Integration? Religious Schools? Muddled thinking?

Posted on by Opher

Once again we have politicians pulling in two different directions. They want more religious schools. They want more integration.

They want Muslims being taught in segregated schools. They want Muslims integrated into British society with British values and language. Aren’t the two wishes counterproductive.

Surely the best way to integrate people is to teach them alongside each other rather than keeping them apart?

Haven’t we seen this in Ireland with Catholics and Protestants being educated apart?

Surely it is time to take all religion out of schools? Why do we want our children being brain-washed?

I find it repugnant.

What reasons do religious groups have for getting their hands on our kids? Isn’t it obvious?

The government is looking to get education subsidised by religious people without caring about their motives.

Surely our children are too precious to be abused in this way?

My beliefs – Faith Schools – How about if we had Fascist and Communist Schools?

Posted on by Opher

IMG_5984

I do not believe any faith schools, Sunday schools or madrassas should be allowed by law.

I believe indoctrinating children with religion or politics is an abuse. It should be a crime.

There are many religions and institutes that are dying to get their hands on our children and fill their heads with dogma. As the Jesuits used to say ‘give me a child until the age of seven and I’ll give you the man’. Unfortunately that is true. Once the impressionable minds have been poisoned with pernicious ideology they can never break free. They are stuck with it for life.

I believe children should be free to develop. They should not be indoctrinated.

I believe parents should bring up their children in a moral background with love, tolerance and equality as the basis. They should be taught to respect all people, races, faiths and creeds.

I believe schools should concern themselves with educating children, not indoctrinating them. Religion should be taught as a subject which covers all religions factually, never giving credibility or weight to one over another. I believe atheism and humanism should be part of that curriculum and given equal weight.

I believe assemblies should never be religious. They should be moral.

I believe that when a child reaches adulthood – I would suggest at sixteen- their brains are sufficiently developed for them to handle concepts as weighty as belief. Only then should they be subjected to religious belief.

I think that is people substituted politics for religion and we had communist or fascist schools set up to instil their dogma into our children we, as a society, might have a view. For me religion is even more pervasive and pernicious.

Religion in modern society – a view and a debate.

Posted on by Opher

The book of ginny

As an antitheist I would like to see the end of all religion. I think it all does more harm than good. But I am a tolerant respecter of other people’s beliefs and views.

I want to live in a pluralist society. I like my life cosmopolitan. I enjoy the richness of the rubbing together of other cultures, ideas and views. I do not enjoy monocultures. I like variety.

I despise intolerance, hatred and indoctrination. I do not see how anyone can justify implanting religion in young impressionable minds. To me that is child abuse. Families and schools who deliberately indoctrinate children should be taken to court.

There are four issues that come to mind straight away when dealing with religion in society:

a. The right for an individual to believe whatever religion or belief they wish with the proviso that they do not indoctrinate or display intolerance to others. That is something worth fighting for. We do not have to believe in the same things in order to get along. We can disagree and argue. That’s OK. That is our right and freedom.

b. Religious/faith schools. I believe these should be banned. There is no place for indoctrinating children with religion. The effects of segregation can be seen in the terrorism we are now experiencing. Our schools should reflect our values – tolerance, freedom, equality, democracy and fairness. We do not need undemocratic, intolerant values being taught to our children. I believe in respect and integration. Our schools are a civilising environment.

c. Religion in schools. Britain is a secular country. We should teach about the different religions but not teach religion. Most of the British people do not believe in God. As a pluralist society with Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Rastas, Atheists, as well as Christians it is plain wrong to focus on one religion and exclude everyone else. We should have a daily assembly focussing on awe and wonder or a common moral or ethical issue. That would be inclusive and not divisive.

d. Religion in society – it has no place in the power structure and should not have a place in its institutions. We are not a Christian society and have no desire to go over to any other religion. Part of the problem at the moment is that people are reacting against the aggressive Islamification of Europe. We do not want a theocracy. We should not have ‘Thought for the day’ being a religious input. Atheists, humanists and antitheists deserve at least equal time. The humanist/atheist voice needs equal respect. We should have our own ‘Songs of Praise’!

The Teaching of Religion in Schools in America and Britain.

Posted on by Opher

IMG_5535

As a retired Headteacher who has taught in both America and Britain I remain amazed at the differences and stupidities in both.

In Britain, which is now a fundamentally secular country, the only compulsory subject by law is Religion. It is also compulsory to have a religious assembly that is wholly or mainly Christian. Presumably Islamic, Jewish and Hindu schools can do their thing.

In America, which is dominated by Christianity,  religion was banned from being taught.

In Britain, in a comprehensive school, I have seen some devout teachers who set about indoctrinating their children with Christianity and saw that as their job. Heaven knows what extremes of religious indoctrination are deployed in religious schools. They did this with impunity with the full backing of school, governors and the education system.

In America, when I taught evolution I had to teach fifty percent of the lesson on the insane and highly unscientific theory of creation. This was the law. I actually had parents in my lessons with egg-timers who were checking to see that I complied and did not short-change their children.

Well I happen to believe that religion should be taught in schools. It should be taught factually as with any other subject. It should be comparative of all major religions and kept strictly to the details of beliefs, history etc.. There should be discussion about the possibility of God, heaven, paradise etc. but no assertions that these are facts. Atheism should be treated equally and given equal value. In no way should this be treated as an indoctrination programme.

Religion has been an important part of cultures across the world. The only way we can see through the religious dogma to any underlying spirituality is to expose its human origins, psychological basis and history.

Perhaps then we will develop questioning adults who will not be intolerant or indoctrinated and can make up their own minds when they are old enough?

I am an antitheist who is tolerant of other views, fascinated by customs and cultures, and who beliefs that wonder and awe are better than any religious doctrine.

Religious Schools – a recipe for disaster.

Posted on by Opher

Religion-in-School---WEB_1

religiongirl-praying

The whole concept of religious schools is a throwback to the Dark Ages. They should be abolished. I have two huge objections:

1. Integration

The key theme of our society should be integration to shared values.

I cannot think of anything worse that separating children into different schools to be brought up apart with a biased, partisan ethos. It is poison to the whole concept of integration, understanding and shared values.

We have seen the effects in Northern Ireland and we are seeing it in the rest of Britain.

2. Brain Washing

To have religion in schools is disgusting. To have it forced into young minds before their brains have developed sufficiently for them to rationally refute the logic of religion is brain washing.

As the Jesuits used to say ‘Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man’. It works for girls too! Once the insidious seeds have been psychologically planted they take root and destroy the ability to rationalise.

We see this taking place with Jews, Christians and Muslims. Probably the Jewish and Muslim go to the extreme with their enforced reciting and memorising of religious texts but the Christians have had their day.

I do not give a damn if the results are better. The social outcomes are disastrous. The abuse of our children and the effect on their psychology is permanent. They are being damaged for life.

This is nothing short of child abuse!

There should be a law against it!