All-Purpose Religion Thread

[Chindie]

I tried to get out of doing R.E. when I got even half a chance.

When I got to picking my GCSE subjects our teachers took us aside and spoke through our options, usually trying to convince us to do their subject. I'd had the same R.E. teacher since Year 7 (and in the end had her right through to leaving). She called me over and just said 'Don't do R.E. GCSE, you don't have the mind for it'. It also turned out that the compulsory GCSE course was somehow shared with the compulsory I.T. GCSE, both short courses. A rumour went round that if you did the GNVQ ICT course, you couldn't do R.E.. I signed up for the GNVQ instantly - unfortunately still had to do short course R.E., which basically turned into the 'Abortions might be bad' course.

[Humanoid]

Do you guys think that RE should be a subject at school?

Religious Education i agree with to the extent that is used as a means to examine different religions and philosophies objectively. It helps broaden awareness and achieve understanding between those of different backgrounds and faiths. Faiths should be examined with open mindedness with the inclusion of alternative agnostic, atheist and scientific views. However it's a big ask for a teacher to be able to do this well, particularly if they have their own religious bias.

I do not agree with Religious Instruction in the guise of RE, which is taught at faith schools. It is usually unreasonably biased indoctrination, in line with the doctrines of whatever religion sponsors the school, with little scope for questioning at the expense of the development of critical thinking.

[Brumerican]

R.E. should definitely be taught in schools and I mean EVERY religion . Possibly from an anthropological stance but kids should definitely be educated about the thousands of religions that exist or have existed . It would make Religion almost obsolete within a few generations.

[TrentVilla]

Religion should be taught in schools as a way of encouraging kids to write as it shows just how successful you can be if you are good at creative writing

[bickster]

Religion should have zero part to play in schools. It's one of the very few things the USA gets right in this area. On the other hand you can shove the daily fawn at the national flag which they also do right up where the sun doesn't shine

[LoughboroughLion]

I did R.S at A Level, picked up the prize for best in the school at it too, might I add. But my course was a lot more based on philosophy and ethics with a slant of Christianity. Was very interesting and hard. But I have to say, it's the best subject I have ever taken.

[LoughboroughLion]

Religion should have zero part to play in schools. It's one of the very few things the USA gets right in this area. On the other hand you can shove the daily fawn at the national flag which they also do right up where the sun doesn't shine

A lot of school examinations now are heavily weighted on evaluation marks. Because of that, students are encouraged to look at a lot of different views. If the religious ideas are learnt and balanced against the beliefs of say, Richard Dawkins and other points of view, I think it can be very useful.

[TheDon]

Religion should have zero part to play in schools. It's one of the very few things the USA gets right in this area.

The separation of church and state only forbids the preaching of religion in publicly funded institutions, they're still free to teach RE, as long as it's done objectively.

Their daily fawn at the national flag is also non-mandatory, as they can't force people to recite the pledge of allegiance, due to it's inclusion of "one nation under God".

[chrisp65]

I clearly went to a different kind of comp to some of you guys.

We did RE and it was used as a sort of catch all lesson covering the background to religion generally, hopping around the interesting bits of five or six faiths, plus 'personal development' which looking back was a sort of know your rights taster, then it covered sex education, basic philosophy etc etc.. At no point did anyone even remotely try to tell us that any particular faith was right, wrong or nuts.

From memory, and we're talking late 70's early 80's, there was a letter went out to parents offering an opt out for the 'religious' parts of morning assembly and RE. You could do all the law / sex / philosophy bits and then pop down the school library on the weeks they did Islam or Bhudism.

Perhaps I just went to one of those trendy lefty non competitive 70's schools I've heard about.

Come to think about it, the only subject my school took seriously was rugby. Rugby **** union be all and end all of that school's interest in anything.

Then, perhaps out of perverse rebelion at my achingly knowing trendy school and conservative secular upbringing, I went all Methodist Socialist Vegetarian around about 1984.

[leviramsey]

Religion should have zero part to play in schools. It's one of the very few things the USA gets right in this area.

The separation of church and state only forbids the preaching of religion in publicly funded institutions, they're still free to teach RE, as long as it's done objectively.

