Irish schoolchildren to learn about atheism

[Pretzel Logic]

Up to 16,000 primary-school pupils in multi-denominational sector will learn about atheism, and others will be offered courses on the internet and smartphone apps

-In a historic move that will cheer Richard Dawkins, lessons about atheism are to be taught in Ireland's primary schools for the first time.

-The lessons on atheism, agnosticism and humanism for thousands of primary-school pupils in Ireland will be drawn up by Atheist Ireland and multi-denominational school provider Educate Together, in an education system that the Catholic church hierarchy has traditionally dominated

-From September 2014 children could be reading texts such as Dawkins' The Magic of Reality, his book aimed at children, according to Atheist Ireland.
But Michael Nugent, Atheist Ireland's co-founder, stressed that all primary-school pupils, including the 93% of the population who attend schools run by the Catholic church, can access their atheism course on the internet and by downloading an app on smartphones. He said these would be advertised and offered to all parents with children at primary schools in the state.

"There will be a module of 10 classes of between 30 to 40 minutes from the ages of four upwards. It is necessary because the Irish education system has for too long been totally biased in favour of religious indoctrination. And if parents whose kids are in schools under church control want to opt their kids out of learning religion (as is their right these days) then they can use our course as an alternative for their children to study," he said.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/se...olchildren

Now this is what I'm talking about.

[CleanShavenJesus]

How about they don't teach them Christianity or atheism, like a normal damn school?

[FlyingNarwhal]

How about they don't teach them Christianity or atheism, like a normal damn school?

Yeah exactly, anything pertaining to religion shouldn't be taught in schools unless we are talking in the context of history.

[Napoléon]

How about they don't teach them Christianity or atheism, like a normal damn school?

A normal damn school?

Maybe it's different in America, but over here (the UK at least) it's pretty normal to have 'religious studies' or 'cultural studies' as a subject. I actually think this is a relatively good thing, even though I personally found it laughable in school.

I do think it's a good idea that kids are taught something about faiths and non-faith as opposed to not teaching them anything at all.

[CleanShavenJesus]

How about they don't teach them Christianity or atheism, like a normal damn school?

A normal damn school?

Maybe it's different in America, but over here (the UK at least) it's pretty normal to have 'religious studies' or 'cultural studies' as a subject. I actually think this is a relatively good thing, even though I personally found it laughable in school.

I do think it's a good idea that kids are taught something about faiths and non-faith as opposed to not teaching them anything at all.

In American public high schools (in most, not sure about those Bible Belt schools), you can't teach religion as a class.

I agree with you. History classes teach about different religions, but I'm refering to schools specifically teaching and instructing about one modern religion, indoctrinating children.

[Owlix]

Pretzel Logic....


Look this over, it really helps by making quoting and citing stuff easier by making quotes and websites stand out a little better, hiding questionable images and/or long quotes....

http://atheistforums.org/thread-3560.html

Not telling you what to do, just trying to offer some advice. It's made my experience easier.

Any by the way, I love your title (midnight toker).

[Walking Void]

Instead of teaching atheism, I would recommend teaching logic.

[Minimalist]

Atheism - Lesson 1 "There is No Evidence for Any Fucking Gods."

Lessons 2-10 - (See Lesson 1)

(P.S. - We don't have any altar boys to butt fuck.)

[ChildOfReason]

A normal damn school?

Maybe it's different in America, but over here (the UK at least) it's pretty normal to have 'religious studies' or 'cultural studies' as a subject. I actually think this is a relatively good thing, even though I personally found it laughable in school.

I do think it's a good idea that kids are taught something about faiths and non-faith as opposed to not teaching them anything at all.

In American public high schools (in most, not sure about those Bible Belt schools), you can't teach religion as a class.

I agree with you. History classes teach about different religions, but I'm refering to schools specifically teaching and instructing about one modern religion, indoctrinating children.

I am currently an eigth grade student growing up in the bible belt, and I would like to clarify this:
In our public schools, teachers seem to be allowed to imply the existence of god. One teacher of mine has made numerous references to biblical stories and teachings. Also, I must point out that our school directly funds an ¨FCA¨ (fellowship of christian athletes) where children go to listen to bullshit for half an hour. The group tries to justify it by saying that they allow anyone to join, regardless of religion, while really they only allow christians of different denominations.
Pitiful.

I would also like to add that I believe it would be a good idea for schools in the U.S. to at least point out that there is no way to prove or disprove god(s). I became atheist when I realized that because there are an infinite number of possible gods, there is no reason to choose a single one. I try to think about it mathematically.
probability of one god=1/infinity
probability that a god rewards disbelief rather than blind faith=1/2
half of the infinite gods will reward disbelief.
probability that a god exists=1/2
so we get a probability of a god not existing to be 1/2, and the probability that a god exists that rewards disbelief becomes 1/4, thus a 3/4 chance that atheists are right, and a 1/infinite chance that any given single religion is right.
If children are taught to reason through things mathematically like this, they will decide that they are atheists.

[Cinjin]

In American public high schools (in most, not sure about those Bible Belt schools), you can't teach religion as a class.

I agree with you. History classes teach about different religions, but I'm refering to schools specifically teaching and instructing about one modern religion, indoctrinating children.

I am currently an eigth grade student growing up in the bible belt, and I would like to clarify this:
In our public schools, teachers seem to be allowed to imply the existence of god. One teacher of mine has made numerous references to biblical stories and teachings. Also, I must point out that our school directly funds an ¨FCA¨ (fellowship of christian athletes) where children go to listen to bullshit for half an hour. The group tries to justify it by saying that they allow anyone to join, regardless of religion, while really they only allow christians of different denominations.
Pitiful.

Yeah, when it comes to religions, the American South is about as forward thinking as Saudi Arabia.

Biblebelt: "No no, we don't talk about our god in schools." <wink wink>