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I was talking to my father today and he suggested a very interesting idea. Knowing he was an atheist and had been for all his life I asked him why he had sent his children (me and my sister) to a catholic school. He told me that he wanted to give his us all the opportunities we could have regarding the church. And that by the end of our education we would choose how much, if any of it we wanted to take or leave. He said some people need the church to different degrees and others don't need it at all. He thought that to keep us isolated from the church was just ignorant. Worship of a higher being/s is something innate in mankind worldwide, so you can hardly pretend religion doesn't exist. He said that to do so would be as ignorant as hardcore religious types who see all atheists as hollow shells or lost souls or evil.

I had always been against the idea of religious schools as I thought it would just churn out one religious drone after another. But who knows? Here I am, after 13 years of catholic education and I'm an atheist because I believe it is the right choice for me after considering the other options. So is my sister, although I can hardly speak for her regarding her beliefs. Given all this, is it so bad to send your child to a religious school (even in spite of your own beliefs)? I mean, it worked for me. Not because I'm an atheist, but because I chose to be one out of my own logic. So, what do you think? Would you send your child to a religious school?

In my opinion:

No way in Hell. My kids can have all their beliefs through life, I won't deny them be influenced by religions, but I will not send them to a religious school.
Don't like the uniforms....
But honestly, I've had BAAAAAAAAAAAD experiences with those...."institutions".....never.....

christianity is a subject in school from 1st to 10th grade and they get plenty input about chrisitan stuff there

Whoa, that seems strange. I've never heard of anything like that over here. As far as I know our public schools are 100% religious teaching free. Is it a compulsory subject?

Absolutely! I went to a 'normal' (for want of a better word) school and I made my choices based on everything I was taught, and also the way I have been brought up. I chose to be atheist, not because I am ignorant but because that's simply the way I feel. Neither of my parents tried to drum their beliefs into me, to be honest I think my dad's disinterested anyway, but the point is I didn't make my decision without knowing facts, and it wasn't overnight either. I actually opted to take Religious Education through Yrs 10 & 11, having been offered the chance to drop it in favour of another Humanities subject. My reason being that although I myself do not follow a specific religion, I am very interested in the way other people lead their lives and what they believe. I know culture is very important, and I don't want to be ignorant. As for sending my children to religious schools or not, well, if my children went to a school anything like mine I'd be more than happy.

Parents can get their kids out of chrisitanity classes those who are taken out of them have ohter subjects like lifestyles and the likes, same goes for people of a different religion than the state religion of Norway (evangleic lutheren Protestants).
So I had it as a subject and of course I drew it, of all things, as a bi part of the finals. The options were geography, history, chrisitanity and biology and Science. The rest of the finals consisted of the obligatory Math, Norwegian(grammer and essays and stuff), English(same thing as with Norwegian). And lucky me I drew christianity to supply

Do you think that in the present climate, machinations which (in practise) promote racial separation are good things?

I think it worked cleverly at my school. I had the option of choosing between History, Sociology, Religion and Geography for my options at the end of Yr 9 . We were allowed to choose more than one, but at least one had to be chosen. The curriculum for religion covered mostly Christianity throughout the start of my education, but as I got older we began to cover more morality issues and worldly ethics. In Yrs 10/11 we delved very deeply into the Moral and Ethical side of it. I really enjoyed that aspect.

Further study on religions can be taken after you finish the mandatory 10 grades. Its not like you choose religion it just seem to follow you like a bad habbit. I took marketing and for some odd reason besides marketing and economics we had religion.....go figure

Had I continued into higher education I will admit that religion wouldn't have been one of my options.

Ethics...I'm taking that right now!

I myself am an atheist, but I would never press my beliefs (or lack of) on my children. I was lucky that my parents allowed me to make my own decisions about religion and I'd like to someday do the same for my own children. BUT in the US it's basically either you go to a religious school or you go to a public school. So, I really don't know.

It seems a real shame to me that they've been segregated that way

I'm more grateful now for the fact that I've had such flexibility with my choices, and I want my children to have the same breathing space, if not more so.

I'm a fan of seperation of church and state...but at most schools in the US (that I know of, anyway), the only way you learn anything about other religions is in a world history class. I don't like being taught religion, but learning ABOUT other ones I think is cool.

After my ethics class ends I may take Philosophy of World Religions I think it'd be a very interesting class, learning about other religions and why they think the way they do.

Same here -- my family is Catholic and that is how I was raised, but it was never really forced on me. When I realized that it wasn't for me and over time came to the decision that I'm an atheist, my mom was cool with it, and I really appreciate the fact that she accepted it and didn't force me to go to church or anything. She just wanted myself and my brother and sister to be able to have an opportunity to decide for ourselves what our beliefs are.

I agree with the separation of church and state, but I really appreciated being able to learn about religion in my school. I am so glad now that I am not ignorant, as some of my friends are through no fault of their own.



That's the aspect that I really loved. Learning about other cultures, the way people live their lives, and also having the opportunity, should I want it, to follow a religion I wouldn't even have known about were it not for my school teachings.



I'm glad that you mom reacted the way she did, there's no worse guilt trip for youngsters making life decisions than parents leaning on them and pressurising them to believe certain things.

no way...ill let my children find their own path in life without having people like me forcing ideals into them.

