Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

Very true Meg, it's all about power of the few over the many, and that is why religions such as Islam rule by fear and suffer no dissension or questioning of their supposed "truth". Freedom of thought is pure anathema to them....

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

On Children
Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.



Religious devotees do NOT have a right to brainwash small children. It is a form of child abuse. And for any government to (even partially) fund it is atrocious.

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

It's called Apostasy, where even thinking of something which is against Islam carries the death sentence.

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

Of course not.

A buddhist school in this country insists their pupils are vegetarian and if one parent drinks then they are not admitted Fair enough its a faith school.

These schools in Birmingham were STATE schools so open to all religions of the people who live in that neighbourhood that is what the uproar is about and should be about.

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

Sorry Sue. As my previous post might indicate, I cannot agree.
If the parents' faith was Satanism or Voodoo or whatever ... would it be OK for them to force their young children into schools teaching such stuff ?
The same principle applies whether it is Catholicism, JWs, Mormons, Islam, Scientology, Cof E etc etc etc etc.

Schools should be able to teach ABOUT religion in general - but not inculcate particular religious beliefs into the minds of gullible small children.

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

If that's the parents belief and there were faith schools that catered for that then yes it is OK.

What is wrong if Satanist took over a STATE school and started teaching that to others.

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

I agree entirely with your post, children should be taught and allowed to make up their own minds later as they see fit.
Christ we all teach our young children about Santa Claus, and they don't believe it for all their lives.

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

I can only think you have not met many Muslims of different sects because the ones I have met are very much encouraged to question the entire faith is built on asking and learning about and discussing. Obviously some aren't but we shouldn't judge them all by the intolerant and frankly dangerous ones. It would be like judging all Christians like the dreadful Phelps family !

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

Blimey, the very thought of discussing anything 'religious' is just utter tedium to me. I feel it as much use to my life as something I have trodden upon - just nasty and a huge inconvenience.

Then again unless you read about such stuff how will you become 'informed'? Tis ignorance that causes religious brainwashing - well that and being somewhat unbalanced in other ways. No, kids need to be educated in everything that religion has stood for and is standing for, for them to get a clear picture of how antiquated it all is.

Re: Faith Schools: Time to scrap them?

We would do better perhaps to teach children to question and to reason. The rest will follow.