Learning about other's beliefs

But I agree that it's rather an extreme example of Catholic schooling, and of its time.

Ana, you said it was a novel ,I am not saying these practises didn't or don't take place , are you saying these practises were forced on girls?

Luckygirl said it was a novel, and she's read it more recently than me, Annie. I don't know which particular practises you mean.

Practices.

petra in some areas white Christians are in the minority.

There is good and bad in EVERY religion.

grannypiper, I think it's man not religion which causes the bad

The novel is autoniographical.

...or even autobiographical......

paddyann it would seem that a tiny tiny minority on this site bang the drum in support of embracing other religions and those from other countries and will jump on you if you even dare to suggest that we should control immigration numbers(no matter what race, religion,or creed) but are more than happy to allow remarks against people they dont like ie Catholics and Scots.Maybe those very same people are not as tolerant as they think they are !

In you post about SACRE, Jamila I think Bah is probably meant to be Baha'i (Faith) meaning followers of Baha'u'llah. He came in the last half of the 19th century and claimed to be the fulfilment of the prophesies of a return in all the major religions - Zoroastrian, Hindu, Buddhist, and Judaism, Christianity and Islam, bringing teachings which, when accepted and practised, will create the Golden Age of mankind. The religion is relatively small in this country, but is spread all over the world and has a substantial following in some areas, but in the land of its birth (Iran) believers are still being persecuted. The teachings go back to moral basics but also have social ideas like the onenes of humanity, equality of women, lack of all forms of prejudice, the importance of science teamed with religion, universal education, independent investigation of the truth, etc The world certainly needs these things.

He Claimed to be the fulfilment ?

grannypiper there is a difference between recognising that some people in some religions have sometimes been guilty of unacceptable behaviour, and that this has not always been dealt with properly by the leaders of these religions, and condemning someone out of hand for the fact that they are living, or want to live, in a country other than the one they were born in.
I read "Frost in May" many years ago and think it portrayed very well the attitude of Catholicism at the time, when nuns operated a harsh regime, and this continued well into the 1960s. Things have changed but I suspect there are still some who believe that Catholics are special. Especially the priest in a church I wanted to see inside recently who cross examined us as to our credentials for being there. Fortunately a friend could say his parents had once worshiped there. (The congregation who were just leaving after mass were very welcoming)

starbird yes, I think it is, but I cut and pasted from the County Council site (omitting names of course) and that is how it was written.
In fact I know the lady concerned vaguely (a friend of a friend) but never realised that she was of that faith, so obviously she does not push her religion unless asked about it.

What would some atheists do if they didn't have the RC church as an example of sll they see wrong in Christianity

Quakers, Baptists, Methodists, Calvanists and more

CRAFTYCAT I would be interested to know if you have been helped at all by all our comments ?

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So can we take it, peaseblossom, that you think it inadvisable to know anything at all about something that you don't approve of and subscribe to yourself? That ignorance is bliss and if you blindfold your child so that he/she can't see something, it not only becomes invisible but ceases to exist as well?

Does that apply to sex or drugs too? If they are told nothing about them, will it never occur to them to explore?

Well said Elegran. I would like to add that whilst Islamist are Muslims , not all Muslims are Islamist or extremists, LIkewise for example all Catholics & Protastants were not responsible for the atrocities in Ireland .

What racist website have you plucked your post from peaseblossom?

You truly are away with the fairies.

grannypiper I haven't seen any postings on this thread that "bang the drum in support of embracing other religions". Rather, some of us have suggested that knowledge is empowering and understanding brings wisdom. No one has attempted to proselytise on behalf of any religion.

Peaseblossom Much of what you condemn as the evil of Islam is equally true of the other Abrahamic religions. Do Christians not believe that there is only one God? Do Jews not believe that they are God's chosen race? Who developed the concept of a just war – and how many have claimed that God was on their side? The Crusades were wars of aggression. The Old Testament includes many rules about the proper treatment of slaves and it was a Christian country that grew wealthy on the riches of the African slave trade many centuries later. Prejudice and bigotry recognise neither national nor religious boundaries even today or, perhaps, especially today.

In some ways, I don't think it's important to know what other people's beliefs are. We never really know what another person believes and beliefs can change.

I think a person's behaviour towards others is far more important than beliefs. I don't care what suicide bombers believe; what they do is wrong whatever their beliefs are.

If you're not sure what a person is like (or how they're likely to behave), look to their friends and associates. And look at their behaviour. Tells you all you need to know about their moral values and attitudes to other people.

I think that if I had been living next door to Mohammed Golaumaully and his wife Nazimabee Golaumaully I would have found them perfectly nice neighbours. He was a manager of a private hospital and his wife was an IT expert, all very ordinary.
But for years they have been sending money to their nephew who is fighting on the front line for Isis, he uses the hashtag @palidinofjihad where he spouts his murderous beliefs.
The couple were jailed for 4 years.

Sending money to support jihadism is behaviour. Admittedly, it's difficult if not impossible to detect except through professional investigation. How were they apprehended, petra? Somebody must have raised the alarm, so to speak.

I think even family members have trouble realising what is happening particularly to young people. This story is heartrending, The photos could be of anybody's son or grandson.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-acfd761e-0dff-46f7-87a4-96cec7824254
I think the mother is incredibly brave to tell her story.