What if your childs....

[Saul Goodman]

Even in catholic schools the teaching of RE has dramatically altered from when I was a child. The RE curriculum focuses on all religions and moral ed...as in .. beung a kind, caring person. There's even kessons on caring for your environment and the different types of families.
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.
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I think the timetable is still supposed to give 30 minutes a day to RE at a set time...usually 12:30..... I tend to keep on teaching maths for that time..

That's still two and a half hours a week that could be spent doing something useful.
If parents want to fill their children's heads with useless crap, they should do it on their own time at home, so as not to be wasting the time of people who actually want to learn something worthwhile.
The whole moral ed thing certainly doesn't need half an hour a day, every day. A single half hour lesson at the start of the school year is all that's needed, and all that needs to be taught in that lesson is one simple rule that people should try to live by... "Try not to be a cunt".
The rest of it is just superfluous, and a waste of everyone's time.

 

[Juno4000]

That's still two and a half hours a week that could be spent doing something useful.
If parents want to fill their children's heads with useless crap, they should do it on their own time at home, so as not to be wasting the time of people who actually want to learn something worthwhile.
The whole moral ed thing certainly doesn't need half an hour a day, every day. A single half hour lesson at the start of the school year is all that's needed, and all that needs to be taught in that lesson is one simple rule that people should try to live by... "Try not to be a cunt".
The rest of it is just superfluous, and a waste of everyone's time.

More than half of the worlds people is religious. You don't thinking learning a bit about religion is going to be useful at all?

 

[Thora]

God no. She didn't care about religion- never has. It was the school who excluded me- She was horrified when she found out and moved me to a different school

What an odd thing for the school to do, usually they really discourage children being withdrawn.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

More than half of the worlds people is religious. You don't thinking learning a bit about religion is going to be useful at all?

Learning about religions in an RE class is fine. Indoctrinating children into a particular religion is NOT.

 

[Saul Goodman]

More than half of the worlds people is religious. You don't thinking learning a bit about religion is going to be useful at all?

Unfortunately, those 50% don't all follow the same religion. Nobody knows whose 'God' is the real one, so somebody must be teaching lies. Why should children be taught lies?
And what about the other half of the population, who might want to learn something useful?

 

[Manter]

What an odd thing for the school to do, usually they really discourage children being withdrawn.

It was called our lady of the angels and it was horrible. I can't find it on google so I wonder if it still exists. It was private so you'd have thought even more concerned about parents pulling kids out

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

That's still two and a half hours a week that could be spent doing something useful.
If parents want to fill their children's heads with useless crap, they should do it on their own time at home, so as not to be wasting the time of people who actually want to learn something worthwhile.
The whole moral ed thing certainly doesn't need half an hour a day, every day. A single half hour lesson at the start of the school year is all that's needed, and all that needs to be taught in that lesson is one simple rule that people should try to live by... "Try not to be a cunt".
The rest of it is just superfluous, and a waste of everyone's time.

I think that's what I said....

Honestly .... the entire curriculum needs to be scrapped.
The Finnish schools have it right.....
As for the "try not to be a cunt".....some people dont recognise when they are being a cunt....they justify being a cunt...

 

[SpookyFrank]

More than half of the worlds people is religious. You don't thinking learning a bit about religion is going to be useful at all?

I don't think people who believe in sky pixie A are going to present a balanced and fair account of the virtues of sky pixie B. Indeed, many would consider themselves to be in open violation of their commitment to sky pixie A if they did, and I'd assume most people fear an eternity in hell more than a bollocking from the school inspectors.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

It's useful to understand a little about all religions. It helps to understand how and why some countries/communities act the way they do.

 

[bimble]

Tricky business though, teaching other people's beliefs in a balanced way as a bunch of equally valid but different worldviews or whatever. When I first heard about the catholic mass I was terrified, used to cross the road to avoid walking past the place where blood-drinking went on.

 

[scifisam]

I don't think people who believe in sky pixie A are going to present a balanced and fair account of the virtues of sky pixie B. Indeed, many would consider themselves to be in open violation of their commitment to sky pixie A if they did, and I'd assume most people fear an eternity in hell more than a bollocking from the school inspectors.

In primary school RE is usually delivered by the regular class teacher though, and they're not necessarily religious - though that does depend on the school. J's school had plenty of non-Christian kids and staff but in some areas that might be different and I suspect Catholics are more selective than CofE.

Secondary school is different obvs. Mind you sometimes the RE teacher is the history teacher doing double duty so they're not necessarily religious either. At one school I taught at RE was just bundled in with citizenship etc and teachers took it in turns.

 

[Juno4000]

Learning about religions in an RE class is fine. Indoctrinating children into a particular religion is NOT.

Yes it was RE the poster was objecting to

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

I have a friend who works in a non denominational school. They teach children from all sorts of religious backgrounds and non religious backgrounds and atheistic backgrounds...
They had a winter last year in December. The Hindus had their show...the Jews had their item....the Christians and Muslims had an item each...the pagans did something...the alchemists put on a display....the atheists did nothing.

It was very interesting...apparently.

 

[Juno4000]

I don't think people who believe in sky pixie A are going to present a balanced and fair account of the virtues of sky pixie B. Indeed, many would consider themselves to be in open violation of their commitment to sky pixie A if they did, and I'd assume most people fear an eternity in hell more than a bollocking from the school inspectors.

