Teaching religion in school

[tantric]

I'm all for it. I think "Religion, Philosophy and Ethics" should be as fundamental as Math. Children should be given a survey course on the world's major religions, including history, doctrine, etc in addition to studying philosophical fundamentals, important philosophers and the principles of ethics and morality.

It would do a lot to ending parental religious indoctrination, and perhaps give the kids some room to think. I can't see how the religious right could object - they're getting what they what, and if they really have the One True Faith, obviously all the kids will see it and be born again or whatever....right.

[Chad32]

The thing about philosophy is that children are ill equipped to consider such deep abstract concepts that have been debated for tens of thousands of years. I would say that it should not have the same priority in education as math, science, language, and history. In fact, you probably wouldn't be worth a crap in philosophy without knowing basic things like evolution is true, that germs cause disease instead of demons, and that virgin births and rising from the dead were actually all the rage in old mythological stories.

I say we leave abstract concepts to the adult, and focus on concrete concepts for our children. I know a well educated adult is much less likely to take religion seriously if s/he wasn't raised in it when s/he was a child, but that's more the fault of religion than education and child rearing.

The closest thing I would agree with is an elective course in the higher grade level, where one religion is not raised any higher than another. Christianity would be on the same level as the greek myths. Of course anyone pushing for religion to be taught in school is not going to settle for that. They'll complain if they even see a bible in the mythological section of a library, instead of the non fiction section.

[Minimalist]

The thing about philosophy is that children are ill equipped to consider such deep abstract concepts that have been debated for tens of thousands of years.

I've got a tip for you. So are most alleged adults.

[Chad32]

If you don't get a good education foundation, how could you be? Worry about how the world works now. Worry about other spiritual worlds later. That's how we found out that lighting does not come from a god hurling bolts down from the sky. People who understand the bible best are those who studied archeology, and extra biblical myths. The origins of those stories, and the cultures around them. Why does Yahweh seem to hate casual sex and homosexuality so much? Because the Isrealites didn't like the Babylonians and Greeks very much, and those cultures approved of orgy festivals and homosexuality respectively.

I read in a book that if you build your house on sand, it will fall. If you build it on a rock, it won't. So concrete concepts must take priority over abstract ones.

[Minimalist]

Can you imagine the shitstorm that xtians would unleash if you mandated a course which compares their bullshit to any one else's bullshit.

I don't give a fuck what you do with religion. Just keep it out of science class.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Teaching religion in a school is fine. Understanding through learning and all that.

Teaching one religion above all others, or indeed teaching kids to be religious is not fine.

[Chad32]

I can very much imagine. That's why I know they won't settle for a simple elective course where the bible isn't taken as a non fiction account of the world. Where one day they're talking about Zeus, the next they talk about Yahweh, and the next they talk about Odin, all with the same amount of time and effort. Or maybe they'll sticl with the active religions and philosophies. Maybe one week they'll talk about how christianity and islam are just two sides of the same coin.

They want to turn public schools into churches, because they don't like having competition.

[Minimalist]

Yep. Just like the surprise voiced by this moron.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyath...slim-ones/

Louisiana Republican: When I Voted for State Funds to go to Religious Schools, I Didn’t Mean Muslim Ones

Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, says she had no idea that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s overhaul of the state’s educational system might mean taxpayer support of Muslim schools.

“I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools,” the District 64 Representative said Monday.

Thomas Jefferson would be surprised to learn that he was a fucking xtian.

[Alex K]

Even though it was officially a protestant denominational class (as there is less formal separation of church and state in Ger), that's pretty much exactly what I got in school.

[Dystopia]

I think such a class would be perfectly acceptable, after all studying religion as a cultural phenomenon would help understand why culture X or culture Y behave differently and why there are different traditions, rituals, clothing and food habits..... On the other hand, I don't oppose teaching religion (a specific religion) in public schools, as long as it's optional and children with different religion have equal access (to learn their own religion) - Teaching only Christianity in public schools isn't right.

If we're talking about private schools, do as you please, as far as I know there are a lot of good catholic schools out there with excellent results so I certainly won't oppose it, it's your institute, do as you please.