Faith Schools.....

[Slash Freeman]

okay, what's you opinion of school's which teach their pupils a certain religion? do you think it's a good idea/bad idea?

I have to say that i think it's a really really bad idea, becuase the pupils aren't given the chance to make their own mind up. they will be told that this religion is the only true religion and that everyone who is not a member of your religion is wrong (and in some cases are completely immoral etc). but that is the opinion of someone who has been raised by atheists. what about you guys?

 

[JesterHead2001]

Hey I'm going to hafta agree with you, schools shouldn't teach kids what religion to be in, I just don't get it..... once kids go into a school that preaches the religion, the kids by the end of the year are mindless zombies that rant on about god.....or whatever their religion is..... I'm an athiest and i'm proud of it! why the hell would i want to be brainwashed? Anyway, what I am getting at is..... I think it is a bad idea to teach kids religion and stuff of that sort, because like you said, they never have a chance to make up their own minds....

My own opinion..... I think EVERYONE should just come to realize that we are all human beings and that there is no "supreme being" watching everyone and everything just like Santa Claus?.... but that is just my opinion..... if people want to believe in their god, go ahead, just don't try converting me or I will slit their throat

 

[Angelwitch]

Originally posted by Slash Freeman
okay, what's you opinion of school's which teach their pupils a certain religion? do you think it's a good idea/bad idea?

I have to say that i think it's a really really bad idea, becuase the pupils aren't given the chance to make their own mind up. they will be told that this religion is the only true religion and that everyone who is not a member of your religion is wrong (and in some cases are completely immoral etc). but that is the opinion of someone who has been raised by atheists. what about you guys?

You must be lucky that you havent been born in Greece then!

 

[IRoN]

When will we ever have a discussion about religion without any insults on others' beliefs here?

 

[dreamwatch]

I would imagine that by the way you guys are talking you haven't actually attended Religious schools? Because if you have you are going to the scariest fundamentalist schools I've ever heard of.

My mother is Catholic and my father is an atheist. I attended Catholic scools from the age of 4 to the age of 19. I am not a brain washed zombie. Although Catholicism is the main religion in the schools, all 3 schools had pupils of other creeds - muslim, hindu, church of England etc. There were also many many children there whose parents practiced no religion at all, simply because the parents knew that the academic record's of the schools were better than that of non-religious schools. We all got along fine, and everyone respected everyone elses religious beliefs. Other faith children attended our masses with curiosity, and we (at all 3 very different schools) studied other faiths and religious beliefs. This was actually an important part of the religious education curriculum.

I did decide during my teenage rebellious years that I would no longer be a Catholic. However as I got older and learnt more about religion in general I changed my mind and I would definately say that I am now a Catholic if I have to give a faith.


Of all the schools I have knowledge of religious schools in general tend to have better behaved students, and I would have no hesitation in sending my own children (should I be mad enough to have any!) to a Catholic school. They do not force religion upon you, although you are obviously expected to learn a little about R.E. while your there. The schools teach using the basis of all religions - tolerance, understanding and loving one another. And that benefits ALL children in the school regardless of denomination.

 

[Slash Freeman]

sorry guys, i didn't mean any of this to be insulting to any religions. i appologise for any offence you've taken.

Dreamwatch: i do admit i have never been to a religious school. the school i go to is pretty much non-religious, although we do have links and ties to churches. if all faith schools are like the one you went to then i was obviously wrong. thanks for correcting me!

however, i still don't think faith schools are a good idea. teaching pupils a good set of morals are more important than teaching a certain religion, i think. i've turned out to be a decent enough guy and i'm not really religious.

 

[JesterHead2001]

I also apologize if I insulted anyone..... not everyone are brainwashed zombies

 

[403]

I agree with Slash that all of it is a bad idea. Children should make their own mind up. Period.

I also think that you don't need to go to church , pray or know the bible by heart to connect with god. This is something you must come to by yourself alone.

I talked just this week with a guy that's an ardent believer and who thinks that all of the Bible is unquestionably true (come on, Genesis?). I couldn't support a religion that changes as time goes by, simply proven that it is man-made not god made. Look at homosexuality, for example.
These people said that homosexuality is a sin. Why would it be? If a guy wants to poke other guys, then let him do some pokin'
If he wants to marry him then let him do it.
(and I am not gay if anyone is wandering, I say live and let live).

Oh yeah one more thing: how come one of the ten commandments forbids you to kill someone, but meat is largely widespread among the religious.
And that day when you can't eat meat but you can eat fish???? What the????


Why would you want to be a part of a religion anyway?

 

[dreamwatch]

Originally posted by 403
Children should make their own mind up. Period.

I never said they shouldn't. I was given the opportunity to make my mind up - if I had not had the exposure to the different religions (and atheism) that I received at my 3 schools I could not have made the best decision for myself.

Let me clarify - you are not brainwashed at religious ed schools into accepting the religion of their choice, you are given all the choices. Many of my friends have decided to ignore the religious teachings of their schooling, and most of them did that while they were still at school. They were not treated any different by teachers for doing that.

I don't blindly follow any religious faith, and as for meat thing, well I've been a vegetarian for years, I don't think it bothers my priest too much.

