Rich Siddall Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Well thats what the school said i was doing when i told them i dont want him to take part in any religious education classes. I said i wanted him to conentrate on the 3 r's seeing as hes quite a way behind his peers on these subjects and i feel hell get more out of those subjects. They said i was "being a little biggoted" and they arent sure if they "can accomodate my request" as it would mean finding another class for him to sit in and also supervise it. I pointed out it wasnt a request. Thats when it got really tricky. Schools eh!! Dont you just love em. Surely if you are just wanting him taught the basics, you'd also want him to give up on the sciences, after all what real use is history or geography if he has no interest in the subjects or they're not going to be of use to him in life. Does he need biology/physics or chemistry Art is useless and serves no purpose I think i child should do RE, why? Because then he can question what he has been taught, I did RE, I vaguely enjoyed it. I read the bible and i question it. I question what religion has done for us. Blind ignorance is not a good state of being. Let him do RE so he can understand what is wrong with religion and if he wishes, attack it through reasoned educated debate rather than blind ignorance and prejudice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Surely if you are just wanting him taught the basics, you'd also want him to give up on the sciences, after all what real use is history or geography if he has no interest in the subjects or they're not going to be of use to him in life. Does he need biology/physics or chemistry Art is useless and serves no purpose I think i child should do RE, why? Because then he can question what he has been taught, I did RE, I vaguely enjoyed it. I read the bible and i question it. I question what religion has done for us. Blind ignorance is not a good state of being. Let him do RE so he can understand what is wrong with religion and if he wishes, attack it through reasoned educated debate rather than blind ignorance and prejudice This being true "question" is a very polite way of putting it. It was more laughter in my case at the bible. Im sure the quran would be the same. I did enjoy learning about the traditions though, hanneka (spelling?) different weddings etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 I just saw a suffragette post on the popes vist haha on that note RE should include the roman catholic heretic rubbish and the crusades along with the popes idiotic stance on condoms etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Siddall Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 This being true "question" is a very polite way of putting it. It was more laughter in my case at the bible. Im sure the quran would be the same. I did enjoy learning about the traditions though, hanneka (spelling?) different weddings etc I'm just too polite for my own good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neeeeeeeeeek Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 How many RE classes are there in a week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sccsux Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 You would imagine you'd want to have at least the basic understanding of why & what they believe Why should we need to know why people believe in unsubstantiated myths? Surely, it is the religious who should be taught how to get on with others, as none believers do not differentiate based on mythical beings? A mere 1% of of people on the planet use mathematics beyond what is taught up to age 10. Like how to work out the volume of a cone? Well from the link cgk has posted they would have to say ok, and to any other parent who objected. I think we can agree it is a compulsory subject in this case. It's not though (and wasn't, even when I was at (secondary) school). JW at my school, as well as being excused from the daily act of worship. I also remember JWs being excluded from RE lessons whilst I was at school. That is truly awful refusing to learn about other religions when you are religious! Something that is even worse, is being forced to learn about religion when you're not religious yourself. 3a is important! All the points mentioned are equally important. Is this because you are a none believer and are forcing your beliefs on him? Or, maybe - as originally posted, they feel their child would be better servied if they could attend lessons in other subjects that they are poor in? The idea must be coming from the parents. Do you have children? Can you not remember being a child and knowing what you believed/didn't believe in? I know I can (and I left school 28 years ago). Because then he can question what he has been taught Have you tried questioning a teacher about what you've just been taught? Last time I did that, I got a letter sent home asking my parents to "come in to school to discuss my disruptive behaviour", simply because I had the temerity to question them. The thing is though, that a parent is not being allowed to withdraw their child from the lesson (as the ERA stipulates) which means the school is acting ilegally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magilla Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Why should we need to know why people believe in unsubstantiated myths? OK, maybe not why, since it's pretty obvious why they believe, their parents told them to. However since billions of people do believe and allow it to influence their actions, it's not a bad idea to understand what they believe. Surely, it is the religious who should be taught how to get on with others, as none believers do not differentiate based on mythical beings? Many people differentiate for many different reasons. If you understand the different reasons, you're at an advantage. Something that is even worse, is being forced to learn about religion when you're not religious yourself. How is learning about how massive parts of the planet operate, even if you don't operate that way yourself, a bad thing? People may not believe in many things but that doesn't mean they don't go on and aren't a reality of the world. More knowledge is better than ignorance. There may be many reasons why someone doesn't take RE, all valid. To say it's totally useless is ridiculous on a planet where the majority of people believe it as the truth and much of history is as a direct consequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Star Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 No just that one. I can sort of understand you, in that you obviously have no interest in religion, and you probably didn't have your son baptised or named in a ceremony or any kind... I am unsure as to how his special needs present themselves, but perhaps you are also concerned that he may not be able to diferentiate between folk myths and reality - But I am not sure that preventing a child from learning folk stories from around the world is that bad a thing, in general - He'll be doing English Lit' I assume, and that is also the learning and understanding tales from long ago to the present... Perhaps you need to let the school know exactly what it is about how they teach RE that you don't like and see if this can be modified - perhaps a discussion on faith, and a open forum regarding that in modern times these tales are widely considered to be myths - would that suit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Why should we need to know why people believe in unsubstantiated myths? Surely, it is the religious who should be taught how to get on with others, as none believers do not differentiate based on mythical beings? Like how to work out the volume of a cone? It's not though (and wasn't, even when I was at (secondary) school). I also remember JWs being excluded from RE lessons whilst I was at school. Something that is even worse, is being forced to learn about religion when you're not religious yourself. All the points mentioned are equally important. Or, maybe - as originally posted, they feel their child would be better servied if they could attend lessons in other subjects that they are poor in? Do you have children? Can you not remember being a child and knowing what you believed/didn't believe in? I know I can (and I left school 28 years ago). Have you tried questioning a teacher about what you've just been taught? Last time I did that, I got a letter sent home asking my parents to "come in to school to discuss my disruptive behaviour", simply because I had the temerity to question them. The thing is though, that a parent is not being allowed to withdraw their child from the lesson (as the ERA stipulates) which means the school is acting ilegally. It still is a compulsory subject but say it again! and that was kind of my point but thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Do you have children? Can you not remember being a child and knowing what you believed/didn't believe in? I know I can (and I left school 28 years ago). no and yes. I know I didn't believe in god at 8. This is irrelevant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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