Anti gay, Anti Contraception, Anti Abortion teaching in OK.

[Gromit]

In an apparent u-turn, Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary has tabled an amendment to his own Children, Schools and Families Bill which will maintain that State financed faith Schools can continue to teach beliefs such as contraception, abortion and homosexuality is wrong.

The Catholic Education Service claimed that the amendment being debated today was "secured" thanks to its lobbying.

http://www.timesonlin...on/article7037283.ece

Should we capitulate to those who believe in these ancient mythical stories?

[Mr Veritas]

No we shouldn't.
Because I don't believe we should have state financed faith schools,if they want faith schools they should finance themselves.

[New Judge]

Of course the test for the new law, if it had been passed without these amendments, would have almost certainly come from a Muslim faith school. It is fundamental to Islam that homosexulaty is an abomination and any government trying to prevent that philosophy from being spread would have faced a very rocky road.

However, on the wider issue, these are not matters of fact, nor are they ancient myths. They are matters of opinion which different organisations are entitled to put forward. Before deciding to send their children to faith schools parents should establish what opinions those schools are going to preach and if they disagree with them then send their children elsewhere.

Government should resist trying to control what people believe in and what they want their children to hear.

[youngmafbog]

No state school should promote these topics either way. The subjects should be discussed as there but that is it. Problem is, in our trendy lefty liberal schools being dictated to by nu labour control freaks, these subjects are promoted rather than just discussed.

It is however totally wrong having one rule for one and another for the rest of us.

Out of interest, how do they get around the anti homophobic laws ?

[Gromit]

New Judge

Schools should not be places that promote religion. The state should not fund religious schools. If people want their children to learn these things, they should take them to their church or mosque in their own time. If they want a religious education school, they should have to go private. You probably do not want to fund from your taxes Koranic studies, and I do not want to fudnd Biblical mumbo jumbo.

[123everton]

i think the challenge would more likely have come from a Catholic schools.
Parents choose to send their children to faith schools, presumably because some or all of the values enshrined are a reflection of theirs, I tend to feel the state should respect this, only acting when the teachings are hostile to other lifestyles and cultures.
For years we had none of this rubbish and gay people discovered they were gay and found other gay people to consort with, I wonder when these lessons are to be scheduled?
Before after or during maths and English?

[New Judge]

I’m inclined to agree with you gromit in that religion is not really a subject to be taught in any schools, let alone those that are State funded. Schools have enough problems teaching necessary subjects without indulging in contentious luxuries.

However, that was not the question. Like it or not we do have State funded faith schools and there seems no movement to abolish them. The question was whether these schools that we’re stuck with should have the freedom to choose what they teach. I believe they should have such freedom as I’m against State imposed dogma. So long as parents know what it is they are teaching and are happy to send their children to them there should be no problem.

[Quinlad]

Would you say the same if they were state funded political schools? And instead of being fed Catholic or Muslims teachings, the pupils were taught the principles of communism or fascism or New Labour?

[modeller]

The problem is if we have state funded faith schools they will inevitably put their bias onto every subject . A Marxist history teacher will teach their subject in a different way to say a Fascist teacher. Its human nature that your own views will influence your teaching to a certain extent. Most teachers in non-faith schools try to be fairly neutral but faith schools , by their very nature have teachers with strong convictions. This doesn't apply to the Primary C of E Schools in rural areas they have teachers of all or no beliefs . I was a teacher and I found Catholic Schools introduced some religion into all their subjects. Quite simply Ed Balls has caved into the PC and religious lobby.

[sp1814]

youngmafbog

Can you please explain how these subjects are 'promoted'?

Do you mean promoted like a new brand of breakfast cereal?

"Hey kids try homosexuality...it's new, it's discounted by 30% and for this week only, it comes with a free Kylie Minogue dress-up doll"

Seriously - what do you mean by 'promote'?

[sp1814]

Question - are these faith schools partly funded by the State?

If so, then they should be allowed to teach whatever they want about homosexuality, but at the same time, they should give up all state funding.

That seems very fair to me. Why should my taxes go to hate-spreaders (sorry - 'opinion-spreaders').

If they want to continue teaching their kids fairy stories from olden times, good luck to 'em - but they will have to be 100% funded by parents and commercial enterprise.

[naomi24]

No, we shouldn't. I fail to see how a national curriculum can be deemed compulsory when a minority of pupils are exempted solely because of the religious beliefs of their parents. Why should the state respect the wishes of those who desire to fill their children's heads with misinformation that can only create intolerance and misunderstanding - and fund the process? It's ludicrous and it's discriminatory. In my opinion, teaching children to believe in any religion is child abuse, and it certainly has no place in the classroom. However, it seems some parents are determined to inflict their antiquated superstitions upon their offspring, and those that are should bear the complete cost - and shoulder full responsibility for the outcome.