Faith Schools

[LinkinFighter]

The number of faith schools in Britain is now up to 7000

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/f...es-1/episode-1

Whats your take on them?

[The big chair]

The number of faith schools in Britain is now up to 7000

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/f...es-1/episode-1

Whats your take on them?

Can't see the harm in them and only a bigot would consider them a bad thing.

[Tryfield]

The number of faith schools in Britain is now up to 7000

http://www.channel4.....es-1/episode-1

Whats your take on them?

A schools a school for a' that.

Brainwashing children should be done at home or at "voluntary" Sunday Schools.

It must be the incomers who prefer these type of schools, church attendances are dropping.

[Kris Boyd]

Stupid as f**k let the kids make up their own mind on religion through their own life experiences.

[The_Belgian]

I went to a faith school, and I'm glad I'm finished now because the focus on religion was too much for my liking. Nearly every assembly we'd hear the line "This is a Catholic school", something which pissed me off hugely because not every single pupil is catholic. I went to school for an education, everyone else goes to school for an education. A school is a place for learning things necessary in later life, not a place to force kids at a young age to believe in the religion of your choosing.

When I was younger I believed everything they fed me, because at a young age you can teach kids anything and they'll believe it. Once I started to develop a mind of my own I realized just how far fetched it sounded, and became an atheist. There are plenty religions in the world, it's completely unfair to teach the youngsters one religion, and ignore the rest of them. The child might be too young to make a choice, but let them hear the full story, the "proofs" and opposites, and when they are old enough that's when the can choose whether they are religious or not.

The worst thing (especially about Christianity) is that they use fear to make certain people believe in it. Telling kids if they are bad they will go to hell is horrific, but because it's so easy to use it works all the time.

As Richard Dawkins puts it, there's no such thing as a Catholic child, only a child born to Catholic parents.

[LinkinFighter]

Can't see the harm in them and only a bigot would consider them a bad thing.

Only a bigot would think my post was from a bigot

[xbl]

I don't agree with them at all for several reasons.

Firstly, I believe that all kids should get an education that is 100% equal. People may comment on this "dragging standards down" because rich kids have to deal with the same hassle that normals get, but I think that it is important that each child gets exactly the same opportunity. Sure, it isn't possible to make things exact, but we should be aiming for as close to possible. Each child should get an equal chance, uncontaminated by the faith or wallet of their parent. Thats why I oppose private schooling, faith schools, and (in England), all those specialised academies. Every kid should be treated the same.

Secondly, I find there to be an incompatibility between the words "faith" and "school". Whether it be muslim, catholic, jehovahs, or seventh day fucking adventists, I just think that "faith" should never be involved with "school". I'm all in favour of teaching the facts of all religions, i.e. what people believe, why they believe, the rituals, and even where people can go if they want to find out more, but as far as I am concerned, that should be where it stops. No assemblies, no religious prizegivings, no hymns, no pre lunch prayers, nothing.

Finally, they don't promote diversity and tolerance, they promote division and adversity. Having a rivalry with another local school is one thing, but having a rivalry where religion is involved is quite another.

[Gordon EF]

They're a disgrace. It's not fair to the kids to send them to these places and it's a disgrace that they recieve government funding (catholic schools included). A good first step would be withdrawing all government funding and, ideally, they'd be outlawed.

[Ad Lib]

I can see why some parents might want their child to be educated in a faith based environment, so I'm generally reluctant to go for an all-out ban (choice in education is a fundamentally good thing), but certainly any school funded in whole or part by state should be secular.

[The big chair]

Only a bigot would think my post was from a bigot

I didn't say it was, it was a general statement. Only a bigot would be paranoid enough to think it was directed solely at them.

I can see why some parents might want their child to be educated in a faith based environment, so I'm generally reluctant to go for an all-out ban (choice in education is a fundamentally good thing), but certainly any school funded in whole or part by state should be secular.

Does that mean that any service funded by the state should be secular? Should a Muslim in a NHS hospital be given pork to eat or Jehovah's witness given a blood transfusion because that's the way we treat everyone else? Isn't that more or less saying beliefs are fine as long as they're my/the states beliefs?

[Reynard]

Faith schools are fine by me as long as they are privately run.

[The big chair]

Faith schools are fine by me as long as they are privately run.

You think everything is fine as long as they are privately run, fucking Tories.

[Reynard]

You think everything is fine as long as they are privately run, fucking Tories.