Who would you have give a fair and balanced view of sky pixies? Someone who thinks they are all a shit?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

They had a winter last year in December. The Hindus had their show...the Jews had their item....the Christians and Muslims had an item each...the pagans did something...the alchemists put on a display....the atheists did nothing.

Are atheists not allowed to have fun.

I'm kind of suspicious of this kind of hippy stuff as well, tbh. All beliefs are equally valid.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

used to cross the road to avoid walking past the place where blood-drinking went on.

Blood tastes lovely though. My own blood does, at any rate.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I'm kind of suspicious of this kind of hippy stuff as well, tbh. All beliefs are equally valid.

Quite.

 

[redsquirrel]

More than half of the worlds people is religious. You don't thinking learning a bit about religion is going to be useful at all?

And for that people need to take part in an act of religion? You can, and indeed should, have RE (or whatever equivalent you want to call it) in secular schools.

Lessons about being a 'kind, caring person' are not part of RE (or at least should not be), they're PGCE (or whatever it's called now)

. All beliefs are equally valid.

Yes, IMO it's actually disrespectful of religion. To reduce a belief that has to do with everlasting life and your very soul to something of the level of Beatles vs Rolling Stones is both stupid and offensive.

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

Are atheists not allowed to have fun.

I'm kind of suspicious of this kind of hippy stuff as well, tbh. All beliefs are equally valid.

Ummm I think they chose to do nothing...which I agree is pretty sad.

 

[Silas Loom]

Are atheists not allowed to have fun.

I'm kind of suspicious of this kind of hippy stuff as well, tbh. All beliefs are equally valid.

Particularly when (according to bubblesmcgrath) there are children who identify as pagans and alchemists. Especially alchemists. Pity whoever has to teach them chemistry.

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

Particularly when (according to bubblesmcgrath) there are children who identify as pagans and alchemists. Especially alchemists. Pity whoever has to teach them chemistry.

Lol....well they're in primary school...so it'll be kitchen sink chemistry.

 

[DotCommunist]

believes in science

its still magical thinking unless she's totally getting how empiricism works.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Yes, IMO it's actually disrespectful of religion. To reduce a belief that has to do with everlasting life and your very soul to something of the level of Beatles vs Rolling Stones is both stupid and offensive.

Seems quite typical of many religious types, though. A friend of mine who did Arabic at uni spent a year studying in Cairo, where it was illegal to even posit the non-existence of god as a thought experiment in university philosophy classes. He said that people were fine with you if you told them you were Christian, but not fine at all if you said you were atheist. For the sake of an easy life, he became a nominal Christian for the year.

 

[RainbowTown]

As a gay guy who went to a Catholic School I'd say I wouldn't even give it a second thought. If the overall standard of teaching is good at the school, then a couple of hours R.E. and a weekly school mass isn't going to exactly brainwash your kid and turn him/her into a raving Jesus freak. My schoolmates and I regarded it all as little more than boring.

 

[bimble]

Yes, IMO it's actually disrespectful of religion. To reduce a belief that has to do with everlasting life and your very soul to something of the level of Beatles vs Rolling Stones is both stupid and offensive.

Your very soul ? What do you suggest then, how should different beliefs be taught in RE without it being stupid and offensive?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

its still magical thinking unless she's totally getting how empiricism works.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Yes, IMO it's actually disrespectful of religion. To reduce a belief that has to do with everlasting life and your very soul to something of the level of Beatles vs Rolling Stones is both stupid and offensive.

Seeing as I have zero respect for religion I don’t see a problem with this.

 

[Juno4000]

And for that people need to take part in an act of religion? You can, and indeed should, have RE (or whatever equivalent you want to call it) in secular schools.

Lessons about being a 'kind, caring person' are not part of RE (or at least should not be), they're PGCE (or whatever it's called now)

Yes, IMO it's actually disrespectful of religion. To reduce a belief that has to do with everlasting life and your very soul to something of the level of Beatles vs Rolling Stones is both stupid and offensive.

I don't know why people on here keep thinking I've said things which I haven't said. Maybe people like to say their thing and not read carefully

 

[littlebabyjesus]

As a gay guy who went to a Catholic School I'd say I wouldn't even give it a second thought. If the overall standard of teaching is good at the school, then a couple of hours R.E. and a weekly school mass isn't going to exactly brainwash your kid and turn him/her into a raving Jesus freak. My schoolmates and I regarded it all as little more than boring.

I went to a coe school that was big on assembly prayers, due to the head, I'm guessing. YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW IF YOU DON'T PRAY IN ASSEMBLY. I assumed all schools were like that until I found out much later that many schools don't bother with daily prayers, and regularly BREAK THE LAW.

It was one of the many things that fed into my hating school. It wasn't important, but it ended any chance that I might hold the teachers who enforced this nonsense in any kind of respect.

It's a wider cultural thing for me. I wouldn't want to send a kid to a school with any kind of Christian culture, let alone a strong one.

 

[redsquirrel]

Your very soul ? What do you suggest then, how should different beliefs be taught in RE without it being stupid and offensive?

Yes, if your a Christian your religion is about your soul isn't it? I don't know where you've got the second question from, I've not said that the teaching in RE is stupid and offensive.