From the Humanist Association - discuss

I agree with rosesarered that schools should be inclusive, multi denominational and open to all. Religious teaching belongs in the church and so if that is the parents' wish according to their own beliefs, they send their children to Catechism/Sunday School, whatever.
We all went to Sunday School as children, when you got a bit older it was called Bible Study , this was in the Church of Scotland and at my Secondary school, the clergy of the town took it in turns to take a weekly assembly. Religious Education, as a school subject was taught by teachers and as it encompassed all religions and denominations of Christianity as well, was clearly not the place for indoctrination.
Worked well enough.

We were not a "multicultural society" but the scenario you quote, (was it a quotation?) Granjura was unimaginable.

@Anniebach - " I do not object to atheists I am disagreeing here with atheists who wish to impose their will on others."

Example? To say that there should be no publicly funded sectarianan schools is hardly imposing my will on anybody...

And how do you feel about this then:

And so, in a multicultural society, we shall have children in Jewish schools, some in RC schools, some in Muslim Schools, some in Hindu schools, and some in ...... ad infernitum- secluded and in ghettos.

And I disagree

I have come to the conclusion that there should be no faith schools at all, of any religion, and that children of different faiths and no faiths should mingle freely.

There is a druid family at the school as well!
I understood what you meant, Annie.
I taught in a Catholic school without being Catholic or made to feel awkward. My son has been a head of music in a Catholic School for over twenty years. He manages to write all the music for all the church services without feeling compromised.
Personally I am more concerned about all the free schools that are being paid for out of our taxes. Ideological schools with no control over them are far more worrying.

So some of my posts are ignored or selective memories ? I have said I respect all faiths and those with no faith, I do not object to atheists I am disagreeing here with atheists who wish to impose their will on others.

How many Druid schools are there in the country ?

To want to stop children attending a faith school because you have no faith is so wrong, because a child has to be separated from their friends because their parents send their children to a faith school the school must close

I think I have said before on another thread in this village there are three schools, all faith schools. Not a single non-faith school.
So should my grandchildren have had to travel to other schools as their parents are not practising Catholics or CofE?
I think not. They have had excellent teaching in an endowed school and have not been indoctrinated at all. Faith schools are also community schools.
The ethos of the school is that all are welcome, not just those of the same faith.

Fill up, not fuill uop. Fat fingers!

So it is only atheists you object to, anniebach ? I think your real wish is that Christianity should be promoted in all schools to all children, , but if that is done, then so should all religions have equal time in all schools to go in and promote their versions too.

Equal time for all the different denominations of Christianity, plus the Sunni and Shiite versions of Islam, plus Judaism, Buddhism, Baha'i, and Hindus, Rastafarians, Sikhs, then Wicca and Druidry would fuill uop the school day - there'd be no time for anything else!

I would never ever teach my children that the religion/s of their friends and their extended family (and there are many faiths involved, mainly Christian denominations which have a very different take on some things) - is/are a load of lies. What sort of respect would that be- do you teach your children that other Faiths are 'a load of lies' or that those who are no religious are evil? Are sincerely hope you do not, truly. I am quite shocked at those words coming from you.

This would appear to be the current situation in Scotland.

We would be against changing the present pluralist, comprehensive, non-denominational school system and, to that extent, we would be against secularist schools in the same way we would not be asking for Church of Scotland schools"
This quote is from the Convener of the Church of Scotland's Education Committee.

If a child can be taught of faith in their home instead of in a faith school, so can the child of an atheist be taught faith is a load of lies in their own home

anniebach Did your children make those choices as a result of what they were taught at a faith school? A one-faith school? Did the believing teachers go out of their way not to tell them that the one they (the teachers) followed was the best one and the others were mistaken at best and wicked if wrong? If so, then it was a good school, but many faith schools don't do that.

When it is a C of E school or a Catholic school or a Muslim School, then that is the dominant denomination or faith. If a school teaches promotes the same faith as the parents of the children who attend, they have no-one to question about other faiths. If it doesn't even tell them what other faiths are about, then they can grow up ignorant of how many good people there are who don't believe exactly the same things as, say, the nuns or the imams.

