General Chat

Oh dear Theresa and i thought we was on the same wavelength with everything..... obviously not LOL

Was it the Jesuits who claimed 'Let us have your child until he is 8 and he will be ours forever'? Len

Theresa You know I'm not lol I actually did it at CSE wasn't good enough for O level :-P Hated teh Nun who taught it..... she used to rap our knuckles with a ruler if we so much as breathed out of turn!!!!

I had lots of religion in school, prob due to the fact I went to an RC primary sch then to an RC high school. The high school even had nuns teaching us, not just religion tho. We had all sorts of religious activites but as I said my Nan knew what the school was like when she sent me there LOL What I did object too was being made to sit it at GCSE level.. what use what that to me???? I could have done a different subject. My children do learn about religion but in a more relaxed way. Each term they learn about a different religion. In the twins class is a boy who is a Jehovah and his sister in in my youngest sons class... AS far I know they do attend the classes, but will not take part in xmas plays etc. They sit in the office while this is happening, also don't celecrate birthdays, so don't attend any they are invited to either. But they have a big party at end of each school yr. Eldest who is in high sch does have an RS lesson, but again it is more multireligion than anything else.

Jess. I think they are Taylorite Brethren. There you go again Len. I put my hand up. What we need banned in schools is the modern religion of evolution. A misnamed 'science' with no evidence. In fact all the evidence is for a young earth. David

My experience of religious education dates back a long way. (I left school in 1980) I attended local authority comprehensive multicultural schools in Greater London. Now Infants and Juniors had assembly each morning with a a couple of Hymns and a moral tale (not necessarily from the Bible) At Junior High School we had a head teacher who considered herself to be 'hip' (someone shoul've told her that tweed twinsets were NEVER hip) We still had assembly with hymns but there was no R.E. In its place we had E.P.R. (education in peoples relationships) which theoretically should have been the equivalent of 'citizenship' classes and supposedly covered multi- faiths. However, the teacher of E.P.R. was a religious zealot who appeared to be a failed Nun. Consequently I left there with a full understanding of Franciscan Monks lifestyle and as for the multi faith aspect, well I learnt that (shock, horror!!) Buddhists worship Buddha!!!!!!!! As for Senior High, I think they gave up on assemblies many years before I attended. We had a wonderful ex missionary as our R E teacher and I left with a far greater understanding of all the major faiths.

I don't think religion (I presume we're talking about Christianity here)as a faith, should be taught at school, after all it is a belief system, not a fact. However, I think the various religious observances, the differences and, more importantly, the similarities, should be taught, as they are fact. I managed to avoid RE. PE and games at school, merely by stating that 'charity begins at home', I want to do volunteer work at the children's home up the road!!! RE teacher told me to ask Head, head said you set it up - I did. I suppose the fact that my dad had converted to Islam, and taught it to Saudi's helped, as no-one in Britain knew much about the Moslem faith then(over 35 years ago). They certainly didn't realise my dad's conversion didn't mean I was suddenly religious! Having said that, I now have a degree in religious studies acquired when I was 40 - still no religion though lol Jess, theyare Plymouth Brethren. maggie

Read it again, Daniel. len

Only 9 Len? Still seems young and impressionable to me. I was taught it from when we could first talk I suppose, aged 4/5. Forced singing, bible stories, prayer time. I'm not a rebellious person, but it takes the biscuit.

Anyone with half a mind, who has really studied the scriptures, will conclude that they largely mythology. The teaching of religion should, by law, be witheld from minors and introduced to them only when their brains and minds are fully formed and they can reach their own conclusions. Any child under 9 years old having a doctrine installed in their consciousness will have it all their lives unless, by a great effort, they intellectually reject it. Hands up all those who believe the world and all it contains was made in 6 days. Let us not dwell on Adam and Eve. len

hi all being from a country torn apart by religion (northern ireland) i agree it should be banned!!!

I'm not to keen on secular humanism being forced down kids throats... As for religion being the main cause of war, people often forget what Stalin managed to get up to...

It's strange how our perseptions of people and groups depend upon our experiences and upbringing. The first Yehovah's witnesses I met were 2 children about 6 and 8, who had been sent out to 'spread the word' when I was about 10/11, I was horrified as was my mother that someone could allow there children to roam the streets in this way and the children were dressed strangely to me - more like mini adults. I was 14 when we had a Yehovah's Witness join my class and she was a stuck up, spoilt brat that resented being in school but her younger sister was the nicest girl i've ever met - they didn't stay in school long as the eldest kept moaning at home. Then 3 years ago I met a lady that had become a Yahovah's Witness as a child (her choice) she was lovely, not at all pushy. Although she did not celerbrate christmas, she gave our class cards as we celerbrated and I made sure she got a card of me that was just seasonal greetings as I did not want to leave her out, and she said she appreciated the sentiment. I think that I've met some wonderful people of alsorts of religous backgrounds so don't judge them, however I do hate it when people try to preach to you in the street and save you from eternal what ever - If I'm going to beleive I don't need someone shouting at me in the street and shoving paper into my hands. If we ban religion from schools how long would it be until we were like france? No religious things at all, necklaces, headscarfs, turbans, Nothing related to religion at all.

Daniel, I agree... I really do hate compulsory lessons but I think I needed PE lol :-)

I think RE should be taught in schools in as much as pupils are taught about different faiths but that is as far as it goes, I think that other that what I have already said, religion has no places in schools, schools are for learning, not religion and the best place to be taught religion is in the home. Having said that, I think that religion is the reason for war and it is the most devisive thing in this world today and if President Bush wasnt one of those godawful middle american religious nuts, then he would be trying to ban it throughout the world, as it is he is just tryiong to ban religions that he doesnt agree with Just my humble opinion of course

Who picks what religions that are forced down our throats in these compulsory lessons? I thought there was a fair few hundred, each with their own potential to be true. Yet I only remember being taught about 4/5 I think.

In reply to the Witnesses being weird, I am Cof E and must say knowing a few Witnesses I have found more weirdo's in my faith than theirs. I have never found them to be arrogant and certainly not 'too pushy' unlike other religions. Rupert.

A muslim say, would find it offensive to be preached Christianity at a school which isn't religious. I think it would be the same if you are secular. I didn't mind being taught RE but it was a waste of time. Our whole class failed lol :-)

I guess it depends on what sort of school you attend. My secondary school was council run, we has assembaly every Monday (always had a moral story, hymn and prayer) and had 2 hours of Religious studies (RS / RE) every week. Your parents could have you withdrawn from RS and you could stand out of assembally but few did ( 2 Yehovah's Witnesses, a Jew and a Catholic from what I can remember) The daft thing was most of the girls did RS by choice even if they did not go to assembaly, the Jewish girl was excellent at RS - she even ended up doing the subject most of the time as she remembered what nobody else could. Until the scholls realise that most children are not religious or the majority have different beleifes then they will continue to practice religion in the way they have for years.

The law states that there has to be a collective worship in schools, which is commonly known as 'assembly'. This generally involves a message about being good etc, a prayer - or thinking time - and a song which may or may not be a hymn. This isn't the same as RE. At our school the Jehovah's Witness children do not stay in assembly for the singing, but they do attend RE lessons. RE covers many faiths - Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh. nell