Dawkins on the faith School menace

[England my lionheart]

On TV yesterday evening a programe by Richard Dawkins titled "The faith School menace which if you missed it can be seen on Utube or 4od.

Programme Synopsis
The number of faith schools in Britain is rising. Around 7,000 publicly-funded schools - one in three - now has a religious affiliation.
As the coalition government paves the way for more faith-based education by promoting 'free schools', the renowned atheist and evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins says enough is enough.
In this passionately argued film, Dawkins calls on us to reconsider the consequences of faith education, which, he argues, bamboozles parents and indoctrinates and divides children.
The film features robust exchanges with former Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke, Head of the Church of England Education Service Reverend Janina Ainsworth, and the Chair of the Association of Muslim Schools, Dr Mohammed Mukadam.
It also features insights from child psychologists and key players in faith education as well as insights from both parents and pupils.

Myself,i am in total agreement with Dawkins.

 

[Willamena]

Seems he doesn't give children much credit for free thinking.

 

[Sunstone]

Why would any country in its right mind publicly fund a faith based education?

 

[England my lionheart]

Some Children don't get that luxury (hello Patty)

 

[logician]

There's nothing worse than mixing religion and education. It gives religion a "factual" status it doesn't deserve.

 

[Willamena]

Some Children don't get that luxury (hello Patty)

On the other hand, there's not a single thinking being that is exempt.

 

[England my lionheart]

Why would any country in its right mind publicly fund a faith based education?

I cannot remember when our Politicians were in their right mind

 

[England my lionheart]

On the other hand, there's not a single thinking being that is exempt.

I would disagree,free thinking does'nt mean you will fry in Hell if you do such and such.

 

[Willamena]

I would disagree,free thinking does'nt mean you will fry in Hell if you do such and such.

I don't know where that came from, so I have to agree that you're right about that.

I just see no advantage to being bamboozled by the likes of Dawkins over being bamboozled by faith school education.

 

[England my lionheart]

Lol thats lots of bamboozling,but he does have a valid point,after all their is already religious education in Schools which is part of the curriculum so Tax payers money being spent this way is quite wrong IMO

 

[Wotan]

You've to be taught before its too late
Before you are 6 or 7 or 8
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You've to be carefully taught.
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear.
That some are just so very queer
You've got to taught to hate and fear
You've got to be carefully taught.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I just see no advantage to being bamboozled by the likes of Dawkins over being bamboozled by faith school education.

I doubt many of the kids being bamboozled in religious schools are aware enough of Dawkins to be bamboozled by him.

 

[ChristineES]

I don't see a problem of studying faith, as long as they are allowed to study a wide array of faiths. And no one has to send their child to a religious school.

 

[England my lionheart]

That depends on the catchment area in which you live,IMO its wrong to subsidize a single faith School because they are already creating barriers for Childrens educational development based on a supposition.

 

[England my lionheart]

All faith based Schools share the same purpose which is to promote their religion and only their religion,the Governments plans to bring 120 Muslim Schools from the independent sector into the state sector,some of these Schools are very conservative where Male dominance is encouraged.

For Female students this will mean non participation in Sport and the obligatory full face veil and you can be pretty sure they will not adapt to the curriculum,the curriculum will have to adapt to them.
Christian denomnation Schools such as the RC Church and Protestant Church will promote their brand of education as well and all will promote division in society.
On the News this morning Britain has a record amount of University students which is great but there is also a record amount of people who could not get in,surley instead of wasting a lot of money on these subsidized same faith Schools we should be building more Universities and knocking down barriers created by religion.

 

[Noaidi]

The approach to science in many faith schools is appalling. In the documantary last night, the Biology teacher at a Muslim school seemed to struggle with the basics of ToE in response to Dawkins' questions. The old chestnut of 'I don't believe we are descended from chimpanzees' was trotted out.

 

[England my lionheart]

The approach to science in many faith schools is appalling. In the documantary last night, the Biology teacher at a Muslim school seemed to struggle with the basics of ToE in response to Dawkins' questions. The old chestnut of 'I don't believe we are descended from chimpanzees' was trotted out.

Its all very sad,what chance does a kid have with teachers like that.

 

[Revoltingest]

A fundie explains that the evidence he sees
tells him that we have no ancestral species.
They've not comprehended
that we have descended
from australopithecus, not from chimpanzees.

 

[I Keep Unicorns]

I don't see a problem of studying faith, as long as they are allowed to study a wide array of faiths. And no one has to send their child to a religious school.

As highlighted in that documentary, the likelihood today, is that the nearest School is going to be a faith-based School. There seem to be more faith Schools than ever, so if a parent wants a School in which no religion is taught as fact, it's going to be extremely difficult to find one. Some parents will have to travel many more miles to ensure a non faith-based education for their child with no indoctrination.

No one has to send their child to a religious School, but for many it's tough to find one within reasonable daily travelling distance.

 

[England my lionheart]

IMO using Taxpayers money to subsidize a single faith School is tantermount to abuse whether its Christian or Islamic,to indoctrinate Children this way by running it alongside the national curriculum is disgusting IMO as it gives that religion a chance to gain some credibility that it does'nt have as a stand alone institution.