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Would you send your children to a religious school?

Started by Nikky, June 24, 2010, 04:08:26 AM

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Businessocks

Quote from: "karadan"Do all religious schools in the US teach religion in science class or something?

Many teach the young earth stuff.  And history gets looked at through the lens of "Well, they weren't Christian, so they lost...or God sent the plague because their behavior was blah blah blah."

But there are so many different Christian sects that it's really difficult to tell what each private religious school will teach and in what subject.  There definitely is a good chance, though, that it won't just be contained to Bible study class.
The god of the cannibals will be a cannibal, of the crusaders a crusader, and of the merchants a merchant.  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Magic Pudding

Quote from: "pinkocommie"If you wanted to find the biggest drug addicts, the craziest thrill seekers or the easiest slut bunnies, you looked for kids in private religious schools.
This is probably a cultural difference.
Schools around here don't let guys looking for slut bunnies in.
I suppose if you had a good story and a tradesmen's outfit you might get in.

Tank

Quote from: "The Magic Pudding"
Quote from: "pinkocommie"If you wanted to find the biggest drug addicts, the craziest thrill seekers or the easiest slut bunnies, you looked for kids in private religious schools.
This is probably a cultural difference.
Schools around here don't let guys looking for slut bunnies in.
I suppose if you had a good story and a tradesmen's outfit you might get in.
In my experience it's the 'slut bunnies' getting out that is the problem
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

pinkocommie

Quote from: "Tank"
Quote from: "The Magic Pudding"
Quote from: "pinkocommie"If you wanted to find the biggest drug addicts, the craziest thrill seekers or the easiest slut bunnies, you looked for kids in private religious schools.
This is probably a cultural difference.
Schools around here don't let guys looking for slut bunnies in.
I suppose if you had a good story and a tradesmen's outfit you might get in.
In my experience it's the 'slut bunnies' getting out that is the problem

Haha exactly.  Also, not only girls and gay men are slut bunnies.  But, it probably is a cultural difference.  I have no idea what religious private schools are like in Australia.
Ubi dubium ibi libertas: Where there is doubt, there is freedom.
http://alliedatheistalliance.blogspot.com/

Nikky

Quote from: "Businessocks"
Quote from: "karadan"Do all religious schools in the US teach religion in science class or something?

Many teach the young earth stuff.  And history gets looked at through the lens of "Well, they weren't Christian, so they lost...or God sent the plague because their behavior was blah blah blah."

You wouldn't get away with that in Australian schools.

It sounds like US and UK private schools are very different to Australian schools.

Cecilie

I have friends who are not particulary religious going to a religious school. They have a morning prayer, but I think that's about it.
The world's what you create.

pinkocommie

Quote from: "Nikky"
Quote from: "Businessocks"
Quote from: "karadan"Do all religious schools in the US teach religion in science class or something?

Many teach the young earth stuff.  And history gets looked at through the lens of "Well, they weren't Christian, so they lost...or God sent the plague because their behavior was blah blah blah."

You wouldn't get away with that in Australian schools.

It sounds like US and UK private schools are very different to Australian schools.

Man, I wish I new of some Australian skeptic parents who might help you out on this, but if you feel comfortable with the school, I wouldn't second guess your instincts too much.  You're going to discover relatively quickly if the school you chose is too religious for you, and if that's the case hopefully public school in that area will suffice until you find a more acceptable alternative.  Good luck, at any rate.  =D
Ubi dubium ibi libertas: Where there is doubt, there is freedom.
http://alliedatheistalliance.blogspot.com/

Anthemyst

Just wanted to speak up in defense of private schools! I went to a private high school, secular, and even though most girls were very rich, nobody treated the girls on financial aid any differently. After nine years of social misery in public schools, it was the first time in my life nobody tried to make me feel terrible for being smart or weird. I think the single-sex environment was really great, too; I know the stereotypes for all-girls schools, but statistics show on average they are more likely to grow into confident, self-assured women.

As for a religious school, I would definitely consider one over a public school, but of course it depends on the schools. If the school were not overtly religious in every class, and if I was confident my child felt comfortable questioning what he or she was being taught and getting a good dose of skepticism in the home, I might prefer that situation over a private school.
I like that after the flood, the first thing that Noah does is plant a vineyard because, when you're one of eight people left in the world and you have to repopulate the earth with your 600+ year old wife, that's when you really need a drink, isn't it?

AHeathenReadstheBible.com

Tank

Quote from: "Anthemyst"Just wanted to speak up in defense of private schools! I went to a private high school, secular, and even though most girls were very rich, nobody treated the girls on financial aid any differently. After nine years of social misery in public schools, it was the first time in my life nobody tried to make me feel terrible for being smart or weird. I think the single-sex environment was really great, too; I know the stereotypes for all-girls schools, but statistics show on average they are more likely to grow into confident, self-assured women.

