From the Humanist Association - discuss

Fill up, not fuill uop. Fat fingers!

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.

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

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.

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.

And I disagree

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.

@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...

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.

Jen, some live in areas where intergration seems a problem, we have state, RC and CofWales schools, Hindu families chose the RC school over the state school, Gurkha's children attend the three by choice of their parents, pagans attend the CofWales school, no problems , all schools celebrate the festivals of the faith of their pupils and all children join in - exception being children of JW's , suppose this part of the country is more tolerant than other parts of the UK, the high school has three Muslim teachers , the RC school teachers are nuns and atheists and Christian, the wife of one of our Anglican priest teaches in the RC school , where are the ghettoes !

Our mayor who is Anglican has selected his charity this year will be decided between the Muslim immigrants and the victims of the earthquake in Napal .

When the wives of the Gurkha regiments wanted a large hall to put on a dancing display to raise money for the victims in their country the nuns offered their gym .

Tolerance and respect

No Granjura, just more tolerance and respect

Sorry feetlebaum I don't understand your post

@Anniebach - Oh - you say "I am disagreeing here with atheists who wish to impose their will on others." I wondered who deserved that description...
Most atheist people follow the secularist line broadly speaking, feeling that publicly-funded schools should not promote the un-supported ideas held by some groups. 'Faiths', in a word.

There would be a lot more tolerance and respect if children all mixed at the same type of school. all may be hunkydory in your town ab but that won't be the case everywhere!

I think Anniebach believes that secular=atheist. It doesn't. It means that schools for all should teach about all religions, but not in a "worshipping should be this way" style. The schools in her area sound as though they do that - so in their way they are secular schools, not faith schools, in spite of having a faith in their name.

I think that if *Anniebach's children had gone to a school that was a real faith school, a "this is the right faith" school, she would have been horrified.

I think it wrong to assume you know what I think or would think Granjura,

I don't know what the situation is in Scottish schools this century, but 69-70 years ago the only segregated schools were the RC ones. Neither the C of S nor the Scottish Episcopal Church had 'faith' schools. I never met a Catholic until I went to Uni, though we did beat them on the hockey pitch! As Alea says, RE was 'taught' by any member of staff - we had a Maths teacher who seemed rather embarrassed. When I started teaching, I was asked to teach a class about the minor prophets...what? Not my scene and I can't now remember who they were! RE was not an examinable subject. Unlike Alea's school, we did not have weekly visits from any ministers and daily assembly consisted of a hymn and the Lord's Prayer. That was secondary school, but in primary, our teachers somehow drilled Bible stories into us which is how I come to have a fair number of useful quotations.

Quoting AnnieB:

Hindu families chose the RC school over the state school, Gurkha's children attend the three by choice of their parents, pagans attend the CofWales school, no problems , all schools celebrate the festivals of the faith of their pupils and all children join in - exception being children of JW's , suppose this part of the country is more tolerant than other parts of the UK, the high school has three Muslim teachers , the RC school teachers are nuns and atheists and Christian, the wife of one of our Anglican priest teaches in the RC school

So you believe that Hindu families should have no option but to choose between a CofE and a RC school? Or Pagans for that matter. Or Jews, Jain, Buddists, Sikhs, etc?

and that this amounts to (quote again)

just more tolerance and respect.

They certainy do show massive tolerance, probably because they have little choice, well NO choice at all. How can it be tolerant and respectful to say - those of other Faiths or none just have to be tolerant and respectful of my Faith and just come to our schools and shut up. ?!? Pray tell.

As said by others, rural Wales is quite different to the large cities of multicultural Britain. Do you really expect other large groups of other faiths not to insist on having their own schools- if attending CofE or RC schools means that their FAith and beliefs are undermined, be it explicitely or by default? Truly.

We will either have to give up FAith schools or accept that otherwise we will have segregated schools for every FAith, and in the case several types, CofE, RC, Creationists, etc. Is this really the way forwards to a better, more tolerant and integrated society?

Sorry Annie- posts crossed. I would never presume or assume- which is why I am asking you, and have asked several times already.

I know many people of faith who believe that faith schools are wrong - and I agree with them. This does NOT mean that I think schools should assume atheism as their "creed" - it just means that I believe schools should teach respect for and information about ALL religions (except, as I have said before, those that mutilate babies and children).

The problem with faith schools is that they favour one faith over all the others that they are teaching. A non-aligned school does not (or should not) do that. They are religion-neutral and world religions are taught in the same way as history or geography for instance.

The national curriculum is very clear about the imperative to teach about all religions.

I agree Luckygirl and think if all schools were secular there may be less problems in the future and more tolerance and understanding all round.

I repeat again, secular does not equal atheist.

I add - no more than secular equals C of E, or secular equals Sikhism or any other belief system.

Secular schooling does not promote any specific sect - it is non-sectarian - but that does not mean that it is against religion. It means that religion is not relevant to most school subjects.

Granjura, no idea what you are in about, I said we have CofWales, RC and state schools here , I did not say the choice was between CofWales or RC