Minnie Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 My eldest boy has just started high school and has been asking me why people who aren't religious (we're not) should have to take part in RE lessons. His homework was to ask his parents about RE when they were at school......What was RE like at school and What do we think should be taught in RE. Both our answers were basically the same, we had no interest in RE at school and we don't think RE should be compulsory for pupils. Just wondered what thoughts anyone else had on this subject. BTW....many of his classmates had similar responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mission Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Personally, I think it should be an option. By far and away it was the most boring subject I took at school. If I'd had the option, I'd have dropped it and studied history instead. As it was, I had to drop history in favour of business studies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 It should be entirely optional, but I think the decision should really lie with the parents, not the child. And the alternative shouldn't be a skive like extra PE or a free period, it should be a proper academic subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 It should be entirely optional, but I think the decision should really lie with the parents, not the child. Eh? Until what age? I'd say it's the child's right to chose if anyone's, if parents want to brainwash their children into certain religions they should do it on their own time, not the states. Are hymns, prayers and psalms still a common feature in assemblies at Manx schools? That would bother me more (if I were a parent) than compulsory lessons tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ButterflyMaiden Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Religious Education in schools is required by statute. The days of teaching one religion are long gone .This website may help give an overview of what your kids could expect to be studying. RE GCSE Maybe it is an opportunity to teach tolerance ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Eh? Until what age? I'd say it's the child's right to chose if anyone's It's one thing advocating that everyone should have a choice, it's another one assuming that an 11 year old child is capable of making a decision that will effect their entire school life without peer influence and the fact that pop culture determines that religion is not cool. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't let my children have religious education if I had a choice about it, but to think that every 11 year old is capable of making an educated choice is pretty naive. It would be far easier if they just removed it entirely though, and as you say, educated their own children in their own way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebees Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Life skills would be a better title for the class, RE is outdated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 The days of teaching one religion are long gone Yeah, how many of us that are going to post in this thread actually have experience of being taught RE in the last 10 years? Not many I would imagine. Nobody so far anyway. I don't have the slightest clue about what they actually teach in the class now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girl89 Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Are hymns, prayers and psalms still a common feature in assemblies at Manx schools? That would bother me more (if I were a parent) than compulsory lessons tbh. When I was at primary school, prayers and hymns were still a common feature in assemblies. I think that R.E should be an optional subject in year 10 when you get to choose which subjects you want to take. Because by then, after 3 years of it in high school, you'd know what the subject was like before dropping it unlike not taking it at all because you think it's boring. Yeah, how many of us that are going to post in this thread actually have experience of being taught RE in the last 10 years? Not many I would imagine. Nobody so far anyway. I don't have the slightest clue about what they actually teach in the class now. Me! The site that ButterflyMaiden posted shows the list of what we basically learn in R.E. Except at my school we didn't really touch on Islamic Religion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Survivor Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 I was brought up Roman Catholic and went to a convent school until the age of 10 - so as you can imagine, religion was part of my day to day schooling. My parents are really not religious in any way, but they wanted me to be taught a base religion, and Catholisism was the religion they were brought up in, so that was that. Part of my school requirements were that I went to my local church every Sunday - this I did, but minus my parents (lucky buggas!). They basically made sure I got on the bus and told the bus driver where to drop me off at, off I went for the 1½ church service, then back on the bus home, and off to school the next day only to have to recite what the sermon was about. Once I left that school aged 10 and moved to a public school (and by public I mean state, it's very different in NZ), my parents told me it was now down to me if I wanted to continue going to church, as they would not make me if I didn't want to. Now, personally, I feel that was a great way to learn, needless to say tho, i stopped going to church and now I live a life full of guilt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Me! Should I have put the 'so far' in 72 point red letters for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mission Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 YES, I THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girl89 Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Yeah, how many of us that are going to post in this thread... I was just stating that I am one of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mission Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 You just know he's going to come back at you for selective quoting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Let kids have RE in school, they'll make their own minds up when they are old enough. But they should learn about it, it impacts on our lives daily, even if we don't believe in anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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