Why should religion have any influence on our lives?

[Fidel_Castronaut]

So Fidel (apt name, by the way), how do you teach religion on an equal, or even a truthful basis, if you don't let them teach claims that are fundamental to their faith?

You are clearly advocating suppression of religious education. Why not be honest about it and defend it rather than tying yourself in knots by trying to say at the same time that you're not advocating suppression of religious education and then saying that you don't believe religions should be able to teach that they have the truth?

It should be obvious to all (and to you really, I think) that you are advocating suppression of religious education.

So taking your example, the freedom of education I support is the freedom for Christians to teach their children (at home, at Church, in study groups, or at a school that parents choose to send their children to) that "Jesus rose from the dead". And I fully accept the freedom of Muslims (again at home, in Mosques, in study groups or in schools that people choose to send their children to) to teach their Children that "Mohammed was the last Prophet of God". That's the freedom we have in the UK (we have choice in schooling, representing the communities that the schools serve), and that's a precious freedom that exists in our pluralistic society.

You're talking about private individuals in their own home. That's beyond the control of the state. People are free to teach whatever they want (well, actually, they're not) in their own home and in places of worship.

I am talking about schools (even private ones which, by law, cannot teach exclusively one religion at the expense of teaching about others, actually) and matters where the state has some authority or duty of care.

Nothing I am advocating is even remotely totalitarian. In fact what I've posted is much, much more accurate of current UK education policy than what you've posted. Keep claiming I'm tying myself in knots all you want but it's far removed from reality.

The OP was about removing influence of religion from society. My response was in counter to your claim that you need to physically remove them (however that's done) and I believe it still stands. You don't need to physically do anything. Just not teach one thing as true and others as false.

And I really wish you'd stop randomly putting 'atheism' or 'atheists' into your posts. I've not mentioned atheism once, but you keep saying it as though it's a bedrock of my argument.

Look up secularism instead, and egalitarianism.