Don't see anything wrong with a bunch of people setting up a faith school. If folk want to pay to send kids to them then that's fine by me, and it's their choice to do it and their money to spend. Maybe they will get a better standard of education that they do in state schools. In fact, that probably wouldn't be too hard considering the number of illiterate imbeciles being churned out these days.

[Ad Lib]

Does that mean that any service funded by the state should be secular? Should a Muslim in a NHS hospital be given pork to eat or Jehovah's witness given a blood transfusion because that's the way we treat everyone else? Isn't that more or less saying beliefs are fine as long as they're my/the states beliefs?

They are a ridiculous pair of comparisons and don't reflect secularism at all, but monoculture. You can refuse a blood transfusion just like you can refuse any medical treatment (provided you are not mentally incapacitated) for any reason of your choosing: just like you can go to a privately funded school or home-school if you do not wish to be taught in a secular environment. The NHS is bound to provide food to cater for countless dietary requirements, so the suggestion that a Muslim might be offered pork or nothing is completely ridiculous.

[The big chair]

They are a ridiculous pair of comparisons and don't reflect secularism at all, but monoculture. You can refuse a blood transfusion just like you can refuse any medical treatment (provided you are not mentally incapacitated) for any reason of your choosing: just like you can go to a privately funded school or home-school if you do not wish to be taught in a secular environment. The NHS is bound to provide food to cater for countless dietary requirements, so the suggestion that a Muslim might be offered pork or nothing is completely ridiculous.

That's a lot of words to dodge a rather simple question, is it ok for choice to be state funded as long as it's your choices?

[Ad Lib]

That's a lot of words to dodge a rather simple question, is it ok for choice to be state funded as long as it's your choices?

What on earth do you mean by "my choices"?

The state should be secular. That is a political, not a religious opinion. It therefore follows that the state should not sponsor religious based activities, and that includes religious based education.

[footiechick]

I don't agree with them at all for several reasons.

Firstly, I believe that all kids should get an education that is 100% equal. People may comment on this "dragging standards down" because rich kids have to deal with the same hassle that normals get, but I think that it is important that each child gets exactly the same opportunity. Sure, it isn't possible to make things exact, but we should be aiming for as close to possible. Each child should get an equal chance, uncontaminated by the faith or wallet of their parent. Thats why I oppose private schooling, faith schools, and (in England), all those specialised academies. Every kid should be treated the same.

Secondly, I find there to be an incompatibility between the words "faith" and "school". Whether it be muslim, catholic, jehovahs, or seventh day fucking adventists, I just think that "faith" should never be involved with "school". I'm all in favour of teaching the facts of all religions, i.e. what people believe, why they believe, the rituals, and even where people can go if they want to find out more, but as far as I am concerned, that should be where it stops. No assemblies, no religious prizegivings, no hymns, no pre lunch prayers, nothing.

Finally, they don't promote diversity and tolerance, they promote division and adversity. Having a rivalry with another local school is one thing, but having a rivalry where religion is involved is quite another.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[deky]

I don't agree with them at all for several reasons.

Firstly, I believe that all kids should get an education that is 100% equal. People may comment on this "dragging standards down" because rich kids have to deal with the same hassle that normals get, but I think that it is important that each child gets exactly the same opportunity. Sure, it isn't possible to make things exact, but we should be aiming for as close to possible. Each child should get an equal chance, uncontaminated by the faith or wallet of their parent. Thats why I oppose private schooling, faith schools, and (in England), all those specialised academies. Every kid should be treated the same.

Secondly, I find there to be an incompatibility between the words "faith" and "school". Whether it be muslim, catholic, jehovahs, or seventh day fucking adventists, I just think that "faith" should never be involved with "school". I'm all in favour of teaching the facts of all religions, i.e. what people believe, why they believe, the rituals, and even where people can go if they want to find out more, but as far as I am concerned, that should be where it stops. No assemblies, no religious prizegivings, no hymns, no pre lunch prayers, nothing.

Finally, they don't promote diversity and tolerance, they promote division and adversity. Having a rivalry with another local school is one thing, but having a rivalry where religion is involved is quite another.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[Monster]

Can't see the harm in them and only a bigot would consider them a bad thing.

So wanting my child to get an education based on facts rather than being fed tired (and in some cases damaging) dogma based on fantasy makes me a bigot?

I think we've got different dictionaries.

[Ad Lib]

So wanting my child to get an education based on facts rather than being fed tired (and in some cases damaging) dogma based on fantasy makes me a bigot?

I think we've got different dictionaries.

I think his dictionary is a pop-out picture-book.