OFSTED

[Kaz]

Still sticking by it. Why do we need religion for morality, humanist principles are good enough for me.

[Workingman]

Sorry, Ossie, but I am partly with Kaz on this.

I do not see why getting rid of CoE or RC schools would erode the country's ethos. That has built up over centuries and is the basis for many of our laws. Morals are morals, and ours have also been embedded over centuries. Reducing faith schools would allow for all religions, or none, to be taught equally in all schools, thus reducing polarisation - any pupil of any religion could attend any school.. As an Atheist I would opt for no religious teaching in school, but that is me. Religious teaching should be confined to the places of worship you mention. Religion is personal and has no place in interfering with the beliefs of others. How France deals with this is up to them. And I would argue that enforced secularism frees oppressed minorities rather that enslaving them.

The whole idea of secularism is to remove the State from Religion and vice-versa.

[cromwell]

The French are having problems keeping religion out of their secular education system though.

[Suff]

Still sticking by it. Why do we need religion for morality, humanist principles are good enough for me.

Personally I'd say that the inquisition, burning people for witchcraft and the destruction of the south American artefacts found by the conquistadors were pretty damned immoral. As were the fip/flop between catholic and protestant in our own country with the deaths it caused. Plus the most recent situation in NI where religion was a big excuse. Add to that the horrors of apostasy in Moslem lands today and, IMO, religion has no space in education apart from the awareness that it exists and a systematic, secular, analysis of the claims.

I'm not such a big fan of humanist moves either, I tend to find they go over the top much like religion in some cases.

My take is enlightened self interest. Which I believe is the core tenet of what Jesus taught. As opposed to the teachings of the churches, where conformity to worship and belief above evidence is the defining characteristic.

Also this teaching "fairness", which can only be done by sexualising 5 year old's, has to stop.