Catholic school but we are devout atheist

My daughter got her school placement today and its at a Catholic school, we are atheist and have strong feelings about religion and i would catagorise myself as ant-theist .

I intent to appeal but im not sure what the best approach is, should i say it how it is and politely explain that the values and approach to education of the school and our families don’t align.

The only other schools in the area are a CofE and a school with no religious alignment (this is the school our daughter is currently at play group in and was our preferred choice)

I imagine they will jump at the chance to move her as there are likely to be many people wanting to move in the opposite direction.

Are you making your child’s choices for her already? The religious schools I’ve seen are quite inclusive and understanding of different viewpoints. I would have thought that other things such as education are higher up the list

I’d go with the better school regardless of the religious attachment. Your views while she’s at home will give her a balanced view and hopefully allow her to make her own mind up.

Are you making your child’s choices for her already?

Ah, irony.

🙂

Education first religion…..

Inform the school of your standpoint. They’ll probably not ant her or take her out of the religious aspect.

It’s not like they’ll be adding using the canonisation method.

Catholic schools tend to be up there with the best results.

I thought you had to pass a god test (or something) to get in, if you don’t result, make the most of it.

Oh and Mrs FD went to catholic school, she doesn’t do god, is none the worse for the experience and knows a lot more about God stuff than I do, which I think is good

In fact I went to Catholic primary. Apart from a bit of morning prayer and church time on saints days. I think it was much more balanced about other belief systems than schools my mates went to. I remember doing a poster on taoism.

Go for the best school.

Our two went to CofE school, and are in Scout and Guide groups attached to churches. None of us are religious, it has not affected their views, outlook or education one iota.

Attending religious services – of several faiths and denominations as they have been covered in the curriculum – has probably helped them understand the wider world and cultures far better than a blinkered bunker approach would have done

My kids go to a CoE primary.

Since the new head came in the amount of god-bothering has reached intolerable levels.

Friday afternoon is wasted doing 90 minutes of ‘worship’. My lad struggles with the boredom of this and now frequently talks about god stories being made up. They should finish at 1.30 for all the education they are getting.

The amount of god stuff depends on the staff, not the flavour of religion. If they give them too much the kids go off it, big time.

This is a joke, right?

I agree with ScottChegg, above, when he says that ‘worship’ time should be given over to actual teaching, but aside from that, your children should get a decent education where they are – and I suspect you know that.

There were atheists before, and all schools were ‘religious’. Now education is free at the point of use, some happen to be religious, and all of them will still host atheists. [/shock]

What matters is whether or not your kids are well-looked after and well-taught. And most of all, whether or not you can get over yourself.

If a religious person said “I’ve got strong feelings about atheism and would consider myself anti-atheistic” they would be labeled (rightly) a bigot.

Just sayin’

I used to be a devout atheist, then I lapsed into an apathetic agnostic.

Saxonrider has possibly expressed it a little more forcefully.

Excessive worship will turn the kids off, which has always been counter productive. But as a non religious person, I find things like pause for thought on the radio a very interesting way of looking at real world issues, and our ‘worship” when I was at school 40 years ago tended to be of that nature rather fire breathing God bothering which so many paranoid aetheists seem to think will turn their little darlings into Christian fundamentalists.

Not a chance in hell (if you’ll pardon the pun) that I’d let my child go to a religious school of any flavour. Of course people are free to believe whatever fairy stories they want, but the organisations that peddle these fictions are nothing short of evil. I think it’s staggering and not a little sad that in 2016 they’re still allowed to involve themselves in children’s education in this way.

What would Jesus do?

IGMC

A few years ago I toyed with the idea of becoming a primary school teacher, I had a few school placements in my area and one was a Catholic school for 2 days. I was shocked quite frankly by the amount of time devoted to religion and religion related shenanigans. I’m not sure if it was some sort of special occasion but I remember a whole morning devoted to creating some religious art bullshit, to add to the other religious bs which festooned every available display space, Ugh. Kids on the other hand seemed balanced and happy if no where near as advanced as kids in the other two schools I went to which were, tbf, the “best” primary schools in the area.

Sounds as though like so many atheists you are as small minded as those whose diminished faculties for reason leave them able to believe in a god. 😈

Aren’t all schools meant to teach a balanced curriculum around religious beliefs irrespective of the faith to which they belong?

Our girls go to a CoE school. I am an atheist but at the same time I would not want my two to grow up not believing simply because I do not – I want them to make up their own minds and they can only do that if they are exposed to the options.

When I was younger I was taken to church quite regularly, went to Sunday School, was involved with a local religion-based social group etc but it didn’t mean I automatically grew up a Believer. I made my mind up in my own time.

I am an atheist. I’d not want my kids at a school openly affiliated to RC. I’d be happy with C of E/Quaker/Sikh. Not sure about Islaam.

An education which starts from a basis of accepting flawed and sexist principles promulgated by a fundementally corrupt and morally bankrupt leadership, is not what I’d want for them.

Religion has no place in the general education system.
If you want religion, go to church/mosque/synagogue/gurdwara/other place of religious choice as is your choice.
In a religious school, you have no choice but to be part of some mumbo jumbo about the great pudding in the sky.

