Obama ctiticises faith schools

But that's what faith schools are, jings – segregated schools. Schools that segregate according to faith.

Right. I don't think I'm getting in a muddle here.

He would be happy with Christian schools. With Catholics and proddies attending the one school together. He would probably not give a sh toss about Muslim schools. Or Jewish ones. It being N Ireland, he doesn't like to see Catholics and Protestanst segregated because, of course, they need to live together in peace.

jingl, how would you have faith schools in NI without having separate Catholic and Proddy ones?
#just asking

Bill Clinton did loads to sort it out!!!

Didn't Bill Clinton also visit NI with 'words of wisdom?'

Did anyone take any notice?

Yes. He is against segregation. That's not being against faith schools. He didn't mention faith schools as such!

Talk about spin!

envious, dear old jings has been known (once maybe) to agree with me but usually she can be counted on not to, especially if religion has been mentioned.

He says a lot else as well, but he does criticise segregation by school.

definitely agree with Bags,what was " wrong" with what you said?

Just what I was thinking!

Thanks for the link, jings. This is the relevant paragraph, I think, and yes he does say that segregated schools (i.e. separate schools for catholics and protestants) are not a good idea, not helpful. The NSS has reported that bit right.

"Because issues like segregated schools and housing, lack of jobs and opportunity -- symbols of history that are a source of pride for some and pain for others -- these are not tangential to peace; they’re essential to it. If towns remain divided -- if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs -- if we can’t see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division. It discourages cooperation."

You can't agree with, say, Bags, and me.

if you want my two cents worth i would say yes to all the statements that have been made here.

sorry I left the "ing" off "misleading"

@nanaej - Hindus don't have a 'God' - they have loads of them!

full transcript of speech here The National Secular Society are being deliberately mislead.

There's a surprise.

When you have infants walking into school wearing T shirts with the slogan, 'Born To March' in a so called integrated school you have to question the teaching.

After the Good Friday agreement I overheard a protestant teacher spitting, 'So....We're second class citizens now, are we?'

'E pluribus unum' was changed to 'In God we trust' during Eisenhower's presidency.

Also 'one nation under god' was added to the pledge. Many people are upset about it... it's a problem for those who have no gods.

It all dates from the time when Communism was the big fear - McCarthyism and so on.

I wonder if he did actually use the words, "faith schools". Or whether the Nat Secular Soc has put their own slant on things.

He seems to have said, ": "If towns remain divided – if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs; if we can't see ourselves in one another and fear or resentment are allowed to harden - that too encourages division and discourages co-operation."

That doesn't sound as if he is against religion itself in schools.

That was to nanaej btw.

Well, they would at least sing that National Anthem in schools wouldn't they?

Good for him, faith schools are divisive and have no place in a modern society. Religious beliefs have no place in school in a modern, multicultural society. See what happens in Belfast or even Glasgow. Bravo.

Yes. I sort of meant that. I should have said, I don't think he would be against there being a strong religious element in schools. Just not segregated ones. Especially in Northern Ireland.

I thought the American constitution was all for the separation of church and state (they invented it, didn't they?) in which case religion in public schools is a complete no no.

God can be Jewish, Muslim and Hindu as well!

Sorry about the "send ringtone to your cell phone" bit.

"In God is our trust". None of this pussy-footing around for them!