That wasn't mocking, that was a comment based on the fact that I've attended RC school. Religion class is not objective.
Your Child's Religion Is My Business Too
- Thread starter s_lone
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But they aren't being forced to put their kids in it: if they don't want their kids in the course, they can put them in the public system, as opposed to the seperate. I know the issue is being handled a little differently in Quebec, but from my understanding, this suit originated in a private school (and not just a seperate one as we define them in Alberta), did it not?
The situation is slightly more complicated. The school mentioned in the OP is private. But private schools in Quebec do receive funds from the government.
For a private school to receive funds from the government, it must go by the minimum standard of the official education curriculum of the government. If a school decides to teach an exclusively catholic course without following the program of the Ethics and Religious Culture course, there is a problem. The problem comes from the fact that most Quebecers don't like the idea of government funded religion classes. In the last decade or so, we put an end to religion in public schools. School commissions are no longer defined by religion like they used to but by language.
But on the other hand, the parents who send there kids to private school are paying more, so that should give them a certain amount of liberty right?
It's a complicated affair.
it was a private school that protested at having to teach it as provincial curriculum.
The way the course is outlined seems fine and a positive learning experience, BUT I can imagine teachers
having to constantly stop kids from adding their own belief system to the class and also yacking to each
other how much better 'my' religion is than 'yours', because although the teacher might be very fair and
unbiased, the kids aren't, and aren't yet mature enough to be 'open' minded, either they won't give a
hoot about any of it, or they will be 'over the top' and push their own religion over another students
during that particular class, i'd like to be a fly on the wall, then the young atheists will also begin
to poo poo all of them, could be a fun class.
That's tenets, but never mind. This is what I think is wrong with true believers. Yes, both comments are contrary to basic Christian tenets, but that's kind of the point. You're apparently taking the view that Christian dogma must be held above criticism; simply because it carries the label "religion" it's beyond criticism and nobody should be allowed to suggest to your children that what you want them to believe can be challenged, it must be accepted on faith as correct. As I've pointed out before, religious beliefs do not deserve automatic respect, they have to meet the same standards of logic and evidence any other beliefs do or they deserve to be rejected. I think you're doing a disservice to both your faith and your children.
Both comments may be contrary to what Christians may believe, but both comments are historically accurate (that Christianity evolved in the Middle East, and that experts disagree as to there really was a man named Christ).
If Christianity (or indeed, any religion) is to be taught in comparative religion class, it will have to be taught from historical point of view, and some Christians may not like what is taught.
I think that can be expanded to say not all Christians believe in a literal interpretation of the Old Testament. :smile::smile:
Quite so, but Genesis is not a proper subject for comparative religion course. That is a belief unique to Christians and best left to the Churches to deal with.
Comparative religion courses should be restricted to the historical events and to the few basic creeds of the religion (like Christians regard Christ as their Messiah, they regard Bible as their God inspired Holy Book etc.).
I think high school students would very much be able to discuss the story of Genesis. For a good part of history, nearly all Christians did believe in a literal interpretation and it did influence the religion a lot.
The following words, describing atheists, are not mine, but wish they were:
1) Angry Atheists - those who either consciously or sub-consciously blame God for personal tragedies or human tragedy in general (death, wars, suffering, hunger etc.) which is proof positive to them that there is NO God.
2) Amused Atheists - those who consider themselves 'Enlightened' and transcend other humans who exhibit 'Faith' and consider them simpletons, while considering themselves intellectually and morally superior.
3) Behavioral Atheists - a prime example are homosexuals, who find themselves in contradiction to natural law and blame their deviancy on God or anything other than chosen behavior. These Atheists are against any concept that does not endorse their behavior - if God endorsed Homosexuality, Homosexual would be the most strident believers in God.
4) 'argumentum ad ignorantiam' Atheists - those that hold something is false only because it hasn't been proved true (God), or that something is true only because it has not been proved false (Big Bang).
5) Atheistic Contrarians - those humans who are always against anything that is commonly held, if 99% of humans were Atheists - they would believe in God.