Just my tuppence.

edit: spelling

Having endured a catholic education myself, nothing will better guarantee that your offspring will end up an atheist

Well, either that, or they’ll come round to the idea of living their life with a nagging sense of guilt, without quite knowing what it is you’ve done wrong. And you can look forward to lots and lots of grandchildren, obviously….

😀

I’d go and talk to the schools and understand their religious involvement with an open discussion about your concerns. ALL schools are required by law to have acts of religious worship (which you can opt out of). Apparently our local Catholic school has less of this than the local non denominational one!

I have no issue with schools teaching “Religious Studies”, but I would draw the line at indoctrination.

If a religious person said “I’ve got strong feelings about atheism and would consider myself anti-atheistic” they would be labeled (rightly) a bigot.

Why? It doesn’t sound bigotted to me, just someone stating their belief.

With the new wonderful academy program coming in can we be sure that the church schools are going to have to offer a balanced curriculum?

Slowoldman, asking questions like ‘why’ or even worse, ‘where is the evidence for that’ is just likely to get you in trouble in these debates 😉

Religion has no place in the general education system.
If you want religion, go to church/mosque/synagogue/gurdwara/other place of religious choice as is your choice.

I don’t disagree, BUT the system we have in the UK is the system we have.

Being combative and negative from the outset certainly won’t help the OP’s children approach any kind of learning in the right way. And clearly, the religious aspect can be taken or left.

johndoh’s post, above, seems infinitely reasonable to me.

the organisations that peddle these fictions are nothing short of evil.

There is a lovely irony in people having such blinkered and hate-filled views regarding another group for being blinkered and having hate-filled views.

If only people would broaden their minds and they might find that the vast majority of people on all sides are actually OK.

But this is the new black and white internet age. That thing that should have helped the world come closer together but is actually being hijacked by extreme views at either end of any argument because the sensible majority can’t be arsed to get involved in all that shit.

Send her in as a subversive agent, teach her Dawkins books by heart and get her to do a leaflet campaign with material from the british humanist assisciation. https://humanism.org.uk/

Or just get together a list of 95 of the biggest hypocrisies of catholic faith based education, nail it to the staff room door and hope for a schism?

😆 @binners

Aren’t all schools meant to teach a balanced curriculum around religious beliefs irrespective of the faith to which they belong?

I think there are exemptions for certain types of faith school. So they get to peddle their favoured story, decide who attends on the basis of their parents’ faith, and get the taxpayer to fund it all. Welcome to 21st Century Britain.

I am an atheist. I’d not want my kids at a school openly affiliated to RC. I’d be happy with C of E/Quaker/Sikh. Not sure about Islaam. An education which starts from a basis of accepting flawed and sexist principles promulgated by a fundementally corrupt and morally bankrupt leadership, is not what I’d want for them.

…and Catholicism Lite and Sikhism don’t have that same basis?

Having endured a catholic education myself, nothing will better guarantee that your offspring will end up an atheist

This too is my experience.

My views on religion are the same as the OP’s, however whilst my preference is for non-religious schools, if the school was good enough then I’d put my feelings to one side. My girls are both aware of how ridiculous religion is and my 10 year old has already told her teacher than she has no intention of reciting the lords prayer on principle.

For that I feel immensely proud of her.

Devout atheist? Follow a doctrine do you? Then you’re a believer too.

Burn him.

OP I share you sense of trouble and conflict. I was also educated at Catholic Primary School and yes that definitely cured me of any religious conviction.

My eldest goes to a C0fE school (my wife is a believer and regularly attends mass). It is the best school in our town (although they are all good and I would have been happy to send him to any of them), but as others have said, the results of relgious, particularly Catholic primary schools, are among the very best.

Send you kid(s) to the best school you can and then make it your parental duty to offer them your alternative view on the subject as much as possible.

I regularly tell my son that I don’t believe in a ‘theistic God’ and we then talk a lot about what that means. It works well when you don’t do it in a biggoted way.

I had a Catholic education, partly taught by Nuns and Priests. I don’t recall any particular religious bias in my education. I have a GCSE in RE, but I distinctly recall learning far more about Islam and Judaism than Catholicism. Although, we did have to sing hymns in assembly, but I don’t think this would upset even the most cynical of atheists.

Despite being a Catholic school, it excelled in teaching Science and Technology and I’m very grateful for the quality of education I got in these subjects as it set up my career.

There is more philosophical consistency in thestabilser’s post than in a lot of what some have said on this thread so far.

Frankly, I think the only people who get worked up about other people’s faith positions – in school, or anywhere – are the people of extremes on all sides.

FFS, why can’t people just live and let live? If you really want to change the education tradition in the UK, then by all means work to do so at the political level. In the meantime, let your kids wonder and question, and try not to be a dick.

There is a lovely irony in people having such blinkered and hate-filled views regarding another group for being blinkered and having hate-filled views.

As I said, people are welcome to beleive whatever nonsense they want, I’ve no problem with that. It’s the organisations of religion that are evil, set up to indoctrinate the young and prey on the weak, vulnerable and stupid. It’s not the people I hate, it’s the organisations.