Is religion taught in your schools?

[Ville]

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Edited September 12, 2021 by Ville

[Cube]

When I was in school I was taught to be Christian. It wasn't until high school (and then it was year 9 or higher) that I was taught about "alternative" religions.

[MoogleViper]

R.E. (Religious Education) is a compulsory subject, although you don't have to take an exam/get any qualifications, but you do have to attend lessons. Numerous religions are taught.

 

Here's the wikipaedia article on it.

 

Religious Education (RE) is a compulsory subject in the state education system in the United Kingdom. Schools are required to teach a programme of religious studies according to local and national guidelines.

In Scotland it is called Religious and Moral Education from ages 5 to 14, and Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies from 14 to 18.

Religious Education in England is mandated by the Education Act 1944 as amended by the Education Reform Act 1988 and the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Religious Education is compulsory in all state-funded schools. The subject consists of the study of different religions, religious leaders, and other religious and moral themes. However, the curriculum is required to reflect the predominant place of Christianity in religious life and hence Christianity forms the majority of the content of the subject. All parents have the right to withdraw a child from religious education, which schools must approve.[4]

Additionally, all schools are required by law to provide a daily act of collective worship, of which at least 51% must be Christian in basis over the course of the academic year.[5] However, this activity even if multifaith in nature is often meaningless to non Christians, particularly Muslims, who have specific protocols for prayer. Teachers' organizations have criticized school prayer and called for a government review of the practice.[6] Partly due to the lack of support from the teachers and partly due to the government's unwillingness to attract controversy, only a quarter of secondary schools actually comply, according to education inspectorate Ofsted.[7]

Scotland has national guidelines which state expectations of student learning. The Local Authority will draw up a curriculum for each of its schools. Each local authority in England has a Local Agreed Syllabus which mandate subject teaching for each Key Stage and possibly for each school year. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has also produced the non-statutory National Framework for Religious Education, which provides guidelines for the provision of RE at all key stages, and models the eight-levels as applied in National Curriculum subjects.[8]

The National Union of Teachers suggested in 2008 that parents should have a right to have specific schooling in their own faith and that imams, rabbis and priests should be invited to offer religious instruction to pupils in all state schools.[9]

 

[chairdriver]

"alternative" religions.

 

lol.

 

 

I think schools should teach Philosophy/Theology much more, as a thing.

[Shorty]

In my primary school, we studied RE, and sang religious hymns etc.

 

It didn't occur to me that it meant anything, and didn't influence my agnosticism in any manner once I reached the stage where I could make up my own mind. So my view on it has to be just that: irrelevant. What you teach kids about a lifestyle choice means little when they haven't matured to the point of understanding and deciding yet anyway.

[Goafer]

My primary school sang hymns, had prayers and did church services at Christmas. I wouldn't call it a religious school, but it did have elements of it.

 

Secondary school taught various religions, but it always seemed like more of a history lesson than a religious lesson to me. None of it really sinked in.

[Hamishmash]

I chose to study RS / RE for my GCSEs and I made a formal complaint when the crazy woman running it was actually using it as a Catholic recruitment workshop. I am an atheist, but I find religion and different cultures fascinating, she assumed only Christians would study RS and we clashed quite a lot. Mad woman. That was extreme though.

 

I don't think the study of RE to young children is at all a problem, as long as the main religions are studied equally which they were when I was growing up. Although I found the flowery, child-friendly versions of Bible stories a little bit frustrating when I already knew how bloodthirsty the whole thing is.

[Ville]

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Edited September 12, 2021 by Ville

[MoogleViper]

I don't think the study of RE to young children is at all a problem, as long as the main religions are studied equally which they were when I was growing up.

 

Is it fair that we only study the "main" religions though?

 

Although I found the flowery, child-friendly versions of Bible stories a little bit frustrating when I already knew how bloodthirsty the whole thing is.

 

Same could be said for the majority of fairy tales.

[Ville]

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Edited September 12, 2021 by Ville

[Ramar]

I remember studying all the major religions at junior/primary school. I distinctly remember a Sikh bloke coming in and doing a talk. I think the fact he was a carrying a sword (could have been a knife) helped to cement (and possibly exaggerate) this memory.

 

High school it was more in depth with discussion and debate.

[Cube]

So that's why all school assemblies had prayers in them...

 

Random Fact: I dropped Religious Studies at A-Level because it was too religious. At GCSE it was more about the cultures rather than the meaning behind all the jibberish.

 

Also, at my school it religious studies was required at GCSE. All those who chose it had to do a short course in a dead language, and those who chose the dead language had to do a short course in RE.

 

Year 9, 10 and 11 was Judaism, Hinduism and Islam with lots of Christianity, and all Christianity before that.

[Happenstance]

I went to a Church of England Primary school so we had RE, went to Church at at Christmas and Easter and were taught pretty much exclusively Christian beliefs. Secondary school was the same as Goafers, it wasnt nearly as full on (though our RE teacher did become a priest). Despite being exposed to all this when I was younger and apparently being very good at RE (dont really know how) I am an Atheist now.

