Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 186 total)
  • Possible can of worms – religion in schools
  • miketually
    Free Member

    That’s exactly the sort of question that leads to religion.

    So RudeBoy is the messiah? He is a trinity after all.

    In the name of the FredDibnah, the PaddedBra and the RudeBoy. Amen.

    RudeBoy
    Free Member

    It just happened.

    Science states that there has to be a reason for EVERYTHING. Every thing, action, reaction, phenomenon.

    Again:

    Why does the Universe exist?

    RudeBoy
    Free Member

    I’m not the Messiah…

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    surfer
    Free Member

    that’s just not taking a stance one way or the other

    What is this “one way” or “other”?
    As an Atheist I dont need to qualify my disbelief. Only religion has a word to describe its non belief, as Harris says we don’t have words for non astrologists. It is indicative of the false position that religion holds. It is granted greater respect than it deserves.
    gods don’t exist and similar to any other proposition the onus is on the believer to prove it not on the non believer to disprove it. Why do you think religion is a special case?

    As Hitchins states: “what can be asserted withoutt evidence, can be dismissed without evidence”

    Bill, I would also recommend Sam Harris.

    miketually
    Free Member

    I’m not the Messiah…

    🙂

    IHN
    Full Member

    Why does the Universe exist?

    I don’t know. But 1000 years ago we didn’t understand the rain cycle, 300 years ago we didn’t know that bodies of mass were drawn to each other by gravity, 100 years ago we didn’t know how flight was possible, 60 years ago we didn’t know that DNA was at the root of all living things. Just because we don’t know now doesn’t mean we won’t know at some time in the future.

    Nope, that’s a different thing, that’s just not taking a stance one way or the other. If you actively understand why you are an atheist and have reached that opinion through rational argument then it is a fully backed up belief.

    Exactly

    Atheists dont have to justify non belief in irrationality.

    Okay, let’s turn it on it’s head. Why is religion irrational?

    surfer
    Free Member

    Rudeboy

    To ask “why” is not valid. Just because you can ask why does not make it a real question like “why” is that mountain. I would ask why do we need a reason to be?

    If you ask “how” then that’s a scientific and logical question that has not been fully explained. Because it hasn’t been explained yet is not a reason to believe in fairy tales. Otherwise thats just a “god of the gaps” in our knowledge.

    MinishMan
    Free Member

    I think you are confusing the question in a scientific and philosophical manner.

    Why does the Universe exist?
    Scientific – because the big bang happpened and the universe was the result, just like why did that ball just move? Because you hit it with a force.

    Philosophically – I would first follow Russel’s mantra of philosophical thinking, and of course this leads us down a path where many solutions have been proposed, but none as strong as religion yet:

    “What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance.”

    RudeBoy
    Free Member

    Scientific – because the big bang happpened and the universe was the result, just like why did that ball just move? Because you hit it with a force.

    No no, that’s ‘how’.

    I asked ‘why’?

    IHN
    Full Member

    Anyway, much as I’ve enjoyed this debate (and I have), it’s four o’clock which is hometime

    Thank God for that 😉

    RudeBoy
    Free Member

    (Wanders off from thread, laughing)

    surfer
    Free Member

    Rudeboy I think I answered your question earlier.

    porterclough
    Free Member

    Rudeboy –

    first of all, why should there be a why? Attempting to find meaning in the universe is a human activity, the universe doesn’t need a reason to exist. Unless you mean in the sense that if we weren’t here to see it it wouldn’t exist.

    Secondly, God is no explanation at all. If God is the explanation for the existence of the universe, what is the explanation for the existence of God? It doesn’t move things on at all, it’s just a sleight of hand and for some reason half the population take their eye off the ball and think an explanation has been given, when it hasn’t.

    miketually
    Free Member

    It’s disgraceful, Any excuse to beat up Christianity!

    Flaperon
    Full Member

    I was lucky enough to have a very understanding form tutor who arranged for me to mess around in his science lab during assembly. Equally, the religious studies teacher was a slight crackpot and we didn’t learn anything about religion either, which was great.

    Hate the idea of “compulsory worship”, and when I have kids they’re not being to be indoctrinated in this way.

    MinishMan
    Free Member

    lolololololololol.

    Ahhhh had a good belly laugh at that!

    miketually
    Free Member

    Hate the idea of “compulsory worship”, and when I have kids they’re not being to be indoctrinated in this way.

