What Every Saudi Schoolchild Knows

[Johnny Canuck3]

Because I think your source is alarmist claptrap, I therefore want to keep information from the rest of the world? Not like you to be quite so black and white, Johnny.

What about the other sources, including the Guardian: all alarmist claptrap?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

All over the world, I think, there is some indoctrination in the school system. Back when I was in PS, we were taught that Christianity was the only true religion and that anyone who believed anything else was a heathen who was going straight to hell.

Because we have a separation of church and state in this country, a teacher teaching that would probably end up fired and/or in jail.

 

[ZAMB]

Because we have a separation of church and state in this country, a teacher teaching that would probably end up fired and/or in jail.

We had RE in schools - remember I'm talking about the 50s and 60s here - and the grammar school I went to was run by the church. When my daughter was at school they still had RE, but they taught comparative religion.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

We had RE in schools - remember I'm talking about the 50s and 60s here - and the grammar school I went to was run by the church. When my daughter was at school they still had RE, but they taught comparative religion.

I'm talking sixties as well. We said the Lord's Prayer in the morning, but that was the end of the religion for the day. Where I grew up, there was a separate school system run by the Catholic Church. I expect they got a little more religious education than we did in the public school system.

 

[Yossarian]

Because we have a separation of church and state in this country, a teacher teaching that would probably end up fired and/or in jail.

Nah - in Ontario, and I think most other provinces, the state funds Catholic schools which are allowed to preach all kinds of Catholic dogma.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Nah - in Ontario, and I think most other provinces, the state funds Catholic schools which are allowed to preach all kinds of Catholic dogma.

Not in most provinces. It isn't the case here in BC, but in the provinces that do it, they also fund schools for other religions. e.g. in Alberta, the Dutch Reformed church has its own schools.

 

[spring-peeper]

Not in most provinces. It isn't the case here in BC, but in the provinces that do it, they also fund schools for other religions. e.g. in Alberta, the Dutch Reformed church has its own schools.

Not in Ontario. We have 4 boards. English-public, english-catholic, french-public and french-catholic. Each have their own provincial funding, the catholic church suppliments the provincial money.

Personally, I find it horrendous that one religion is allowed state funding, but others such as Jewish or Christain have to find their own money.

Homeschooling is also really big out here.

 

[Julie]

Perhaps a little off topic (and more than a little naive/ignorant re: other cultures), but I don't believe religion should be taught in schools.

There are too many risks:

Bias (towards the teacher's own religious persuasion);

Misinformation (in regards to other religions);

Harming kids (making them feel badly about their religion if said religion is opposed by the teacher/the other kids/the school itself - so to speak);

Harming kids by scaremongering (as in, the previous point);

Promoting separation between kids/adolescents and, hence, not nurturing the respect of differences between people (and I choose not to use the word 'tolerance' as I can't stand it. "Tolerating" a person/a people/a religion/a sexual identity/etc is intensely patronising - in my view);

The potential to use (or, should I say, misuse) the teacher's/school's religious persuasion to endorse a political stance;

And so on.

Again, perhaps I am speaking from an ignorant place. For example, there are no doubts schools throughout the world in which the one religion is taught and no one is offended.

Furthermore, it's likely I'm speaking from the 'never christened (or otherwise) into any religion as a baby and, therefore, never "indoctrinated" (so to speak)' perspective.

That said, I see religion as a very personal thing - between the individual and their higher power (whomever/whatever that may be). And I don't agree with a person's religion/a person's belief system as sacred as that often is for many, as something that can be (possibly) held up for ridicule.

Finally, in my view, school is for learning the old three r's: reading, riting, and rithmatic.

'Tis all