Religious education in schools

Quicksilvera

Quicksilvera

Well-known member
Where do you stand on this? Should our children be taught religious studies?

I think so, I would also frame it different and maybe call it humanity studies or something, I think if our children learn about all religions and their customs and cultures it will help to prevent hatred, I would also use the subject to talk about race and other nations customs.
 
TeaCider said:
They already are, aren't they?

I left school in 2009 and we had RE (Religious Education) every week.
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Yes, I left school in 2007 and we had it but I was reading something about removing religious studies from our schools, if I can find it again I will link it.
 
Jedi boro said:
We need to scrap faith schools for one thing religion should have no place in the class room aside from as a subject to be studied not as a dogmatic mantra.
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"religion should have no place in the class room" is a dogmatic mantra, is it not? Hope you didn't pick it up in a classroom as that would be terrible... 😜 Without faith schools, there wouldn't have been any schools, but hey ho what has history ever taught us?
 
Quicksilvera said:
Where do you stand on this? Should our children be taught religious studies?

I think so, I would also frame it different and maybe call it humanity studies or something, I think if our children learn about all religions and their customs and cultures it will help to prevent hatred, I would also use the subject to talk about race and other nations customs.
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Just depends on your approach to teaching children truth, as opposed to helping them learn how to be useful economic units
 
You can learn about religions without it trying to push any one religion on to you.

I have no problem with that.

I did have a problem with the RE I received; the key message I recall is that you'll burn if you go trick or treating.
 
Jedi boro said:
My point is re is a lesson where faith and understanding is taught

This is not always the case in faith schools

I think they are divisive

Education should be secular.
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I'm agreeing with you.

I was pointing out that just because faith schools played a role in providing education for many children who otherwise wouldn't have got an education in times gone by (as remarked upon by the previous poster) this doesn't mean that we should have single faith schools, with the faith at the centre of the schools existence, in the multi-faith country we now live in.

I want my daughter to experience and learn about multi faiths, and their associated festivals, in order to foster an acceptance from a young age not be brainwashed into one religion just because of the school she attends.
 
RE when I was at school was very much just learning about all religions.

Parents sent their kids to Sunday school if they wanted them to be indoctrinated (or if they just wanted a quiet Sunday nursing a hangover)
 
No, true. I can only speak from my own experience. Just the bog standard local comp for me.


I always think primary school was more religious than secondary school, with the hymn singing every morning, harvest festival at the church etc
 
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
I assume you didn't go to a catholic school ?
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I'm atheist but my son goes to a Catholic primary school, and Christianity/ Catholicism is right at the front of everything. Shock, horror etc etc

BUT. They appreciate there are non Catholics in the school and have a fair number of Muslim pupils so they do teach about all religions and are respectful to non Popey things.

They haven't tried to convert my son (Yr 5) so I suppose that's a good sign? 👍
 
Personally, I loved hearing about and learning about other religions and, subsequently, the cultures of those religions. So, yes I would keep it.

As for hymn singing, keep it in primary schools where it can be easily and neutrally taught, encompassing songs and hymns from other cultures.

I still enjoy some of the hymns I learned 55 years or so ago and get a lot out of singing some of them every couple of weeks. But then, I just love singing and it really doesn’t matter what it is I actually sing.
 
Went to a CoE Primary School and the extent of the religion was a few hymns in assembly and trips to the nearby Church for Advent with a little Christingle orange.
 
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