    I love the idea that what goes on in the typical school assembly could be described as indoctrination 🙂

    nickc
    Full Member

    I’m with Mike here, describing what happens in Assemblies in most Primary schools as indoctrination is stretching the definition of the word to it’s limits. You’d struggle to find a 6 year old with a defined religious stance/belief/understanding outside of an overtly religious family, and even then their grasp would be limited I’d suggest.

    alwyn
    Free Member

    Indoctrination is the process of ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies or a professional methodology. It is often distinguished from education by the fact that the indoctrinated person is expected not to question or critically examine the doctrine they have learned. ..

    That sounds quite like a law ruling that each day the child has to have some form of worship that they cannot question in the faith that is most recognised at the school.

    nickc
    Full Member

    No it doesn’t. (or rather, most Worship in most schools isn’t conducted like your description) C’mon, most of you will remember half mumbled hymns, and a half-hearted attempt at the Lord’s prayer from your school days, and yet amazingly enough nearly all of you have a reasonably healthy questioning of any religious teaching.

    alwyn
    Free Member

    So you think it’s right that children from the ages of 5-16 should have religion forced upon them?

    miketually
    Free Member

    I remember singing

    “Who built the Ark?
    No-one, no-one,
    Who built the Ark?
    Bloody no-one built the Ark.”

    And one about jet-planes meeting in the air to be refuelled, which had some great autumnal imagery but no mention of the ten commandments.

    I also remember a prayer about green blackboards in Scouts, that we used to read to make the others laugh, and one about bricks.

    miketually
    Free Member

    So you think it’s right that children from the ages of 5-16 should have religion forced upon them?

    No, and I don’t believe that they are.

    alwyn
    Free Member

    Well I remember being sent out, paraded to the head teacher and being made to sit in isolation for needless disruption when I pointed out to our religious nutcase of a teacher that god did not exist. May of my classmates were stupid enough to fall for the religious rubbish, it is the only way churches continue to exist. Get them at a young age.

    We also got handed out bibles and given lectures from the local church. Then being told that it was ‘The Law’. I would compare the Christian occupation in schools to the Hitler youth.

    miketually
    Free Member

    I would compare the Christian occupation in schools to the Hitler youth.

    Godwin’s Law?

    alwyn
    Free Member

    Godwins law does not count as this thread is about religion in schools by law which is a form of government propaganda.

    miketually
    Free Member

    Godwins law does not count as this thread is about religion in schools by law which is a form of government propaganda.

    You’re right, carry on. I will keep an eye out for our nation’s youth dressed in choir robes marching through the street.

    AndyP
    Free Member

    I disagree. Someone either believes in a God(s), believes there is no God(s) or is not sure. There are reasons why for each, so why not explore those reasons?
    Why not indeed. It would be a very quick exploration though.
    1) You are an idiot
    2) You are not an idiot
    3) You are not sure if you are an idiot or not

    zaskar
    Free Member

    Ditto

    Awareness of religion from an academic perspective is fine by me, it has shaped so much of what is around us it would be ridiculous to ignore its impact through history.

    Worship no.

    School should be like uni-teach academics.

    Religion in your own time.

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    No, seriously, it’s exactly like the Hitler Youth. Loads of primary school kids meeting up in the morning to sing a few songs about being nice to one another and mumble some stuff about being grateful for the good things they have. While their commandant rants about the need to burn all the jews.

    alwyn
    Free Member

    No, they won’t be marching through the streets, just being touched by dirty old priests or trying to destroy the infidels. (Let’s not just narrow this to Christianity)

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    The vast majority of people with religion are perfectly normal, well-adjusted individuals and it is impossible to tell from a cursory examination of them, or indeed from measuring their brains with calipers, that they are any different from anyone else. The vast bulk of the time it quite simply doesn’t matter a monkeys.

    I have more in common with certain well-educated, articulate humane and decent believers than I do with plenty of closed-minded, illiberal ranting atheists.

    🙂

    Singlespeedpunk
    Free Member

    Get them young and you have them for life. While I agree that religions as an accademic subject should be taught to all kids (and in a much more rounded, even handed way than has been my experience!) The daily act of worship is an outmoded nonsence.

    I am sorry if Christians, Jews, Muslims, et al see this as “another secular attack” on them but there you go. I don’t see people who love, say, Laurie Lee penning hate mail to me because, IMHO, his writing sucks and has no relevance today and there are better books to make kids read. I am free to write an essay on this and probably get some good marks for it (I did as it happens) but try and argue the non-exsistance of god in RE and you are branded a trouble maker and punished.

