i sure do
not just cos I'm pagan, well, a little cos I'm pagan ;-)
but, cos i think its very important that kids know and understand these things so as not to fear, hate, judge or be intolerant of them
All religion that deals with or addresses our origin should at least be considered, and be *offered as an elective* -- including Christian creation, and including the Theory of Evolution, Big Bang, etc.
definitely! i live in the us and we learn about the big bang and stuff. I'm Wicca and would love for people to learn of other cultures and beliefs. if we did that maybe we could make a better, less ignorant generation for the future. in the long run, it would do a lot of good! =D
Yes, I'd say in UK, the current religious education (aka comparative religion, or whatever you prefer to call it) is fairly inadequate. It should be extended to give time to Paganistic beliefs and things like Taoism and Shinto(ism?).
Religions are part of the world and that's not going to change. We'd be doing a disservice to children if we pretended they don't exist. An attempt should be made to teach about the beliefs and social impact of all world religions giving an unbiased and non-dogmatic study of all. Paganism is the fastest rising religion in the U.S. and Taoism is a major world religion that's very significant to understanding the culture and politics of Eastern Asia.
Yes, they should be taught. Not as elective, but as part of the regular curriculum. How else are we ever going to bridge understanding and acceptance?
HOW TO IDENTIFY THE TRUE RELIGION
5 How can ?the road to life? be found? Jesus said that the true religion would be evident in the lives of the people who practice it. ?By their fruits you will recognize them,? he said. ?Every good tree produces fine fruit.? (Matthew 7:16, 17) In other words, those who practice the true religion would be recognized by their beliefs and their conduct. Although they are not perfect and they make mistakes, true worshipers as a group seek to do God?s will.
6 God?s servants base their teachings on the Bible. The Bible itself says: ?All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man [or woman] of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.? (2 Timothy 3:16, 17)
7 Jesus Christ set the proper example by basing his teachings on God?s Word. In prayer to his heavenly Father, he said: ?Your word is truth.? (John 17:17) Jesus believed the Word of God, and everything he taught harmonized with the Scriptures. Jesus often said: ?It is written.? (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10) Similarly, God?s people today do not teach their own ideas.
8 Those who practice the true religion worship only Jehovah and make his name known. Jesus declared: ?It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.? (Matthew 4:10) Thus, God?s servants worship no one other than Jehovah. This worship includes letting people know what the name of the true God is and what he is like. Psalm 83:18 states: ?You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.? Jesus set the pattern in helping others to get to know God, as he said in prayer: ?I have made your name manifest to the men you gave me out of the world.? (John 17:6)
9 God?s people show genuine, unselfish love for one another. Jesus said: ?By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.? (John 13:35) The early Christians had such love for one another. Godly love overcomes racial, social, and national barriers and draws people together in an unbreakable bond of true brotherhood. (Colossians 3:14) Members of false religions do not have such a loving brotherhood. How do we know that? They kill one another because of national or ethnic differences. The Bible states: ?The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Everyone who does not carry on righteousness does not originate with God, neither does he who does not love his brother. . . . We should have love for one another; not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother.??1 John 3:10-12; 4:20, 21.
11 True Christians accept Jesus Christ as God?s means of salvation. The Bible says: ?There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.? (Acts 4:12). In addition, Jesus is God?s appointed King in the heavenly Kingdom that will rule the entire earth. And God requires that we obey Jesus and apply his teachings if we want everlasting life. That is why the Bible states: ?He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; he that disobeys the Son will not see life.??John 3:36.
12 True worshipers are no part of the world. When on trial before the Roman ruler Pilate, Jesus said: ?My kingdom is no part of this world.? (John 18:36) No matter what country they live in, Jesus? true followers are subjects of his heavenly Kingdom and thus maintain strict neutrality in the world?s political affairs. They take no part in its conflicts.And while God?s true worshipers are neutral regarding politics, they are law-abiding.
