Petition: Abolish faith schools (UK) |

Rhyth · 07-10-2007, 07:26 PM

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Abolish all faith schools and prohibit the teaching of creationism and other religious mythology in all UK schools."

Those who agree get your name down.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/faithschools/

"The petition doesn't call for the abolition of Religious Education, only of Faith Schools. It also calls for the cessation of the teaching of creationism. Both admirable aims."

60 SECONDS: Richard Dawkins

http://richarddawkins.net/article,12...ichard-Dawkins

TiG · 07-10-2007, 07:30 PM

So you want to ban catholic and CoE schools too ?

TiG

Merlin4458 · 07-10-2007, 07:38 PM

ban em all, religion basically causes war and killing if u narrow it down

**joshwa** · 07-10-2007, 07:39 PM

Communism for the win!
Bring back Stalin ... etc

**joshwa** · 07-10-2007, 07:46 PM

If you want to live in a society where christianity is illegal and punished by the death penalty then feel free to live in China, Pakistan, North Korea etc

From the petition : "Creationism and other religious myths should not be taught as fact regardless of the funding status of a school."

Equally evolution shouldn't be taught as fact...

Rhyth · 07-10-2007, 07:48 PM

Communism for the win!
Bring back Stalin ... etc

Quite the opposite actually joshwa.

If you want to live in a society where christianity is illegal and punished by the death penalty

Who said that?

Your initial perception of this seems a little clouded.

**joshwa** · 07-10-2007, 07:53 PM

Indeed - the original petition is a bit OTT - and a bit vague and meaningless all at the same time.

What do they want? Do faith schools (ie CoE, Catholic) not teach RE covering all major religions?

And my response is taking things to the extreme - but surely there are religious parents out there that WANT to have their children in "Faith" schools for a purpose - why deny them of that choice?

and ban "the teaching of creationism and other religious mythology in all UK schools."

so you would want all RE teachers sacked?

Rhyth · 07-10-2007, 07:56 PM

I don't have a problem with people having a faith, each to thier own. I'd rather my tax money funding real science in UK schools.

JPreston · 07-10-2007, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by joshwa

And my response is taking things to the extreme - but surely there are religious parents out there that WANT to have their children in "Faith" schools for a purpose - why deny them of that choice?

I'm also tired of paying for faith 'schools' that are allowed to discriminate in admissions according to their own arcane idiocies, that segregate and divide children according to labels attributed to them by the particular variety of ignorance that afflicts their parents, and that promote a culture of prejudice and un-learning.

Originally Posted by joshwa

so you would want all RE teachers sacked?

Make them teach maths, science, or P.E. instead....they should be made to contribute something useful to society

.

**joshwa** · 07-10-2007, 08:08 PM

The UK is 72% "Christian" (apparently - surely it's the Governments job to invest taxes in a way that caters to the whole country?

Teaching religion, ethics, etc gives children a better understanding and ability to choose for themselves what they want to believe.

Rhyth · 07-10-2007, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by joshwa

Teaching religion, ethics, etc gives children a better understanding and ability to choose for themselves what they want to believe.

Indeed, teaching truth is exactly how you achieve this, teaching creationism etc is not.

G4Z · 07-10-2007, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by joshwa

Equally evolution shouldn't be taught as fact...

Errr what?

Evolution is a FACT, there is so much evidence to support it nobody rational could say otherwise.

Just because its titled 'the theory of evolution' does not make in any way equivilent with some bronze age peoples whimsical theory of creation.

If anybody really doubts how solid the theory of evolution is I would suggest they go study it and try to falsify it, not engage in the corruption of young peoples minds by trying to force creationism into schools.

JPreston · 07-10-2007, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by joshwa

The UK is 72% "Christian" (apparently - surely it's the Governments job to invest taxes in a way that caters to the whole country?

So how many of them go to church then? 10%? 5%?

Anyway - No. Schools are for education, and not indoctrination. Bronze age mythology is anti-learning. So you don't preach in my school, and I won't think in your church.

Same way that hospitals are for healthcare....but the NHS (and not the churches) foot the bill for hospital chaplains, those dreary vultures of impending doom. One chaplain costs the NHS the same as two nurses.

dave87 · 07-10-2007, 08:18 PM

So, when my parents made the decision to effectively pay twice for my junior school education, at a single faith school, they were causing you lot grief? And therefore adversely affecting the education of others?

For the record, I went to a private CofE school, which we had to pay for. We also had to pay taxes, hence the part where my parents paid twice for the education I received. If I'm honest, the petition is as blind as the single faith schools that it seeks to remove. It also turns a blind eye to the fact the school I went to (and the majority of faith based schools) dealt with all faiths equally, all theories of creation equally, just simply had traditionally been associated closely with the church. How on earth does that make it a bad thing? This petition equally strikes me of the half truths and blind ignorance that can quite often come from those who seek to end what they only partially understand.

Now I wait for the Daily Mail reader telling me I'm utterly wrong.

[/rant]

**joshwa** · 07-10-2007, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by JPreston

So how many of them go to church then? 10%? 5%?

Anyway - No. Schools are for education, and not indoctrination. Bronze age mythology is anti-learning. So you don't preach in my school, and I won't think in your church.

I agree with you regarding school admissions - Catholic / CofE schools should allow non-religious people in.

But by teaching RE - you are giving children an education - it's not indoctrination if you teach all religions equally. (which is what happened in dave87's CofE school). Since when did RE teachers preach?

I had a Muslim RE teacher in a state school, did they convert me to Islam?

G4Z · 07-10-2007, 08:25 PM

To be quite honest, I don't care is 99% of people are Christian. They are still dead wrong.

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