[arista]

There is no God.

So it is Correct.

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Catholic schools do and so do most faith schools

I went to a catholic school and the taught us about Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism....so yeah :s

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Chewy

I went to a catholic school and the taught us about Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism....so yeah :s

Yes they taught you about other religions but they also taught you about the fact that catholicism was the one true religion

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Yes they taught you about other religions but they also taught you about the fact that catholicism was the one true religion

Nope, they didn't force it on us, of course they did crappy mass, but it was students choice wether or not they wanted to attend, of course no one ever did lol

[Zippy]

I don't think religion belongs in schools, period.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Zippy

I don't think religion belongs in schools, period.

amen

All superstition should be outlawed.

[Niall]

I think that schools should be deliberately ambiguous about the existence of God and leave it to the child to make their own deductions about it. Being taught that God exists and that you must follow the rules of a certain religion etc is almost equivalent to indoctrination. Its just people don't see it that way cause its religion. Anyways, I think schools should be secular or that they teach that some people don't believe in God from primary school and up.

[james130]

Obviously, if you sent your child to a church school; e.g, St Francis' or something like that, then you know that they will probably do prayers and sing hymns.
I myself went to a church school and this was part of it, but a lot of Religious Studies was based on other reiligions.
I like the fact that we had some form of religion instilled in us because I think it teaches you to appreciate other peoples views and opinions aswell.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by jedward fever

The schools that I go to always preach about Islam and its annoying,I should be able to make my own mind up thank you very much.

Correct, that's how it should be for all.as you say you can make your own mind up and seek further knowledge if you wanted to.

[Lee.]

Originally Posted by Zippy

I don't think religion belongs in schools, period.

I agree.. if I wanted my kids to be religious, I'd send them to church. Schools, in my opinion should teach, maths, English, science, spelling etc!

[MTVN]

I dont see the issue with teaching RE but I dont think that religion should be encouraged, not in state run schools anyway, private schools I dont have a problem with it

[Sam:)]

No they don't,I go to a catholic school (even though 1 in 4 in my school isn't catholic).We arn't studying christian belief any more than islamic beliefs,And we learn about every religion and every religions view on issues like abortion,contraception etc.

[Rob]

Schools don't teach you that at all, they educate you about other people's beliefs, that is all. They don't make you believe anything

[Marsh.]

They don't make you believe anything. In my experience it was about learning about religion.

Saying they shouldn't teach it because I don't want my child to be religious is a little uneducated.

Whether you want them to be religious is very different but they should at least learn about appreciating and understanding other people's beliefs and opinions. You wouldn't want them to grow up completely ignorant to the world that we live in.
I remember that most of my GCSE RE exam was about evaluating the contrasting views on modern life by different religions (contraception, abortion, afterlife etc).

Like PSHE has topics on drink and drugs. It isn't encouraging you to take them but educating you about them so you grow up fully informed of the facts to make your own decisions.

[Lee.]

I want my children to be taught about all religions and to respect other peoples beliefs..

I don't, however want them to be told at a ridiciculously young age that they are christians and should believe the stories told in the bible. It's not what I send my kids to school for.

I had a 6 year old child asking why her Gran couldn't come back to life like Jesus did! It's not fair on the child and it's not fair on the parents having to explain that it's not true!

[Zippy]

I don't see any need to teach about the belief systems of others. They should stick to teaching factual stuff. Religion is not fact. Lets be honest, it's fantasy. If children want to learn about certain religions then they can do of their own accord.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by happyland

I want my children to be taught about all religions and to respect other peoples beliefs..

I don't, however want them to be told at a ridiciculously young age that they are christians and should believe the stories told in the bible. It's not what I send my kids to school for.

I had a 6 year old child asking why her Gran couldn't come back to life like Jesus did! It's not fair on the child and it's not fair on the parents having to explain that it's not true!

To be fair, if a child is asking that then the teacher in question need to be reassessed lol.
Parents have a lot more dodgy questions to deal with as it is.

[Lee.]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

To be fair, if a child is asking that then the teacher in question need to be reassessed lol.
Parents have a lot more dodgy questions to deal with as it is.

It wasn't a teacher, it was a minister. Told them all about Jesus' resurrection and how Mary looked at him in awe when he rose from the dead!

Just not right

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Zippy

I don't see any need to teach about the belief systems of others. They should stick to teaching factual stuff. Religion is not fact. Lets be honest, it's fantasy. If children want to learn about certain religions then they can do of their own accord.

But religion is a fact, it exists. What those religions specifically believe in is down to the person whether you believe it or not. And all religions are different.

Learning about the cultural history of other countries very heavily involves religion. It's not about saying "Mrs X down the road believes we'll all live on a cloud when we die, so you must pretend you agree with her". It's another form of learning about the wider world and the differences everyone has.

Very big difference in being taught the Bible like a textbook as if everything is real and being taught about a variety of religions and cultures so you're aware and have knowledge of them.

And if children had a choice of what they wanted to learn then let's face it they'd never be in school.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by happyland

It wasn't a teacher, it was a minister. Told them all about Jesus' resurrection and how Mary looked at him in awe when he rose from the dead!

Just not right

Yeah, I see what you're saying. In our school they had a chaplain and held masses on special occasions but it was for the religious people and church-goers. No one was forced to attend.

[Zippy]

Originally Posted by 08marsh

But religion is a fact, it exists. What those religions specifically believe in is down to the person whether you believe it or not. And all religions are different.

Learning about the cultural history of other countries very heavily involves religion. It's not about saying "Mrs X down the road believes we'll all live on a cloud when we die, so you must pretend you agree with her". It's another form of learning about the wider world and the differences everyone has.

Very big difference in being taught the Bible like a textbook as if everything is real and being taught about a variety of religions and cultures so you're aware and have knowledge of them.

And if children had a choice of what they wanted to learn then let's face it they'd never be in school.

well thats all sounds nice. But not all religions can be covered and certainly not thoroughly or extensively. So best not even go there at all. Its not essential to getting a job or even living life generally.

Meanwhile, kids today can't even spell basic words or string two sentences together in a coherent manner. Less religion, more English.

Children can choose what they study but religion shouldn't be one of the essentials. many are just not interested in it and nor do they need to be.