My experience is that some church schools are socially selective. One of my children went to a church school where the admission criteria stated that parents had to have been on a leadership committee in their church. Thankfully that was challenged and upheld. None of my church schools have ever had a worship clause in the admissions criteria. Most of them have been undersubscribed as they focused on local children.

Barneybagpuss · 05/10/2025 14:58

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 14:56

Must’ve missed the part where a Christian mob surrounded a school and teachers went into hiding?

No, I just live in the town where a ‘Christian’ mob surrounded the local mosque and attacked it

ParentOfOne · 05/10/2025 14:58

@Parentofachild You have been asked multiple times, but you still haven't explained.

Why do you want to withdraw your child?

Are religious beliefs presented as "Christians believe X, Muslims believe Y" or is there indoctrination, are certain religious beliefs presented as dogmatically true, etc?

I see nothing wrong with exposing children to various worldviews and religious beliefs. If anything, showing them how beliefs differ, how many religious beliefs are patently contrary to British values (eg opposition to same-sex relationships), etc etc etc is unlikely to produce religious fanatics.

Or, on the contrary, is your view that you do NOT want your child exposed to other worldviews, and want your child to be taught that whatever YOU and your church believe is true, that everyone else is wrong and will rot in hell, etc? If that's what you want, you live in the wrong country, I am afraid.

How old is your child? You do understand that they have the right to make up your mind and have a different opinion from you in matters of religion and morality, right?

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 14:58

Barneybagpuss · 05/10/2025 14:58

No, I just live in the town where a ‘Christian’ mob surrounded the local mosque and attacked it

Were they Christians?

Barneybagpuss · 05/10/2025 14:59

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 14:58

Were they Christians?

Southport, you might have heard of it.

ParentOfOne · 05/10/2025 15:00

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 14:56

Must’ve missed the part where a Christian mob surrounded a school and teachers went into hiding?

During last summer's riots, it was "Christian" far-right thugs who attacked mosques. It was not atheists wearing t-shirts of Bertrand Russell and Richard Dawkins. Just saying...

Holdonforsummer · 05/10/2025 15:00

Please keep your child in so they can learn values like British tolerance and not your bigoted ways. Ps. For all you know, your child could be gay anyway.

DiscoBob · 05/10/2025 15:02

TeenToTwenties · 05/10/2025 13:56

For RE GCSE none of it is treated as 'true'. It is taught as 'Muslims believe.. ' 'some Christians believe.. ' etc.

The factual bits are laws, practices and that people belive certain things. Generally a school shouldn't be teaching beliefs as facts. Even a faith school should be 'as Christians we believe that ...'

What don't you like and how is it being taught?

I was thinking just this. If you're talking about standard RE lessons to meet the GCSE syllabus, then it's all about 'this religion think/do/believe such and such'. Not this thing is 'true.'

It's all about understanding different points of view. That no one religion is right. And people can practice one of many, or no religion. Without prejudice or discrimination.

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 15:04

ParentOfOne · 05/10/2025 15:00

During last summer's riots, it was "Christian" far-right thugs who attacked mosques. It was not atheists wearing t-shirts of Bertrand Russell and Richard Dawkins. Just saying...

How do you know they’re Christians? Can you confirm how you know this for a fact? Or is anyone not in a Dawkins t shirt a Christian?

MySaintedPuppy · 05/10/2025 15:04

ParentOfOne · 05/10/2025 15:00

During last summer's riots, it was "Christian" far-right thugs who attacked mosques. It was not atheists wearing t-shirts of Bertrand Russell and Richard Dawkins. Just saying...

Actual Church going Christians?
Or white, flag waving people who write CofE on forms because their parents were christened and they like Christmas?

TeenToTwenties · 05/10/2025 15:07

Parentofachild · 05/10/2025 14:18

What about same sex marriages it is not a sin but is normal. Or what about that it is a small sin if you have sex with an animal. In particular I am not happy with family and relationships section.

I don't remember sex with animals ever being covered in RE GCSE.

Re Same sex relationships.
They were taught to DD as
. This is uk law ...
. Some Christians think this .. because ...., others think this ... because ....
. Similarly for other religions

It is important for our young people to hear different ideas so they can make up their own minds.

Mimph · 05/10/2025 15:07

I don't know but I would question the OP's application to the school, choosing the school for behaviour reasons when you know it is a faith school and then wanting the child to not take part in the RE lessons (or some of the lessons) does not sit right with me. The school's ethos will have been known on entry.

MySaintedPuppy · 05/10/2025 15:07

jen337 · 05/10/2025 14:44

Not a teacher but same sex marriage/homosexuality is a sin according to the bible, isn’t it?

