Skeptics I no longer have any respect for.

[Shell B]

My thoughts were that that is exactly where it belongs, and not given through the education system permeating several subjects, and deliberate falsehoods.

Either way, it does not make it optional. Children can still be indoctrinated at home and at school. Private schools are not part of the education system, per se. That is the point.

*Sigh* That may well be, but it doesn't make it right that a child can be forced into education that favours a biased point of view, and taught vicious lies as fact to warn them against apostasy.

It is certainly not right by our standards. Is it more right to deny parents the option to give their children religious teachings in private schools? Is it more right to bias the education system in favor of atheism? It is it more right to teach children of religious parents about evolution, if it goes against their religious beliefs? Would we tell Hindu children to eat cow because cows are not sacred?

Education should be based upon the teaching of known fact, and the imparting of knowledge.

Ideally, yes. I don't think that altering the separation of church and state is the right way to reach that goal.

Where knowledge is subjective, then opposing views should be considered.

Yes, again, ideally.

If this is unconstitutional, sue me, I wasn't stating opinion on the legal status, more my opinion on how it should be.

Yes, your opinion on how it should be. I've made it clear from the beginning that I am arguing from the position of separation of church and state and how I feel that should not be compromised. There is no reason to "sue" you, though I do enjoy a little histrionics now and again. If you would like, we could set up a mock trial sort of Monkey Trialish with the exceptions that the school in question be private and that the precedence brought up be modern.

No, the logic here is that telling people that they cannot raise their children according to their beliefs is intolerant. If you are going to say you have to raise your children according to our lack of belief, you have spit in the face of tolerance.

Did anyone propose that? There was in response to the right to send to a private school.

Is there a difference? If you say children cannot go to private schools where religion is taught, you are controlling how others raise their children outside of the scope of violence and neglect.

It is a difference between intolerance on the right to send to a private school that proposes a world view and no others, and the intolerance to bring children up as you see fit as a parent.

No, there isn't. You tell a person where and what their children can learn, you are taking away their parental rights.

Nobody suggested the latter. We suggested the former. You're extrapolating to a ban on the whole world view.

No, I am not. Denial of rights in one respect is still denial of rights.

Private schools promote the division and segregation of groups based purely on theological opinion. I can't agree with that.

You do not have to. Shit, it's not my favorite, either. I disagree with parents censoring books and television. I also realize it is their right to do so.

However, it does not serve for social cohesion to promote those divisions by physically removing whole sections of society from even having contact with someone who might think differently.

You do not think that allowing the government to dictate whether children can be taught religion in private schools would cause a social rift? Cohesion is not everything the same. It is everyone learning to live together. I know people who went to religious schools who came out atheist. I also have a cousin who went to Catholic school and came out totally sweet and understanding. She doesn't separate herself from people who do not believe as she does. What is your basis for this belief that they do not even come into contact with people of other beliefs?

It seems the following points hinge on whether Private schools are a good or bad thing. I think they are 'bad' for the above reasons, however, you feel that you should defend their right to do so.

Yes, I do.

Should people have the right to send to a private school? I really don't think it should be an option personally.

No offense, but the very thought of removing these sorts of options makes my skin crawl. If they cannot have their religious schools, we cannot have science schools. That's pretty shitty, but it would be the only way to balance such a law. What end would that give us? Share facts. Share what you know about the world. Encourage people to think for themselves. Those are the only right things to do in order to reach the end you wish for, in my opinion.

Education should be governed centrally with the emphasis on the imparting of knowledge and facts as I said. Teach facts where we have strong evidence, teach subjective knowledge to include other subjective knowledges. It helps society function.

And that is what public schools are supposed to do. There is a distinct difference. You cannot masturbate in a public building. You can do it in your private home.