 

I think I have spoken to Goafer about this before but I would have no problem sending my child to a C of E church despite not believing in God myself because I think those lessons at least helped me with morals etc.

[Jonnas]

I basically went to a religious school all my life.

 

My parents are Christian (Catholic, to be specific) and intended to raise me as such, but any sort of religious teaching (attending mass, saying your prayers, etc.) kept taking a backseat to more important stuff in my childhood. My father was already a "non-practising Catholic"*, but my mother became one while raising me.

 

I was put in a religious school, but not because it was religious, it just seemed like it had good environment (It did, in fact). For the longest time, we were taught stories about the Bible, and how Jesus wanted us to be good and nice to each other, and how only those who upheld those teachings went to heaven.

Also, we needed to periodically confess to the priest to show that we were really sorry about the bad things we'd done.

 

After that, entering our teenage years, we had our equivalent to your Religious Studies (EMRC - Moral, Religious and Catholic Education), which was much more level-headed, considering we'd periodically discuss real-world matters, not just religious ones (hell, it basically became our Sex Education Class for a few weeks). This was because of our teacher, a very patient, reasonable man.

 

EMRC is optional, except in more religious establishments, like the one I went to. I'm not sure how it was like in other schools, considering I don't know anybody who took them besides me and my classmates, but I'm guessing it's more of a Catholic thing there (though level-headed religious discussion can still be had in other courses)

 

All things considered, I got lucky with where I went, and how I was taught. I was taught the basics and premise of Christianity (help others, don't steal, treat them like you would yourself, etc.) in a reasonable environment, without being caught in the unnecessary details of the religion. I even got to interact with its uglier side (we were funded by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy). Greedy hypocrites).

Of course, the more religious people in my family aren't loonies, or bigots, or anything, so maybe I'm exaggerating.

 

Of course, religion is different in Portugal, since the vast majority of the population is Christian Catholic (90-95 % or something?), and yet we also want the country to be as secular as possible, and keep religion and the government separated. However, Catholicism is still deeply ingrained into Portuguese culture. We're generally tolerant of other religions, but Catholicism is our "default" mindset, so to speak. Political correctness isn't even a thing when it comes to religion, we just accept that those who aren't Christian behave like non-practising Catholics*. Discussing other religions in depth in schools is practically...unnecessary.

 

Phew, this was more of a long-winded rant than anything else I just kept typing whatever came into my mind.

 

*(a.k.a. technically Christian, but essentially behaves like an atheist. Wikipedia tells me this is "Lapsed Catholic" in English, though that sounds odd)

[Emasher]

Canada is largely secular in its policies. Religion is not taught at all in public schools, except for an optional elective in high school (which is a study of religion from a secular perspective). There is also, in my experience, no tolerance for people who disrupt lessons due to religious beliefs. I remember in a biology class I took in high school, the teacher very clearly explained that if people didn't want to learn about evolution, nobody was forcing them to be in the room, but they would still be tested on it regardless. I wouldn't have it any other way. The only issue is really public funding for so called private schools, which is decided by each province (provinces are in charge of education in Canada), so isn't an issue with Canada itself. In my view there should be no public funding for private schools at all regardless of their curriculum, so its not even particularly an issue of religion. The religious private schools here also (from what people tell me) actually tend to be very secular themselves outside of a religion class that students are forced to take. And they aren't discriminatory in who they accept either.

 

Reading some of the stuff in this thread, it sounds like the UK is more backwards regarding this issue than even the US.

 

Also, interesting article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197

Edited December 20, 2011 by Emasher

[bob]

I went to a primary school where we said the lords prayer every day (albeit in welsh) and then to a secondary school which used to be a convent and where it was compulsory to do GCSE R.S. I was (and still am) an atheist however, so most of it went in one ear and out the other. I did think it was very unfair however than in doing religious stuidies, we were only allowed to study Christianity because that's what the teacher was.

 

I find it strange that the Uk is something like 60% religious, but I very rarely meet anyone who is actually religious. I suspect that much of the younger generation is agnostic or atheist and in 20-30 years there will be a massive shift away from religion.

 

Well i can hope...

[Emasher]

I find it strange that the Uk is something like 60% religious, but I very rarely meet anyone who is actually religious. I suspect that much of the younger generation is agnostic or atheist and in 20-30 years there will be a massive shift away from religion.

 

Well i can hope...

 

Watch that video that was posted earlier in the thread...

[Hamishmash]

Is it fair that we only study the "main" religions though?

 

I think it is actually. All subjects taught to children need to be narrowed down to the essentials, seeing as they only have a set amount of time to teach them in. In History you learn the big, world changing stuff (initially). All subjects, on the whole, steer the topic into areas which are more likely to affect your life.

[Cube]

it sounds like the UK is more backwards regarding this issue than even the US.

 

But, unlike the US, there isn't really a big Evolution Vs Creation thing. It's taught in Religious Education that the story of creation is a metaphor, and evolution is all the details.

