RE in British schools

My son attaneds a Community Primary School in the East of England. He has already been taught about several world religions and he is jjst six years old! The default angle appears to be Christianity; my son belives that his Great Grnadmother went to Heaven to be with Jesus. I am an atheist, but I have never forced this upon my son. Why don't such schools teach some sound evolutionary theory? Its not too much for them too handle at this age, particularly not in the face of the concepts they must try to absorb within religious eduction (with no evidence or scientific basis whatsoever).

I go to a high school in Leicester and I have to say I think we should have a choice of whether we learn RE or not. We never learn anything anyway cause we are too busy messing around.

I think they teach about religions at school - not which religion to follow. Religious hatred is a serious problem and the more we learn about the less ignorance there will be. Lets also ask the questions - does the USA have problems with sectarianism? And are they ignoring these problems by teaching scientific theory?

I am a family man. I rise early morn, work hard all day, pay bills, put food on the table, clothes on backs. At the end of everyday I am tired (I'll not curse at this point). Go home, shower, bite to eat, a little TV then bed. I bet you can't guess what happens the next day?

I am a modern family man living in a modern world. I'd like someone to pin-point when I should dedicate time to religion.

My religion is that I have contributed by starting a family and keeping 'things' in motion. I've done my bit for evolution and have always been a contributor to society.

What I find most bizarre is that people can actually find time to debate about this and that and what should be and what should not be.

Who are you people? Where do you come from and how do you conduct your life from day to day. I know this much, you are not living on the same planet as I.

I'm starting to question myself... Am I not living in the real world?

I think you're conflating two issues - that of science and that of religion. As a christian, I would not be happy with my children attending a creationist school or an atheist school. Completely atheist schools are, of course, illegal in the UK. It's not necessary to be christian and scientifically illiterate. Isn't it more amazing that there's a God who can invent physics than that God plays with plasticene? Anyway, good luck with your children, but please, please, credit some of us with more sense. How about teaching them about dark matter, and the idea of the big bang all around us? Or showing them evolution in action? That's how I deal with it with my child (being brought up christian)

How can you teach freeddom, fairness and democracy in schools when the God of Abraham as described in the so-called holy books is nothing but a fascist dictator?

This God is more fascist than Mussolini. More of a dictator than Genghis Khan. This God should be listed amongst the 10 worst beings that have ever existed, if It ever existed at all. The imagination of this Beast, 666, destroys Men's minds. The fear they present before it swallows their freedom.

You yourself said that there is no set curriculum, so the problem lies with a specific school following what they believe to be correct- not the system as a whole. Therefore if you have a problem with the specific syllabus of one school, don't send your children there, other schools follow different curricular systems.

I was brought up as a catholic as my fathers side of the family is very religious. Although my father took me to chuch most weeks and I went to a catholic school my parents never forced their views on me. I don't believe in God at all now and never really did but what I think is important is that I was educated in religion and was able to make my own choice.
You say we should only teach fact in schools. Religion may not be based on true science but it is still a fact that many people believe in it. I think schools should teach all the major religions so that people can understand why and what certain people believe in but in no way should a specific religion be 'force fed' to a pupil though.

Your comment about the crayons made me laugh by the way :)

There's not enough religion in the world to make us love one another, only enough to make us hate.

Zar,
You reprimand posters for not capitalizing God in their responses, yet you randomly throw capitals in your own ('Dichotomy ', 'Science', 'Biased', 'Mutually', 'Minigripe', etc.). I seem to recall something about glass houses and stones... Hmm.

Alot of the commenters on this gripe seem to be missing the point, these young children are impressionable and more than likely still believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and other childish fairytales. So imagine when a teacher tells them that theres a big man who lives in the sky and its him who makes people, animals and everything else in the world. Thses children will believe anything they're told and at this age I would consider it brainwashing.

Well, there's nothing wrong with religious education per se, in my school it taught us about the ideals in various religions and cultures.

However when an infant school teacher tells a child that their God is the right one, then they have crossed a line. No teacher has the right to tell a child, whatever age, that what they believe is right, and whatever else is wrong. It's especially bad in infant schools where the children are at a more impressionable age than say a junior or a senior.

I think it's a very different thing telling a child that a christian will pray and thank god for their meal, and actually getting the child to do it each time they eat.