Teaching paganism in Schools

[Milfoil]

In many ways I really do feel that religious education should be kept out of schools but if we must have it, there has always been a gap with Christianity being considered 60% of the UK's teaching concerns in the RE classroom. Now, after nearly 2000 years we are finally seeing a broad minded consideration for all beliefs or are we?

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2012/04/teaching-paganism-in-british-schools.html

However, it was never going to be an easy, tolerant transition:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9206178/Its-beyond-belief-to-teach-witchcraft.html

So much for tolerance and an open mind. Even when you point out the proof of so many church celebrations, festivals and holy days rooted in the Pagan past, it still doesn't get past the indoctrination and dogma which is why I am all for leaving RE (Religious Education) out of schools full stop.

 

[Carla]

First, I am very sorry I clicked that second link and read the remarks of Cristine Odone. I will not speak of it.

Second, I agree with you that RE has no place in schools. It should be kept out. I see no value in it whatsoever. None. As a pagan, or for that matter a Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Bahai, etc, would you want the first, possibly only, exposure a person has to your religion to be in a classroom full of bored, apathetic students led by a tired, harrassed teacher through some bland text and a bit of insipid coursework? I wouldn't.

What a waste of everyone's time and the resources of the state.

 

[AJ]

religion doesn't have any place in schools. Finally a few years ago they took 'in god we trust' out of the pledge of allegiance. Funny thing is few teachers have the kids pledge to the flag anymore anyway.

I haven't checked you links, but how can someone teach paganism when even pagans can't agree what being a pagan is?

And fanatics will fight anything that isn't their rut and rote.

 

[DaisyDragonfly]

Second, I agree with you that RE has no place in schools. It should be kept out. I see no value in it whatsoever. None. As a pagan, or for that matter a Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, Bahai, etc, would you want the first, possibly only, exposure a person has to your religion to be in a classroom full of bored, apathetic students led by a tired, harrassed teacher through some bland text and a bit of insipid coursework? I wouldn't.

I was going to stay out of this thread, but I saw this comment and had to jump in. First of all, for clarity: I'm a primary school teacher, so RE at that age is often very different from at later stages.

But RE is brilliant! The kids love it; they love talking about their own faiths and learning about other people's. They are able to talk about it intelligently, respectfully and peacefully. They're able to do so without any kind of rancour or disagreement; they're fascinated. They love to visit other people's places of worship and are quite able to do so without feeling as if they're being co-opted into another faith. And they're fascinated by the differences and similarities between their faith and other people's.

More than that, in my part of the world... it's not just fun, it's necessary. 99% of the school population identify as religious (no, not Christian. They're the minority faith in our school). Many children spend hours outside of school in the education of their own religion. School is often the first place they get an objective look at other faiths. It's when misconceptions can be addressed. It's when bridges are built.

Thing is, children in an RE lesson put adults to shame. They are able to do what most adults seem incapable of doing: talking about religion in a way that respects different perspectives, ideas and concepts. They have no desire for anybody to more right than anybody else: they just want to learn more. I'm not a misty-eyed sentimentalist when it comes to children - I've been teaching for too long for that! - but I've come closest to it in RE and when children have talked about their faiths and view of all the faiths. It's pretty amazing. And yes, that's the value of the subject. They get deep, look deeper, talk more mystically, than they can in any other subject.

I'd be sad to see those conversations removed.

As to paganism: why not? Children would find it fascinating. More than that, they love to have their world-view expanded. Humanism, agnosticism and atheism are now part of the RE curriculum; it would make sense to add paganism and earth-based spirituality.

Just my 2p, of course! I guess, as always, a lot depends on the teacher...

 

[Milfoil]

One of my friends is a very level headed, open minded and balanced secondary school teacher who teaches RE. She defends it in a similar way, that students need to be able to talk about their beliefs in a safe environment where all points of view are valued. However if we are going to teach beliefs as an academic subject then surely it should be a choice rather than the compulsory subject it is now at secondary level. If not, if RE is being taught as a life skills and psychology area teaching then surely it should be linked in with psychology, counselling and philosophy?

Our basis for teaching RE in the UK stems from being a country which has a dominant Abrahamic religion where intolerance of other beliefs causes problems. We still see it this knee-jerk reaction in articles like the one I posted above.

I guess what I am saying is that there is a distinction between teaching purely religious education and facilitating open discourse on the nature of humanity, beliefs and tolerance. The latter being a much wider subject and, in my opinion would encompass RE whilst also delving into why we have a need for religion, psychology of belief, philosophical debate etc.

 

[Carla]

I guess what I am saying is that there is a distinction between teaching purely religious education and facilitating open discourse on the nature of humanity, beliefs and tolerance. The latter being a much wider subject and, in my opinion would encompass RE whilst also delving into why we have a need for religion, psychology of belief, philosophical debate etc.

I agree with this. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. People do see value in RE, such as DaisyDragonfly, and I can see her point. It might be that RE has a better place in primary school, whereas in secondary school, perhaps some time spent discussing ethics, logic, philosophy and debate--more of a classical education--would be more useful than RE. I certainly think learning rhetorical devices and how to spot logical fallacies, for example, is more profitable than learning the difference between a neopagan witch and a Druid.

Not that it makes any difference, but I was a teacher of secondary English for 15 years, in schools in the US and England.