if you are a parent what is your view of religious education nowadays?

Question

religious education delivered to children about the ages of 3-8! what do you think of religious education? do you want your children to be part of RE lessons or not? do you think it is important? thank you! any opinions will be very much appreachiated! Thanks!!!

Answer 1

I, personally, am an athiest. My kids are 9 and 11 and do RE - I think it is good for them to learn about different religions. However I do say to them its for information only and they can choose what they want to believe and what they do not want to believe.

I don't make them a non-believer like me, but I do listen to their thoughts and we talk about what they are learning, without prejudice or comment and tell them they have to choose in what they believe in.

Answer 2

Hi, I think religious education should be a must in schools and wish it would come back. When I was going to Primary school we had it on a Friday every week and thought it was good. It saddens me very much that religion is now put to the back burner and that is very sad. I had noticed a big change in schools when the Religious education had stopped was not for the good. Its like they are denying God to those children and that is very sad they have as much right to learn of him as any of us did. I would very much like to see it come back into schools. I think the kids would be a lot happier and they would certainly look differently at the world today and at themselves and even others. There would be more peace at schools alot less violence and hatred with one another and bullying. You know be it a priest or pastor whoever, could be their saving grace they would if only once a week would have someone there to chat to and perhaps if they had any problems who better than to speak to but with one of them. No I say bring it back but would be even better if it was in all schools not just primary but intermediate and high school. I also think is half the problem with the world too not enough of God in their lives. Why wait for something to happen before praying and/or believing in him. To get it back is going to have to be up to us to enforce it. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world and its our influence that determines that childs destiny.

Answer 3

I'm not a parent or religious but I wouldn't mind my children (if I have any) learning about different religions but what I would be against is school enforcing religious beliefs on them. The same as if I requested them not to be apart in any religious activity that should be respected.

Answer 4

I feel very strongly that school is not the place to teach religious dogma. Being an athiest I am all in favour of children learning about other peoples beliefs, however I know that lots of teacher in KS1 do not stick to the curriculum and their teaching is very much influenced by their own religious beliefs.
Let's try to keep education secular.

Answer 5

Although my children attended catholic schools and are fully grown I remember choosing to become a catholic in sixth grade. My family on my fathers side was catholic and my mothers were baptist. Since my mother has custody and her family rarely attended church my early years did not have much religion. Whenever I visited my father's family I noticed they went to church Sundays and sometimes prayed when things were stressful. I attended public school and back then the schools permitted students to get out early on Wednesdays for religious instructions. If you did not go then you spent the time in study hall. Well I decided to try religious study. It ended up convincing me to turn catholic. Naturally I raised my children catholic although my feeling for the church hierarchy turned me against it I felt children needed positive life examples and the theory of religion was meaning full. With the pace of today it is even more important that children have role models from history to follow reguardless of which religion they come from.

Answer 6

I personally think it is important - but I would NOT want it taught in the public schools, but rather at home and in our own church. Everyone (including all the many denominations of Christian) views and opinions and interpretations are different. It's important to teach our children, but I do believe that should be done at home - or in your own church OR by sending your children to parochial or Christian or Hebrew school, etc, etc,...whatever school is of your own denomination. When they are older I believe it's very good for them to study others religious points of views and a class like that would be fine in the public school as an elective - as long as it was kept all-encompassing.

Answer 7

I have four children and I totally believe that they should receive a form of religious instruction. As a family we go to church on a regular basis, admittedly at first it was because we want them to go to a CofE secondary school, but now we go simply because we enjoy going. The children go to Sunday school, which they thoroughly enjoy, and through their this they receive a form of moral guidance which cannot be taught anywhere else, and through the religious instruction they receive at school they also learn about other religions.

Answer 8

RE lessons are vital in teaching children to understand and tollerate other faiths and cultures to their own. I dont agree with the teaching of only one faith as truth as it inhibits the childs ability to make up their own mind which is counter prouctive to their development

Answer 9

I am spiritual but not religious, i feel that religion ( especially Christianity) is pushed on school children. I don't push my beliefs on my children, i think it is up to them what they want to believe..two of my children are athiest (boys)..but respect my beliefs, my daughter is not so spiritual but she does have some of the same beliefs as me.. my youngest (9).. respects my beliefs, but is following suit with his brothers..

Answer 10

I am one of jehovah's witnesses,
I want my daughter to be fluent in what the bible says
I have read to her from 3 days old daily ( well I missed a day or two here and there)

I want her to be a strongly religious person
to have a deep knoweldge of God when the time comes for her to decide wheither she will serve god or not.
I hope and pray that she will accept God, and do his will.

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9) 4 "Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. 5 And you must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your vital force. 6 And these words that I am commanding you today must prove to be on your heart; 7 and you must inculcate them in your son and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. 8 And you must tie them as a sign upon your hand, and they must serve as a frontlet band between your eyes; 9 and you must write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.