Children To Study Atheism At School

[Amar-Sonar-Bangla]

Children to study atheism at school


· National exam body plans new guidelines for RE lessons
· Falling church numbers prompt radical syllabus reform


Gaby Hinsliff, chief political correspondent
Sunday February 15, 2004

The Observer


Children will be taught about atheism during religious education classes under official plans being drawn up to reflect the decline in churchgoing in Britain.

Non-religious beliefs such as humanism, agnosticism and atheism would be covered alongside major faiths such as Christianity or Islam under draft guidelines being prepared by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which regulates what is taught in schools in England.

Although some schools already cover non-religious beliefs, there is currently no national guidance for what is taught, even though all schools must provide religious education.

The draft plans being drawn up by the QCA will not be compulsory, allowing religious schools the freedom to keep devout parents happy. But they will be regarded as best practice for heads, and are likely to be followed across the country.

A spokesman for the QCA said its guidance would be released for consultation in the summer term, but added: 'It is very much the intention that young people in the context of religious education should be studying non-religious beliefs. There are many children in England who have no religious affiliation and their beliefs and ideas,
whatever they are, should be taken very seriously.'

The plans risk sparking a conflict between evangelists, who want to strengthen faith teaching, and secularists, who argue it is becoming irrelevant to modern life.

The first shot in the debate will be fired with a controversial report to be published tomorrow calling for RE to be renamed religious, philosophical and moral education and children encouraged to debate such ethical issues as whether it is permissible to express racist views.

'The whole thing is terribly biased in favour of religion right now - it's all about encouraging an identification with religion,' said Ben Rogers, author of the report for the Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank.

'There are huge numbers of people who are atheists or whose families are atheists and who are coming into a class where their family's view is not acknowledged. You should be able to have a conversation about ethics that doesn't collapse into a conversation about religion.'

While 19 per cent of Britons attended a weekly religious service in 1980, by 1999 that had fallen to 7 per cent - prompting some to argue that RE should be scrapped as a compulsory subject. Secularists say there is little point trying to drum religion into sceptical children
at school.

'We're not trying to suggest that nobody should learn anything about religion: it is part of our culture and informs our art and our literature,' said Keith Porteous Wood of the National Secular Society, which has written to Education Secretary Charles Clarke calling for atheism to be included on the syllabus.

'But if you try to teach morality through 'the Bible says' or the Ten Commandments, most children won't accept it as they don't believe the religious message. It would be much better if people learned morality by looking at current examples. It's philosophy that we really want to be teaching.'

Religion in schools is a sensitive subject, with France renewing a ban on the wearing of the hijab while in Britain it emerged last week that a Luton schoolgirl had launched legal action after being sent home for wearing traditional dress.

But Rogers said that trying to keep religion out of schools would not work: 'It won't make religious strife go away - if anything it will exacerbate it. Religious education can play an important part in combating prejudices.'

If non-religious beliefs were included in classes, parents should lose their current right to withdraw pupils from RE lessons, Rogers said.


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These measuures could lead to a more balanced religious education for children at school. However, I would challenge that Atheism can be considered a set of clearly defined beliefs and guidelines. Atheism is anti-religion in that it is distinguished by non-acceptance of any religious guidelines. The teaching of Atheism in RE classes only brings Atheism in line with other religions, rather than distinguishing it in some way.

It will be interesting to see the Muslim reaction as our schools become more pro-active in teaching these new ideas.
Although such measures are meant to be inclusive to all in a multicultural society, as found in the UK and the West.

[Sweetiepie83]

You guys have religion classes in public schools? AND they're compulsory?

[Khilari]

yes, in order to help children learn about other religions and their beliefs and practices.

in theory it should mean less ignorance and more tolerance and sensitivity...

but us Muslim-folk do not seem to be shining examples of this these days... are we?

[Hasan_Ali_Imam]

Assalamu Alaikum.

Agreed with br. ASB. Atheism is not a religion pers se it is anti religion. I don't know why there was a controversy about this in the press. We discussed Atheism at school during general studies class and a few of my friends were Atheists, who shared their views. I don't think anything has changed by adding Atheism to the curriculum.

Wassalam
Hasan

[burns]

as hassan and khil have kinda already said - talking about concepts such as atheism in RE already happens. Pro-active anti religion dudes would have people believe that the aim of RE classes are to teach people to believe in a particular religion or religions. This is simply not the case at least not in state schools. RE classes aim to teach children about relgion ie the beliefs people have. Children would learn that Islam does not condone killing inocents and that Jews do not use the blood of muslim children as an ingrediant in bread making and that Hindus do not believe in thousands of gods etc etc.

Perhaps if schools took RE more seriously there would be more harmony amongst our comunities.

As for atheism - as i sed talk of this already happens, Muslims will have no objection to it aslong as the subject is taught about and not preached.

Science is taught with no mention of Allah ta, muslims have no prob with this do they?

[jodyraye]

Originally posted by Hasan_Ali_Imam
Assalamu Alaikum.

Agreed with br. ASB. Atheism is not a religion pers se it is anti religion. I don't know why there was a controversy about this in the press. We discussed Atheism at school during general studies class and a few of my friends were Atheists, who shared their views. I don't think anything has changed by adding Atheism to the curriculum.

Wassalam
Hasan

Hi and Peace to All!

I have to say that I believe atheism and agnosticism to be religions. I can see your point that atheism could be seen as anti-religion, but one could be anti-religion except for their own religion. Being anti-all religion is a BELIEF in a well defined mental construct--that God does not exist. This is a belief that cannot be proven--thus it is an act of "faith"--but not faith in God.

Atheists are well organized with textbooks, organizations, political lobbiests and other strong political activities, web sites, clubs, magazines, videoes, tutorials on how to argue logically with those who believe (part of their missionary work in my opinion), and a host of other ways in which they try to "convert" others to their way of thinking.

Now I'm not saying some of them aren't nice people--most of them are. Most of them just can't imagine how intelligent people can believe in something we can't prove. But the irony of that very thought is that they too are believing in something they can't prove either. So while it looks to them as if they are the more objective of us, they are really not that different. Its the object of their belief that is different.

But they deffinitly have a well-defined thought pattern or agenda and are as well organized and well connected as any religion. They do not have mosques or churches but they do have places to meet. Many of them are cavalier about not believing in God, but then again some are very fundamental. There are many kinds of atheists and agnostics just as there are differing Christians and Muslims.

Those are some of my own thoughts on atheists and agnostics. But no one has ever proven that their arguments against the existance of God were superior to those who believe in God. In fact, many of the most intelligent, and effective people in the history of mankind believed in God. Very few were atheists or agnostics.

[Edited by jodyraye on 2nd March 2004 at 22:38]

[Bang_Ali]

Originally posted by Hasan_Ali_Imam
Assalamu Alaikum.

Agreed with br. ASB. Atheism is not a religion pers se it is anti religion. I don't know why there was a controversy about this in the press. We discussed Atheism at school during general studies class and a few of my friends were Atheists, who shared their views. I don't think anything has changed by adding Atheism to the curriculum.

Wassalam
Hasan

Are you a real Imam? If not then why do you pretend and try to mislead us?

The reason that all this stuff is going on is because of the touchy-feely, arty-farty, lefty-liberal, politically correct do-gooders making a big fuss.

Recently I heard that a certain library was banned from advertising a christmas event in case it offended muslims.

Who here is offended by christians celebrating christmas? Personally i couldnt care less, its what they do and shouldnt bother me.

In the end all the lefty-loonies do is cause bad feeling between christians and muslims. They are the cause of increase in racism.