Their daily fawn at the national flag is also non-mandatory, as they can't force people to recite the pledge of allegiance, due to it's inclusion of "one nation under God".

Even prior to the insertion of "under God" in the 1950s, schools couldn't compel the pledge.

In 1940 the Supreme Court, in Minersville School District v. Gobitis, ruled that students in public schools, including the respondents in that case, Jehovah's Witnesses who considered the flag salute to be idolatry, could be compelled to swear the Pledge. A rash of mob violence and intimidation against Jehovah's Witnesses followed the ruling. In 1943 the Supreme Court reversed its decision, ruling in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that public school students are not required to say the Pledge, concluding that "compulsory unification of opinion" violates the First Amendment.

Of interest, the Pledge was originally written by a socialist...

Of course I'm from the town that refused to obey an order from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to cease school prayer...

[snowychap]

I went all Methodist Socialist Vegetarian around about 1984.

Hence the Methodist propoganda earlier in the thread?

[limpid]

If the religious ideas are learnt and balanced against the beliefs of say, Richard Dawkins and other points of view, I think it can be very useful.

Atheism is the lack of belief (in god(s)). I guess the atheist part of your course was a little light if you came away thinking that Dawkins' atheism is a belief.

[mjmooney]

I dropped R.E. (it was still called "Scripture" at my school - no heathen religions allowed at that stage) at the first opportunity (age 13).

However, in the 6th Form, we had to take two "General Studies" courses in each of the two years - subjects included car maintenance, ham radio, formal logic, economics, statistics, (classical) music appreciation, and all sorts of other semi-random things. One of the options was "Religion, Ethics and Philosophy", taught by the aged R.E./Scripture teacher (he was German - an active anti-Nazi campaigner, who escaped Germany by the skin of his teeth to come to Britain in 1938, also a Methodist lay preacher - and took the music appreciation class, too).

I can honestly say it was the single best course I ever took in all my years at school. So much so that at the end of lower 6th I asked him if he was repeating the same stuff the following year or covering different areas, and when he said it would be different I told him I wanted to break the rule that you had to choose different subjects, and do it again. He was delighted, and we swung it.

This guy was a real tyrant with the younger kids - he admitted he hated them - but he liked teaching 6th formers, and encouraged as much debate as possible. Really, really good bloke. A lot of the "belief v. atheism" stuff I trot out on VT was thoroughly rehearsed in those two years. I still have a couple of the textbooks we used - I did love the irony of stealing a copy of "Teach Yourself Ethics"!

So, teaching religion in context - as part of history, sociology, psychology, citizenship, etc., rather than as dogma - in schools? Absolutely, yes.

It's - still - a major factor in our world, and if we are ever going to outgrow it, we need to understand it.

[bickster]

The teaching about religion isn't what I was talking about, that's absolutely fine, as long as the curriculum is broad and all encompassing.

Its the actual worship of a particular religion in a school that is the problem.

Single faith schools, close them down, close any school that actually practices any form of worship.

[mjmooney]

The teaching about religion isn't what I was talking about, that's absolutely fine, as long as the curriculum is broad and all encompassing.

Its the actual worship of a particular religion in a school that is the problem.

Single faith schools, close them down, close any school that actually practices any form of worship.

Oh, I definitely agree with this. No private schools exemption, either.

We can't stop parents filling their kids' heads with mumbo-jumbo, unfortunately, but we definitely shouldn't be abusing the education system with it.

[Chindie]

You want to be careful throwing those 'we's around Mike.

[PussEKatt]

I agree with the above.Relegion should be an option and not forced upon anyone.Unfortunately, there are a few relegions where their faith is the be all and end all of everything,and their whole life revolves around it.

[mjmooney]

You want to be careful throwing those 'we's around Mike.

True. One does want to be careful, doesn't one?

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

I agree with the above.Relegion should be an option and not forced upon anyone.Unfortunately, there are a few relegions where their faith is the be all and end all of everything,and their whole life revolves around it.

It's too late then, kids are brainwashed by their so called parents long before they enter school. To prey on the young and defenseless like this is horrible but expected as they are the only humans on the planet that will believe them, sad but true. Are we not all guilty by letting this happen every day to kids around us?

[b6bloke]

What about cults such as the Church of Scientology and dare I say it Jehova witnesses?