6) Marxist Atheists et al - those who believe that Government by humans and for humans, must have the highest allegiance and anything else (God) must be secondary and therefore inferior or non-existent by definition.
7) Amoralistic Egoism or 'Individualist Atheist' - those who believe their freedom to do anything 'freely chosen', supersedes any guideline, creed, commandments or moral restrictions, placed on them by God.
8) Narcissistic Atheists - those who believe that anything they do not know or are capable of knowing is therefore false and patently intellectually dishonest.
1) Angry Atheists - those who either consciously or sub-consciously blame God for personal tragedies or human tragedy in general (death, wars, suffering, hunger etc.) which is proof positive to them that there is NO God.
2) Amused Atheists - those who consider themselves 'Enlightened' and transcend other humans who exhibit 'Faith' and consider them simpletons, while considering themselves intellectually and morally superior.
3) Behavioral Atheists - a prime example are homosexuals, who find themselves in contradiction to natural law and blame their deviancy on God or anything other than chosen behavior. These Atheists are against any concept that does not endorse their behavior - if God endorsed Homosexuality, Homosexual would be the most strident believers in God.
4) 'argumentum ad ignorantiam' Atheists - those that hold something is false only because it hasn't been proved true (God), or that something is true only because it has not been proved false (Big Bang).
5) Atheistic Contrarians - those humans who are always against anything that is commonly held, if 99% of humans were Atheists - they would believe in God.
6) Marxist Atheists et al - those who believe that Government by humans and for humans, must have the highest allegiance and anything else (God) must be secondary and therefore inferior or non-existent by definition.
7) Amoralistic Egoism or 'Individualist Atheist' - those who believe their freedom to do anything 'freely chosen', supersedes any guideline, creed, commandments or moral restrictions, placed on them by God.
8) Narcissistic Atheists - those who believe that anything they do not know or are capable of knowing is therefore false and patently intellectually dishonest.
Funny things I've heard theists blurt:
1. It takes more faith to be an atheist.
2. Everything in the Bible is the truth because it is the word of God.
3. Atheists are all evil.
4. Jesus loves you atheists anyway. But you're still going to hell.
5. What evidence? There's evidence everywhere: the air, the water, the trees .... all are evidence that God exists. (That one really makes me chuckle).
6. Science even admits it's wrong. (Also good for a chuckle).
7. (A real biggie, is that) everything is in God's plan for us. (And) God is love. (Then we get the denial of a plan when pointing out) but, people go through torture because their babies die from extremely nasty diseases and the like.
(Ok that one isn't really funny, but ...)
I could go on but that's enough to counter Jack's post.
This was pretty funny, too: http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm
Anyway, on topic; if a kid's schooling costs public money then it is everyone's business. If there is religion taught in the school the kid goes to and the school is publicly funded, it is everyone's business.
1. It takes more faith to be an atheist.
2. Everything in the Bible is the truth because it is the word of God.
3. Atheists are all evil.
4. Jesus loves you atheists anyway. But you're still going to hell.
5. What evidence? There's evidence everywhere: the air, the water, the trees .... all are evidence that God exists. (That one really makes me chuckle).
6. Science even admits it's wrong. (Also good for a chuckle).
7. (A real biggie, is that) everything is in God's plan for us. (And) God is love. (Then we get the denial of a plan when pointing out) but, people go through torture because their babies die from extremely nasty diseases and the like.
(Ok that one isn't really funny, but ...)
I could go on but that's enough to counter Jack's post.
This was pretty funny, too: http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm
Anyway, on topic; if a kid's schooling costs public money then it is everyone's business. If there is religion taught in the school the kid goes to and the school is publicly funded, it is everyone's business.
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Let's look at this from a different direction. How about we have a class in public school that tells your athiest/non Christian children that they are the devils spawn and will burn in hell if they don't accept Christ as their personal saviour?
I think that would only be fair, since it's ok to tell Christian children that there is no basis in fact for their and their parents beliefs in God or Jesus. That Christ sits right up there with the easter bunny and santa claus.
Not even remotely close to a flipside analogy.
I think you haven't been able to comprehend the curriculum. Nowhere in the curriculum will it be tought that God does not exist.