 

One of the schools near me is a specialist science school and a catholic school. Outside of a very select few, there's not really any big science vs religion debates here. The main religious debates in regards to schools here are related to religious clothing and school uniform.

[EddieColeslaw]

I'm agnostic/don't have any religion, neither do my parents. I respect others' beliefs, except when they affect or hurt other people (e.g. cults, attacks in the name of religion).

 

I went to a Catholic primary school, so prayers were said every morning, and there was a religion class. At first I went along with it, but sometime around 3rd class my parents intervened without my knowledge and then I wasn't obliged to do religion any more. I didn't mind though, I basically treated it as storytime, and used what I learned to start discussions with my parents. My favourite:

 

Me: "Did God make me?"

Mum: "No! *I* made you!"

 

The priest came about once a year to talk to us. I remember that he always told my teacher he was impressed with me, because I remembered everything we were taught (even when I stopped doing religion) and could regurgitate it to him. I don't ever recall rebelling against having to say prayers and sing religious songs, I don't think I ever thought about it beyond the praying/singing.

 

In secondary school, I did an extra subject (Art) while everyone else did their mandatory Religion class. I spent the yearly mass in the library, too, except when I played piano during it.

 

As for my views, I think that religion class should either teach ALL religions in a factual way ("this religion does this, it started in x in the year x", etc.), or teach it like a history class, rather than saying "GOD MADE YOU" and "you must pray every morning/night/Sunday/something". Teach without preaching.

 

I think that knowledge of religion is important as it has shaped history, but I have a problem with preaching to kids who generally don't yet have the ability to look at it objectively and question things. You want your kids to learn, go to a private class/church.

[Emasher]

But, unlike the US, there isn't really a big Evolution Vs Creation thing. It's taught in Religious Education that the story of creation is a metaphor, and evolution is all the details.

 

One of the schools near me is a specialist science school and a catholic school. Outside of a very select few, there's not really any big science vs religion debates here. The main religious debates in regards to schools here are related to religious clothing and school uniform.

 

Like I said, its just the impression I got. I know the UK tends to be more sane overall (although you have to remember, the US is a federation, and education is a state thing) regarding things like this.

[Fierce_LiNk]

RE lessons always seemed quite fun to me. It was always a "this is what the Christians/Jews/Muslims/Hindus, etc" believe. Rather than "this is what WE believe and what YOU must believe."

 

RE lessons in High School were pretty good. It was usually more of a morals lesson and about whether it was right or wrong to do something. I remember we had a debate once about arranged marriages, which was very interesting. Another time was about euthanasia.

 

A lot of the time, it's very little to do with believing in God. It's more like what values we should hold to be good people, how to conduct ourselves in the right way, and so on. RE teaching has evolved quite a bit over time, especially within the last decade or so.

[Emasher]

RE lessons always seemed quite fun to me. It was always a "this is what the Christians/Jews/Muslims/Hindus, etc" believe. Rather than "this is what WE believe and what YOU must believe."

 

RE lessons in High School were pretty good. It was usually more of a morals lesson and about whether it was right or wrong to do something. I remember we had a debate once about arranged marriages, which was very interesting. Another time was about euthanasia.

 

A lot of the time, it's very little to do with believing in God. It's more like what values we should hold to be good people, how to conduct ourselves in the right way, and so on. RE teaching has evolved quite a bit over time, especially within the last decade or so.

 

So why not just have a philosophy class and add the history bits into history class? It seems rather silly to restrict something like that to religion.

[Fierce_LiNk]

So why not just have a philosophy class and add the history bits into history class? It seems rather silly to restrict something like that to religion.

 

Because it's not just philosophy. It usually starts off with reading a religious story or text, and then looking at what the text is trying to tell us. Then, it's about how we can apply that into our own lives in a positive way, with or without accepting what the text was initially talking about (accepting that the story happened or not is not important, neither is if the people in the class believe in God or not).

 

There's a lot of stories in the Bible, for example, about resisting temptation. That's a very easy thing to discuss with children, and certainly worthwhile. Plus, you can then talk about different kinds of temptation, whether it is all good, bad, or grey areas.

[Pestneb]

Firstly, I am a teacher and have to teach R.E, and totally agree with you, tbh I think all lifestyle lessons should take place at home. But it would seem most parents are assumed by the government to be incompetent in the task of raising their sprogs.

 

Secondly, maybe the translation of christianity into Finnish got a bit... corrupted?

I've not a clue what you guys are taught in Finland, but your summary of Christianity sounds nothing like the one I would give. I mean, for a start, if all people were all so bad, then surely God would have just caused a leak to spring in Noah's boat?

 

translating from greek to other countries does create some issues.. I recall hearing of one language that had no concept of forgiveness, if a wrong was committed then it was sorted by the wrong doer being punished, apparently caused a few issues for evangelists trying to explain the Bible to the natives.

Even when words are available, translations often lose something of the original meaning. Who knows.