StripyPixieSocks wrote:To be honest I feel religion of all kinds should be kept out of schools.
+101%
absolutely
It does my head in up here when they bang on about how dreadful sectarionism is then still insist on building religious based schools - even dividing up the christians I so don't get religion but appreciate that many do and if for them it works - good for them but keep it out of schools
for me there are 2 things here:
Firsty, Evangelicalism, what ever the religeon is a malignant condition,predicated on an inherent insecurity .
Secondly,in my experience,the teaching profession.especially ay at primary level(and I have no axe to grind here,my sister taught at this level for 30 years,and my neice still does) has a predominance of employees whom overwhelmed by regulation, very much 'go through the motions' and,despite the reverencethat we are programmed to give them should be told what's what..
In short,go there,and tell them where to get off.they're your kids,and your in charge,don't be intimidated by a shower of incompetants with 2/2 's. (bit harsh,but I've been there) Best Wishes.
I think many children go through a very devout stage at that age. It passes for most of them. Please don't forget that she'll probably quite intensely believe in Jesus at the moment. If you forbid her to say prayers, she may well be convinced she'll go to hell.
Maybe you could allow for a brief silence before each meal in which each of you can say their own blessings/prayers in silence if they wish to?
I think if she's insisting on praying before a meal I would go along with it But then I would make her pray to every other god (and goddess) I could think of too - and that's a very lo-o-ong list. She'd soon get sick of it and want her food.
Rosendula wrote:I think if she's insisting on praying before a meal I would go along with it But then I would make her pray to every other god (and goddess) I could think of too - and that's a very lo-o-ong list. She'd soon get sick of it and want her food.
you think like I do. and no, I wont leave out the FSM!!!
oh how I love my tea, tea in the afternoon. I can't do without it, and I think I'll have another cup very
ve-he-he-he-heryyyyyyy soooooooooooon!!!!
I would contact the school again and tell the head that no matter which magic sky fairy he/she believes in it is not appropriate to focus on it in a school. Schools are for teaching not superstition. Does the head also teach that black cats are unlucky, not to walk under a ladder etc?
i can understand your frustration mrs F.
as a little'un i was sent to an RC school coz it was the only one with space! we had friday mass with communion , blessing CONFESSION!!! the lot. even tho i was atheist from a young age i was forced to attend the mass with the rest but refused point blank to join in or confess ( wtf has small child got to confess? " father i hate celery. will i got to hell?" )
let you girl have her wish/ prayers but ask her instead just to think about what has happened in the world like a minutes silence for victims of quakes, floods or famine. she will find her own beliefs at some point its just up to you to let her see all the different point of view that you can so she has a good choice. xx
Religion is a fundamental part of everyone's lives becaue it has been such a huge force through history. Regardless of if we like it or not religion is also a growing force in contemporary politics and social dynamics, therefore it's essential everyone has a good grounding in religious theory and practice. But this ought be an accademic grounding; RE not RI.
It's not on that Sophie be indoctrinated because teachers don't recognise your calling. The Big Guy calls everyone differently and according to his plans and it's small minded not to recognise that and to assume you/your group have been the recipient/s of a supremely authoratitive revelation.
END OF RANT
Regarding the question of Grace why not ask Sophie to make up her own grace and ask her to decide what to say thank you for and who or what she is thanking. I like the idea of visiting other places of worship though, you might get a free meal as well.
I recently found out, I'm not the only parent to be upset by the religion being used at the school. I know of at least 3 other parents who are planning on bringing it up at parent's evening.
oh how I love my tea, tea in the afternoon. I can't do without it, and I think I'll have another cup very
ve-he-he-he-heryyyyyyy soooooooooooon!!!!
Bit late to this thread but can confirm that state schools in France are secular. There are no prayers or formal assemblies and in my experience children are taught about the faiths of the world in a matter of fact way.
No problem with celebrating Christmas or Easter though - especially if it involves cakes and sweeties!
My son went to a church primary school (not our choice) and was exposed to a lot of overt religious teaching, so I can understand your concern. One memory I'd like to offer from my own experience, though, is that my son did go through stages of trying out different identities - he went through a stage of being an avid football fan, even though he wasn't that interested, just so that he could join in with other kids, and did sort of toy with religious observance for a bit, I think for the same reasons. I always told him - what you believe is up to you, and nobody else has the right to tell you what to believe, not the school and not me either. It passed.
I can emphathise with all of the children who've tried different identities and religions. I've tried Anglicans, Baptists, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Shintos (when I say 'tried' I don't mean I've eated people of those faiths I mean I've lived with them and practiced with them) before I found my home in Quakerism. I do recognise that I may change again in the future though. It's good to test different paths till you find what suites you and makes you feel comfortable. I'm going to follow the path to bed now. Nighty night everyone.
Mrs Moustoir wrote:Bit late to this thread but can confirm that state schools in France are secular. There are no prayers or formal assemblies and in my experience children are taught about the faiths of the world in a matter of fact way.
No problem with celebrating Christmas or Easter though - especially if it involves cakes and sweeties!
Correct.
In France States school which are by the way the majority of schools, are indeed non religious. The celebration of Easter and Christmas is not really celebrated as such in those schools except for a Christmas meal, it is just when the holidays fall and that is it. I think it goes back to the revolution as the Church was seen as bad as the "blue bloods" and its influence had to be removed from schools etc...
My 'god'son went through a very religious stage when he was younger (5 or 6 I think) ... he would talk and talk about "Our Loving Father" and how everyone would go to hell if they didn't pray to "Heavenly God and the Baby Jesus" and he wanted to say grace before all meals (incl. breakfast) and pray before bedtime etc.
We were treated to (most amusing) renditions of a lot of bible stories etc. and it was clear that he was parroting whatever was given to them at school. It's a CofE school, as there are no others in the area - but we never expected them to be so full on!
We and his parents are confirmed atheists... and GS wanted to know why we didn't go to church every week, and did we know we would burn in hell and not meet "Our Loving Father"....
We did a lot of explaining that not everyone believes in 'OLF' (which is a now a standing family joke) and that me might upset people if he told them they were going to hell (like anyone who isn't a christian)....
After about a year of it, it just stopped. He decided he liked cars and wanted to be a stunt man...
"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne
I so don't get religion but appreciate that many do and if for them it works - good for them but keep it out of schools
But then I would make her pray to every other god (and goddess) I could think of too - and that's a very lo-o-ong list. She'd soon get sick of it and want her food.
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