13 Jesus? true followers preach that God?s Kingdom is mankind?s only hope. Jesus foretold: ?This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.? (Matthew 24:14) Instead of encouraging people to look to human rulers to solve their problems, true followers of Jesus Christ proclaim God?s heavenly Kingdom as the only hope for mankind. (Psalm 146:3) Jesus taught us to pray for that perfect government when he said: ?Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.? (Matthew 6:10)
14 On the basis of what we have just considered, ask yourself: ?What religious group bases all its teachings on the Bible and makes known Jehovah?s name? What group practices godly love, exercises faith in Jesus, is no part of the world, and proclaims that God?s Kingdom is the only real hope for mankind? Of all the religious groups on earth, which one meets all these requirements?? The facts clearly show that it is Jehovah?s Witnesses.?Isaiah 43:10-12.
Yes. You really shouldn't just learn one religion from your family, and say it is the correct one from the start without giving a glance at any other religion out there. Not every person holds the same viewpoints as the next. You really should learn, read, and study any and all religions to really find a suitable religion. Even if you choose not to follow a religion (I don't) it is still good to do, religion is a part of our world history. Every culture has their own creation story, god(s) and goddess(es), and stories that make everything come together. Cultures grew based around the stories of their religion, and their every day lives even reflected it. The Romans, for example, and their mythology.
If only there were 24000 hours in a day!
There are so many different forms of belief it would be impossible to learn about them all, therefore teachers take a selection of beliefs likely to be encountered by the average person & try to give them an understanding of the basics. With this should come an understanding of how to research other forms of belief & gain some understanding of them too. Sadly, not all youngsters are interested enough in what they study to acquire the skills of understanding others' beliefs, so even the small amount of time time they spend in school studying beliefs is wasted.
I'd be unhappy to waste even more time in school. Provided people learn how to research in general, they can always find out more outside school. The issue is how to spark interest in the first place.
Yes, It is good that as many different religions and belief systems as possible should be taught in schools, so that young people can grow up with as wide a viewpoint as possible.
You've mentioned 2 belief systems that appeal to me greatly.
It would be of value if schools could teach that there needs to be balance in all things (Tao) and a reverence for nature (Pagan)
I have said that for years USA that all religions should be taught in schools starting in high-school as part of world wide education. To educate what others believe in will help cut down on communication.
Non of these should be taught as being true or false but rather taught objectively.
Due to the religious fervor in this country all hell would break loose if you did not teach Christianity as being the one and only true faith. That is why at this point in time it would not work.
Most definitely!
I too live in the UK and we did NOT study any of these in school in fact ALL religion should be taught in schools in different gradings according to how easy it is to learn them.
1 Christianity should be taught to year sevens and year eights
2 Buddhism, Taoism, and Judaism to year nines and tens
3 pagan and Wicca should be taught to those in 6Th form (depending if they so choose to learn them that is)
(I left out some Cox I cannot remember all of the religions, sorry)
OR here is the alternative:
Every student should begin learning about the basics of what makes a religion a religion, etc... and then each week they should learn about a different religion (they still have to do the homework for the last lesson and hand it in, etc... as normal)
So if a child has three religious education lessons in a week they would be learning three lessons of, say, Chinese Traditional (which covers both Taoism and Confusianism)
when training a bank teller they only teach what the real dollar looks like in intense taring. then when a counterfeit comes they spot right away,so is with the teaching of Christ Jesus,the tomb is emit he has risen!
Personally, I think that unless you teach ALL religions then non should be taught in school.
I often got into trouble in RE at school because I'm a non believer. They would say one thing and I would say 'Prove it'! Back then (1980's) only Christian beliefs were taught.
I think things are different now in the UK. I'll ask my other half when he gets in as he works in a school.
Religion is a personal thing and no one religion should be forced on anyone. Teach all and let the kids decide for themselves.
Absolutely. There should be a high school Religions course that covers religion as culture, and covers many religions from paganism to Taoism, but also Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Shinto and many other religions. It's the only way we're going to ever begin to understand each other on this earth.
Yes, of course... it's a very revealing fact that the
current dominant religion works so hard to suppress
all other points of view... and something that must
be changed, if our children are ever going to get an
accurate idea of how the world got as screwed up
as it is.
Do you think we should learn about other religions in school i.e. Pagan or Taoism?
