School assemblies

A child is brought up in a belief system even when it isn't religious. You can not bring children up in a vacuum.

My children are baptised catholics, one rejected the whole system at 13, the other is now more CofE than catholic because of his wife, and their children were baptised in a C0f E church.

Neither my children nor grandchildren have grown up in a rigidly religious atmosphere and they have formed their own views and followed them. It would have been much the same if brought up in almost any religion or none. On the otther hand just as there are religious families that do insist their children follow a rigid belief system, there are also atheist families doing just the same.

M0nica

A child is brought up in a belief system even when it isn't religious. You can not bring children up in a vacuum.

My children are baptised catholics, one rejected the whole system at 13, the other is now more CofE than catholic because of his wife, and their children were baptised in a C0f E church.

Neither my children nor grandchildren have grown up in a rigidly religious atmosphere and they have formed their own views and followed them. It would have been much the same if brought up in almost any religion or none. On the otther hand just as there are religious families that do insist their children follow a rigid belief system, there are also atheist families doing just the same.

Well, no.
Our children were brought up with no belief system. Ie: whatever you believe is fine by us 🤷‍♀️

Calendargirl

I attended a CofE primary school in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

Every day started with assembly, hymns, prayers, readings.

The memory of them has stayed with me throughout my life, a peaceful, ordered start to the day.

Surprising how many non church goers still want that type of education for their children.

I wonder why?

We don’t go to church now, although I did when I was younger but we sent our children to an oecumenical school. There they were taught about all religions. I felt it would broaden their minds and enable them to choose.

Basgetti

M0nica

A child is brought up in a belief system even when it isn't religious. You can not bring children up in a vacuum.

My children are baptised catholics, one rejected the whole system at 13, the other is now more CofE than catholic because of his wife, and their children were baptised in a C0f E church.

Neither my children nor grandchildren have grown up in a rigidly religious atmosphere and they have formed their own views and followed them. It would have been much the same if brought up in almost any religion or none. On the otther hand just as there are religious families that do insist their children follow a rigid belief system, there are also atheist families doing just the same.

Well, no.
Our children were brought up with no belief system. Ie: whatever you believe is fine by us 🤷‍♀️

That is a belief system.

I don't think that christening is any kind of imposition on the child but rather a set of promises that the parents make to raise the child in the Christian way.

Nanny27

I don't think that christening is any kind of imposition on the child but rather a set of promises that the parents make to raise the child in the Christian way.

But that IS an imposition!

My son and daughter in law are not religionists and undertook to raise their children without any supernatural beliefs. When the little girl went to the local C of E primary school she was happy. She asked her mother one day "What is god?" Her mother told her god is something some people believe in.

Surely it is best to educated a child and not indoctrinate a child.

M0nica

A child is brought up in a belief system even when it isn't religious. You can not bring children up in a vacuum.

My children are baptised catholics, one rejected the whole system at 13, the other is now more CofE than catholic because of his wife, and their children were baptised in a C0f E church.

Neither my children nor grandchildren have grown up in a rigidly religious atmosphere and they have formed their own views and followed them. It would have been much the same if brought up in almost any religion or none. On the otther hand just as there are religious families that do insist their children follow a rigid belief system, there are also atheist families doing just the same.

The best belief system for a child to be brought up in is to have conscience as her compass and reason as her map.

Why would you want to impose any supernatural beliefs on a child when the same child will be put to the trouble of divesting herself of those belief?

Well said, Caleo!

Caleo Dd had no problem at all 'divesting herself of her faith.

Humankind from its earliest time has universally had an instinct to look for reasons beyond itself. Over time this has taken all sorts of forms and for many people there is far more to religion than, supernatural beliefs and need not necessarily include them.

The best belief system for a child to be brought up in is to have conscience as her compass and reason as her map and the ability to allow others to have their faiths without implying that there’s anything wrong with that.

Mollygo

^The best belief system for a child to be brought up in is to have conscience as her compass and reason as her map^ and the ability to allow others to have their faiths without implying that there’s anything wrong with that.

But where do the map and conscience come from?

M0nica

Mollygo

The best belief system for a child to be brought up in is to have conscience as her compass and reason as her map and the ability to allow others to have their faiths without implying that there’s anything wrong with that.

But where do the map and conscience come from?

From having good people around them - and that doesn't necessarily mean those people need to be religious. You don't need religion to have a conscience and stop you doing bad things, you just need to be a good person.

ViceVersa

M0nica

Mollygo

The best belief system for a child to be brought up in is to have conscience as her compass and reason as her map and the ability to allow others to have their faiths without implying that there’s anything wrong with that.

But where do the map and conscience come from?

From having good people around them - and that doesn't necessarily mean those people need to be religious. You don't need religion to have a conscience and stop you doing bad things, you just need to be a good person.

I uite agree you do not need a religion to have a conscience, but what are 'good' people and where did they get their goodness from.

Humanism and Atheism are belief systems.

My junior school was Church of England, so singing hymns, bible stories and morality stories were a big thing every day. Once a week the vicar would pay a visit from the church next door and once a fortnight, we'd attend the church for a service on Mondays. Also the school every Thursday would play a religious programme on the radio called A Service For Schools.
Secondary school was rather different as it was non denom. My first secondary school had two house assemblies and one school assembly every week. The house assembly was really just like a bulletin of events with only a minimum of religion like a short religious strory. School assembly was more religious, with a hymn sung, the Lord's Prayer and then a religious/ moral story before the headmaster ran through various school notices and achievements.
Changing schools at 13, with a head and a deputy who were atheists and a housemaster with little interest in relgion, the assemblies were quite interesting. We'd be asked to put on plays or give talks about things that affected us like worries about finding a job after school or the threat of nuclear war. Also I remember organising a play that condemned racism, where someone in blackface( the school was totally white and this was 1982), was bullied over their skin colour and stands up to his tormentors.

YorkLady

We had daily assemblies when I was at primary school.
My lasting memory is of the classical music played for about two minutes at the end, then we had to file out of the hall in turn.
It’s where my love of classical music started and I’m grateful for it.

Yes, it's the same for me. I remember hearing "Fingal's Cave" for the first time when I was about 6 years old, at the morning assembly and loved it.

I can remember at junior school a teacher who loved classical music would sometimes play five minutes of a well known piece of classical music at the end of an assembly. It sort of gave you a more rounded interest in music, even if many children looked bored.