    Religion is not special, it does not automaticly get reverential treatment or a special place in schools / society. Its like all other ideas, many of which are discarded as loony and people move on…remember the Segway?

    Marcus Brigstock on the subject

    SSP

    nickc
    Full Member

    The “Act of Worship” at my primary is as follows, we get the kids together in the morning, and sing a song, about say, The Weather, Harvest, Summer. How nice it is to have friends…That sort of thing. Maybe, in one of the verses there’ll be a mention of “God”. That’s pretty much it. No hymns, no prayers, no Hitler Youth.

    It’s pretty much like that in most mainstream State schools. Be outraged if you must.

    miketually
    Free Member

    The “Act of Worship” at my primary is as follows, we get the kids together in the morning, and sing a song, about say, The Weather, Harvest, Summer. How nice it is to have friends…That sort of thing. Maybe, in one of the verses there’ll be a mention of “God”. That’s pretty much it. No hymns, no prayers, no Hitler Youth.

    It’s pretty much like that in most mainstream State schools. Be outraged if you must.

    Book burning starts in Y4, I think.

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    Similar story here, though two years ago we chose a new more secular mission statement type thing for our primary. Religions are studied but not practised, and assemblies might not be recognised as acts of worship by those who do a lot of worshipping, though technically that’s what we say they are since the law states we must have them. But the truth is that if you live in the UK, the church is an integral part of the state, Parliament starts every day with prayers, and Blair didn’t feel free to join the Catholic church until he left office. It may change bit by bit, but govt is unlikely to want to unravel one part of the arrangement as if one bit was shown to be illogical and unhelpful, out would go the unelected second chamber, the Privy Council, myriad advisory bodies and ultimately the monarchy, and that might lead to an open and accountable system of government, and who really wants that?

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    I have more in common with certain well-educated, articulate humane and decent believers than I do with plenty of closed-minded, illiberal ranting atheists.

    Quite.

    Singlespeedpunk
    Free Member

    closed-minded, illiberal ranting atheists.

    Closed minded? Show me proof of god/s exsistance and I will change my views. More than can be said of many religious people. Its better to have ideas than faith, you can change and idea.

    Illiberal? No, I want equal rights for all, including the right NOT to have a religion / be part of one / challenge them in reasonable terms. Something religious groups as a whole tend to forget. No one has the right not to be offended.

    Ranting? No, quietly considered points. I’ll leave ranting up to those who do it best. These are often backed up by “The Book” and ” A higher power” and often ask for your unthinking obedience / credit card number.

    Atheist? Yes thanks.

    SSP

    Too_Punk_To_Funk
    Free Member

    I teach my students to follow the great Lord:


    (Like hell do I enforce that archaic law, it’s what Ofsted would tick me off for, but balls to them)

    RudeBoy
    Free Member

    Show me proof of god/s exsistance

    Show me proof God doesn’t exist.

    why should there be a why?

    Why not?

    to ask “why” is not valid

    Oh, so because an Atheist says so, that’s that, is it?

    We had this a few weeks ago. Interestingly, like then, it’s the Atheists that are being the most vociferous. Like, somehow, that shouting louder is going to make them more right…

    The Meaning of Life

    Why are we here? What’s life all about?
    Is God really real, or is there some doubt?
    Well, tonight, we’re going to sort it all out,
    For, tonight, it’s ‘The Meaning of Life’.

    What’s the point of all this hoax?
    Is it the chicken and the egg time? Are we just yolks?
    Or, perhaps, we’re just one of God’s little jokes.
    Well, ça c’est le ‘Meaning of Life’.

    Is life just a game where we make up the rules
    While we’re searching for something to say,
    Or are we just simply spiralling coils
    Of self-replicating DNA. Nay, nay, nay, nay, nay, nay.

    In this ‘life’, what is our fate?
    Is there Heaven and Hell? Do we reincarnate?
    Is mankind evolving, or is it too late?
    Well, tonight, here’s ‘The Meaning of Life’.

    For millions, this ‘life’ is a sad vale of tears,
    Sitting ’round with rien nothing to say
    While the scientists say we’re just simply spiralling coils
    Of self-replicating DNA. Nay, nay, nay, nay, nay, nay.

    So, just why– why are we here,
    And just what– what– what– what do we fear?
    Well, ce soir, for a change, it will all be made clear,
    For this is ‘The Meaning of Life’. C’est le sens de la vie.
    This is ‘The Meaning of Life’.

Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 186 total)

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