Very hot debate. I would say not. Only once is there a clear statement about it, and it was written in a specific context where it was the norm to shag about and Paul was trying to get people to keep their knickers on. Loosely.

ParentOfOne · 05/10/2025 15:15

How do you know they’re Christians? Can you confirm how you know this for a fact? Or is anyone not in a Dawkins t shirt a Christian?

@Uggbootsforever @MySaintedPuppy

Facts do not become any less true just because you don't like them.

Many Christians didn't like that Christianity was being used to unite the far-right. https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/christianity-is-being-used-to-unite-the-far-right-we-must-call-it-out/18037.article
But the fact remains that it was.

Are you trying to play the "no true Scotsman" card??

Those thugs were not true Christians, right?
Just like Mussolini in Italy, Franco in Spain, Salazar in Portugal, Pinochet in Chile, the Junta in Argentina etc were not true Christians, either, right?

GUSTGfKWAAAfr9X

Christianity is being used to unite the far right. We must call it out

Rioters in Rotherham do not represent our faith, says David Taylor. Christians must call out the violence and beware of the activists who are misusing Christianity for their own gain

https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/christianity-is-being-used-to-unite-the-far-right-we-must-call-it-out/18037.article

Screamingabdabz · 05/10/2025 15:25

Parentofachild · 05/10/2025 14:18

What about same sex marriages it is not a sin but is normal. Or what about that it is a small sin if you have sex with an animal. In particular I am not happy with family and relationships section.

Same sex marriages are ‘normal’ for those couples. And it’s allowed in law. So when discussing different kinds of families of course that will be included within the social science strand of a balanced RE curriculum.

Good church schools won’t allow homophobia and neither should good Christians. Jesus commanded people to love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself.

Why does it harm your dd to learn about different types of families? Why do you hide behind saying this is her view, when it’s clearly down to the bigotry you’ve instilled in her?

DiscoBob · 05/10/2025 15:27

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 15:04

How do you know they’re Christians? Can you confirm how you know this for a fact? Or is anyone not in a Dawkins t shirt a Christian?

Edited

If you asked the average far right supporter which religion they most affiliated with, the majority would say 'christianity' I'd imagine.

Skybluepinky · 05/10/2025 15:29

Shocked that you chose a faith school but don’t want them to take part in RS lessons, and sent them there for the behaviour.

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 15:33

DiscoBob · 05/10/2025 15:27

If you asked the average far right supporter which religion they most affiliated with, the majority would say 'christianity' I'd imagine.

‘Affiliated with’

Is this even a thing? Either you’re a Christian or you’re not? You’re just making it up because you have a point to prove.

AgnesMcDoo · 05/10/2025 15:33

If you are at a faith school you need to
go with it.

GeneralPeter · 05/10/2025 15:34

Ddakji · 05/10/2025 14:32

Then I’m afraid you would be extremely hypocritical if you decided to pull out of the faith aspect. It won’t kill your child to attend, she might actually learn something useful after all - not least having some understanding, perhaps more than you do.

There’s nothing hypocritical about that, unless she has been telling others they shouldn’t opt out of faith school RE lessons.

Besides, it sounds like she chose a Christian school and is now unhappy that lessons don’t align with her view of Christian teaching. That’s a consistent position. (Obvs I don’t know for sure — she hasn’t given us too much to go on).

derxa · 05/10/2025 15:35

Parentofachild · 05/10/2025 14:21

We chose a faith school as education and behaviour is slightly better than in normal school.

🙄

Uggbootsforever · 05/10/2025 15:36

ParentOfOne · 05/10/2025 15:15

How do you know they’re Christians? Can you confirm how you know this for a fact? Or is anyone not in a Dawkins t shirt a Christian?

@Uggbootsforever @MySaintedPuppy

Facts do not become any less true just because you don't like them.

Many Christians didn't like that Christianity was being used to unite the far-right. https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/christianity-is-being-used-to-unite-the-far-right-we-must-call-it-out/18037.article
But the fact remains that it was.

Are you trying to play the "no true Scotsman" card??

Those thugs were not true Christians, right?
Just like Mussolini in Italy, Franco in Spain, Salazar in Portugal, Pinochet in Chile, the Junta in Argentina etc were not true Christians, either, right?

No Reform voter I know attends church. I’m RC and the congregation is overwhelmingly Polish, Philippino, Nigerian and Eastern European.

Interesting that you’re accusing me of being far right to protect a homophobic OP who wants her kid to be banned from learning about consensual, legal same sex relationships..

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