A secular school doesn't teach that religion is wrong, it just doesn't concentrate on one. It teaches the facts about different religions - what each believes, what their festivals and traditions are about, without saying that "We" believe or do this or that.

If the school teaches what each faith believes and the differences between one and another, a child who is doubtful which one is for them can choose which one interests them and go on to find out more and a child who has never heard of them can learn more about them all.

If you have to drive your child miles to avoid them attending a faith school and are concerned you are seperating them from their friends you want that school closed , what of the families who want their children to attend the faith school? They must submit to your will? Their children must attended a secular school because your child wants to attend school with friends ? It works both ways , and it was the church which started up schools before the givernment

Not a lot of C of E in Glasgow, the Anglican communion in Scotland is the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Did you mean Presbyterian?
In my experience, (other than some RC primary schools and even they are fewer than in my childhood) Scottish schools have little if any link with a particular denomination.

Perhaps more difficult to understand this if you live in a traditional rural area- but can you see how divisive that is, in towns. Look at NI and also Glasgow, just with RC and CofE segregation- so in our multicultural cities?!?

Can we truly say to other Faiths that they can't have FAith schools if we insist on keeping ours- at the end of the day. is that what we want, segregation and ghettos?

And so, in a multicultural society, we shall have children in Jewish schools, some in RC schools, some in Muslim Schools, some in Hindu schools, and some in ...... ad infernitum- secluded and in ghettos. That should help ;)

In which case,, and I respect that, they should be totally separate and not Government funded. And normal, ordinary, village schools/community should not be faith schools- as children of different faiths or none are excluded and 'forced' to take it all in (as my GS says, it is very awkward!)- or parents forced to drive those children for miles, away from their friends, community, etc- which is WRONG.

So Cameron was wrong to claim this was a Christian country, not a country with similar practices as Christians ?

If a faith should be taught in the home or church then atheists parents should have no problem in telling their child anything they are told regarding the Christian faith is a load of rubbish

In all honesty I truly believe this country needs to find it's lost faith

I accept atheists do not want their children to attend a faith school , I as a Christian want to keep faith schools

When and where I grew up, children who wanted, or rather whose parents wanted- to learn about the family faith- would have lessons after school. Again, where I grew up it was either RC or Protestant- but I had a few friends who were Jehovah's Witnesses, 2 Mormons and a few that belonged to evangelical sects. That way we all got the same education in school- irrespective of Faith- and no-one was excluded. It's not that difficult, is it?

Anniebach I think it is hard for someone to teach a faith they do not believe. Could you teach a child to be Jewish? You can teach children about being Jewish but only someone who is a believer of a faith is in a position to really give spiritual guidance in a particular faith.

State schools do teach about faith systems/customs etc but I do not believe schools should be giving spiritual guidance to children. That is the place of a church, synagogue, mosque etc etc.

Eleothan, my world extends outside of this forum m I asked a question, I did not accuse

But this is what I am saying granjura, it must be two way . When I read children should be taught in the home this troubles me, a child should be allowed to challenge, ask questions , they cannot if they are restricted to only what their parents believe ,i was so fortunate at a time when children didn't question to be allowed to question, I allowed my daughters to question, I allowed them to attend the annual pagan festival here when in Spring a very old well surround by beautiful trees is decorated , ribbons tied to the trees etc, we celebrated Diwali with Hindu friends, my elder granddaughters first 'date' was with a boy in the sixth who was a son of a Gurkha army officer, she learned of his faith, I took them to meet and talk to friends at the Buddhist retreat I some times visit. We chose to have our babies baptised, I allowed them to decide if they wished to be confirmed , got questioned by the dean as to why they were not presented for confirmation age eleven, they both chose to be confirmed when they were fourteen . My elder granddaughter after deciding she would be a buddist/Hindu /pagan / Christian, is at this time an atheist , at nineteen she may now remain so , it is her choice, her calling, to narrow it to the home is wrong in my opinion.

It was the parting of the Red Sea that did it for her

I did have a panic when younger granddaughter visited a medium , she explained as she is going to be a criminal profiler ! She wanted to see if she could spot cold reading !

annibach Who has said that they wouldn't want their children being taught by people with a religious belief?