As for a religious school, I would definitely consider one over a public school, but of course it depends on the schools. If the school were not overtly religious in every class, and if I was confident my child felt comfortable questioning what he or she was being taught and getting a good dose of skepticism in the home, I might prefer that situation over a private school.
Hi

Where are you in the world?
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Anthemyst

Quote from: "Tank"
Quote from: "Anthemyst"Just wanted to speak up in defense of private schools! I went to a private high school, secular, and even though most girls were very rich, nobody treated the girls on financial aid any differently. After nine years of social misery in public schools, it was the first time in my life nobody tried to make me feel terrible for being smart or weird. I think the single-sex environment was really great, too; I know the stereotypes for all-girls schools, but statistics show on average they are more likely to grow into confident, self-assured women.

As for a religious school, I would definitely consider one over a public school, but of course it depends on the schools. If the school were not overtly religious in every class, and if I was confident my child felt comfortable questioning what he or she was being taught and getting a good dose of skepticism in the home, I might prefer that situation over a private school.
Hi

Where are you in the world?

Northern Virginia for high school, but now I'm in Chicago.
I like that after the flood, the first thing that Noah does is plant a vineyard because, when you're one of eight people left in the world and you have to repopulate the earth with your 600+ year old wife, that's when you really need a drink, isn't it?

AHeathenReadstheBible.com

Martin TK

I would like to add one or two thoughts to the debate on private versus public education - including religious affiliated schools.  As a college professor and former administrator at a fairly prestigious university in the Southern US, it was my experience that many of the students who attended and graduated from private schools were actually better prepared for college than were those coming from public schools, and here is why I believe that.  First of all, students who attend private schools are there because their parents are paying for this education and therefore, take things a bit more seriously.  Further, private schools can be, and often are, selective, meaning that they sometimes limit their selection to those students who are academically more prepared than those in public schools.  

Having said that, I am a product of public education, I even attended school when the school systems were segregated in the South for the first four years of my education something I am NOT proud of, and I turned out fine.  Well, my wife might argue that point, but she'd be just joking, I think.  Anyway, to the private religious schools, I am totally against them simply because of the religious aspect.  I know I would not want my children exposed to the teaching of the church every day, all day.  However, IF I had little choice, as it seems that you do, I would opt for the school that could prove to me that their science education is consistent with the scientific community's views on evolution and the cosmos.  Then, I would monitor my child's education very closely, which is a good idea in any case, and make sure that my child and I had many discussions on both sides of any and all issues.  In other words, make the best of the situation, using it as a teaching tool for your child.  I believe it will allow her to expand her own understanding of the world around her, and teach her how to distinguish between reality and fantasy.  Just my humble opinion.

I want to add one thing, kind of off topic, but I recently went to a Home Schoolers Convention in Michigan, where home schooling is very popular and there are NO state laws governing what is taught, and I was totally SHOCKED by the number of religious text books that I saw which taught creationism as science.  I leafed through some of the volumes and was amazed at how well they were written, just written wrong.  It was certainly an eye opening experience for me, thankfully my children are grown and educated and I don't have to worry about it, but when they were in school we had many long discussions on religion, freethought, and science.
"Ever since the 19th Century, Theologians have made an overwhelming case that the gospels are NOT reliable accounts of what happened in the history of the real world"   Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion

Tank

Quote from: "Anthemyst"
Quote from: "Tank"Hi

Where are you in the world?

Northern Virginia for high school, but now I'm in Chicago.
Cheers, just wanted to know so I could follow which school system you would be working in.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Argie

I went to a catholic elementary school and it was ok... we had a religion class in we were taght the Chruch´s tennets, theology, creationism, but then we had a science class and creationism wasn´t taught there; we learned about evolution as a scientifical fact.  Then I went to a millitary high school, and to my taste it seemed more religious than the catholic elementary school I attended, I mean, we were forced to attend mass, which we weren´t in the elementary school, we spent the last hours of the day listening to the school chaplain and went to sleep with an obligatory prayer...we had an obligatory prayer after the rising ofthe flag.  Later in life I went to a catholic university and it seemed ok too... we had theology and Catholic Social Doctrine as part of the obligatory curricula, but the other teachers never brought up the subject of religion... I even remember an anecdote in which a teacher asked the class why do we study spanish colonial laws,  a student answered "because we are a spanisch descendant nation" and the teacher answered "we may be descendants of the monkeys"... only one student complained but nothing was done to the teacher in the university run by a catholic bishop.

Now if you ask me if I would send my son to a boarding catholic school, the answer is NO... I just don´t trust unmarried men who swore chastity.  My boy goes to a secular private school.

rlrose328

My son doesn't go to a religious school, but he does attend a charter school that rents rooms in a church and big events (concerts, plays, awards, etc.) are held in the sanctuary, with all of its religious accoutrements in place.  And there is a huge 6 foot cross hanging high on the wall in the "social hall" (our cafeteria, indoor recess room).  There is a mom's prayer groups that meets in a room that is not used by the school, which rubs me the wrong way, and at one of the meetings (yes, I attended some), the leader of the group (also a parishioner at the church) said, "This is not technically a Christian school, but we all KNOW <wink wink nod> that it IS a Christian school, held here in God's house."  I threw up in my mouth a little.

A few of us have monitored things to be sure flyers for VBS aren't distributed and other church nonsense given to the kids.  It's a constant battle.
**Kerri**
The Rogue Atheist Scrapbooker
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