At the end of the day you are all entitled to your opinions; if people choose to follow a faith I don't see the problem - we're not hurting you. Why do I feel the need to follow a religion? I don't see it as a religion, it's a simple belief system that I mostly agree with. I happent o think that spirituality is important, and I've found it's become more and more important to me as I've gotten older.

I would just hope that if your going to discuss religion (or any subject for that matter) that you're willing to see the argument from both sides. I've lived with an atheist all my life and am well aware of the arguments for both sides. I readily accept the argument for atheism and can understand why my father has this belief. It doesn't bother me that he believes what he believes. I'm just curious as to why so many people are so bothered by people that do believe in a God or a belief system.

 

[Slash Freeman]

i have nothing against religious people, as long as they don't try to force their religion on other poeple or myself. i don't like people who stand in the street and say "you're all going to hell unless you start believing" or anything like that. the way i see it, God is (by definition) perfect (and as such won't be a God or a Goddess but a diving entity of some sort) so the divine being would not be so arrogant as to send someone to hell for eternity just because they did not believe in them.

i also have to say i've changed my mind about faith schools, in light of Dreamwatch's arguments. i have preconceptions about them, which were obviously wrong, so they're not such a bad idea. but as i've already said, a school which teaches a good morality is more important than one that teaches a religion, in my opinion. by all means, children should be told about religions and their different beliefs, but it's made compulsary in a lot of schools, which is possibly one of the reasons why i'm against the idea.

 

[dreamwatch]

Originally posted by Slash Freeman
i have nothing against religious people, as long as they don't try to force their religion on other poeple or myself. i don't like people who stand in the street and say "you're all going to hell unless you start believing" or anything like that. the way i see it, God is (by definition) perfect (and as such won't be a God or a Goddess but a diving entity of some sort) so the divine being would not be so arrogant as to send someone to hell for eternity just because they did not believe in them.

I have to say that my own personal take on these people is that they have mental health issues rather than being religious. Religion is a spiritual thing, and spirituality cannot be shouted on the streets. I don't consider the people I see screaming about eternal damnation on street corners as having anything to do with faith - they are just very scary individuals.

I agree with what you say about teaching morality at school - alas I've seen many non-faith schools and they don't have much of a basis to teach these morals. I presume that with a faith school there is a basis to start the teachings (whether it be a bible, the koran, whatever) but I wonder where non faith schools begin? I'm not sure what it's like where you're from (Scotland?) but I know here in London it's common knowledge that religious schools (and mostly Catholic schools) have better academic results and better behaved children, leading to a better atmosphere in the schools in general. I know this because for a few years I was considering teaching as a profession so was naturally interested in anything to do with the education system here. They're not perfect by any means, but I think that for all the children, regardless of faith, they have examples (for the non-religious I suppose just stories) of people doing good and being kind to their neighbour. I know it's cheesy but perhaps after a few years it rubs off.

Please don't get me wrong, I have no problem with non-religious schools and I know that there are thousands of excellent ones around the country. But I would say that for poor inner city schools with no faith and no basis for their morality teachings it just makes the job a little harder. More effort from over worked, under paid teachers who have no support from parents who generally don't give a fuck as long as their kid is out of the house for several hours a day. Anyway, that's another argument.

Anyway, I have nothing else to add to this discussion, so this is where I step out . . .

 

[403]

I also think spirituality is a very important thing. I just think no one can teach you about spirituality, you achieve this yourself through your own inner ways of connecting with the supreme.

I am not an atheist (from one of your messages I thought you presumed I was). I just don't believe in any of the religions, they seem like fairy tales. And I don't think a class can tell you anything about your spirituality you come to this by yourself. And that's it.

 

[JesusCow]

i'm gonna try hard not to attack or offend anyone in this post:

people sure do have the right to go to whatever institution of education they want to... although, when they are brought up in a religious environment, they usually cannot get out of it easily

also, some people need something to get through their lives, wheather it's religion, drugs, writing, music, etc... these people bring their kids into at a young age and basically brainwash them... and maybe their parents were forced into a specific religious group at the same age, so they just assume they should do it to their kids

i would rant on some more, but i have to accually get some real work done, see you guys later

 

[Slash Freeman]

i have to say that i'm kinda like 403. i'm not a follower of any religion, but i'm not an atheist. i do think there is something afterlife, or at least some kind of higher plain to reality that we don't know about, because i just find it too hard to believe that a few protons, neutrons and electrons bonding in a certain way could result in a conscious being like ourselves. as for there being some kind of diving being, though, i'm not sure. maybe.....

 

[403]

Originally posted by Slash Freeman
i have to say that i'm kinda like 403. i'm not a follower of any religion, but i'm not an atheist. i do think there is something afterlife, or at least some kind of higher plain to reality that we don't know about, because i just find it too hard to believe that a few protons, neutrons and electrons bonding in a certain way could result in a conscious being like ourselves. as for there being some kind of diving being, though, i'm not sure. maybe.....

Yeah, scientists have still not produced artificial life.


About the divine being I think that it's more of a rule than a being (don't know if you get my drift). More like a mass of life that's everywhere and that gives you reaction for your action. Maybe I am over my head but I analize this all the time and I think I am getting somewhere.......never can know for sure eh?