Hmm, coming from Australia we have a good education system, Religious schools, private and government. Often though the private schools are also highly religious, and of course we have scripture classes in public schools. Personally religion, when coming to education, is not the most important thing. I would not wish to force my children (when I get some heh) to believe as I did, it should be their choice, but if the local Catholic school had the best education, well I would send them there probably, just as I would consider the benefits of a non-religious school.

Seriously, I think that i might want to put my child into a religious school. But i'm not 100% sure. I would much rather home school her. To keep her away from the guns, drugs, sex, and violence that is in our public (and sometimes private) schools.

And away from the opportunity to interact with other children, to learn social skills, life ideals and the ability to make decisions for herself?

Home schooling may sound like a good idea, but it's very hard to make friends when you don't get to go to school and meet people. Yeah, school can suck and the big wide world isn't always a safe place, but you can't shelter your children forever.

you cant hold them back forever...theyll eventually have to interact with this kind of stuff....its inevitable...

I was homeschooled Sy, i know what they do and don't have. Homeschooling has MANY groups of kids that meet up and do activities, goes places, etc. I mean I've been Homeschooled, in public school, and private. and out of the three, homeschooling was the best. But like i said, i'm not sure. I may send her to a private or religious school.

Hell no.

I didn't mean that offensively Ash, far from it. I guess because I live in good ol' Britain, I cannot comprehend even half the horrors your young generation has to go through even to graduate. From the sound of it, you want only the best for your children, as and when you have them.

Care to elaborate?

Short, sweet, and to the point. I like that

Mika is all i got and yes, i do want the best for her. But like i said i'm not entirely sure yet.

Understood

Sending my kid to school will get get them enough bullshit agendas shoved down their throat, I don't need a catholic school brainwashing them into believing their religion too.

There's going to be a large enough number of Christians and Catholics in public schools that will probably influence a child in deciding what they end up believing in. I want them to make up their own mind and believe in what they want. I DON'T want my child believing it because all the kids and teachers around them influenced my child.

Elaborated

My thoughts exactly, or close enough anyway. Propaganda? There's enough other bull to worry about.

I was going to Catholic high school and I'm not catholic. I think it was good school. good friends and also quite good teachers.
yes I would send my children there because I think that the atmosphere on this kind of school is friendly...
and children should know God aqnd doesn't matter through which religion...

yeah but like another member said. They talk about God in the 1st- 10th grade.

Yes, but you are not constantly surrounded by people who believe heavily in the faith from 1st-10th grade. I have no problem with school teaching religion to my kids, I want them to be educated about it, but I want them to make up their own mind, and not believe in something because everyone around this pressures them to believe in something.

yeah, i can agree with that

Not if I can help it!

I just hope that wherever I eventually choose to send my kids ends up having a decent balance in the curriculum. I'll be happy with that.

yes but i'd rather them be more mature and responsible. I'd rather her know what drugs, drinking, smoking, and violence can do to you before she thinks "Well what's one puff?"
One puff could end her life.

Quite so, it's difficult for parents to win in that sphere.

yeah well i'll be the few that does. even if i have to tie her to the bed and not allow her to leave. She'll hate me but she'll be safe

It's difficult, I have much experience of the nastier aspects of life, mostly off my own back. Therefore I would strive to keep my child away from it. But I think that suffocation when I was young played a big part in what I eventually came to experience.

Okay well let me put it this way. If i find out that she starts drinking (even once) before she's 21. She's getting her ass beaten. If she EVER smoke or does drugs, i'm beating her ass. I will not allow her to make the same mistakes i did.

It's probably easier if she doesn't live somewhere grim like North England.

It's really hard for me to disagree with you Ash, because I have pretty much the same life experience as you. But I don't think I would beat on my child for making the same mistakes I did, it'd be way too hypocritical. I'd ensure they know the dangers, graphically if necessary, but in essence they must make their own mistakes. There's only so much protection a parent can offer

I will fully educate my daughter about the dangers of drugs, smoking, etc. You see a mistake is something you do on accident. Not intentionally trying to hurt someone. If she lights a cigarette or snorts some coke up her noes after i TOLD her what happens. It's not a mistake and she deserves to be punished.

True. I suppose my parents never did educate me completely about the dangers, so mine were mostly mistakes. I knew the deal, but I still hadn't had the experience of seeing someone OD, or die of cancer. I have now.

exactly. And there is noway in hell im allowing that to happen to Mika.

I guess not. Ok, I'm moved. I don't have any children Ash, and obviously I know about Mika. Do what you have to do hun.

ok thanks girl. Luv ya hug

you are a parent...not a god.

That doesn't matter. She's MY daughter and she'll do what i tell her.

Duo, you have no right to comment here. You don't know Ash and you don't know Mika. Therefore you have no comprehension of the trauma that occured already. So shut it.

i can already see many things wrong with that.

there is nothing wrong with that! Are you a parent! No! I'm a mother. I know what needs to be done! I love her more than life itself and i will not let anyone or anything harm her.

the more you punish her or tell her whats right and wrong there will be an increased chance that she will
A:become submissively weak and pathetic
or B: rebel against you in her teen years

just let them find their own way in life.

I'm A.....

Ugh, that will work when she's young, however when she gets old enough to start thinking for herself don't expect that to fly. If anything that kind of mentality will only make her want to do things to disobey you.

(trancedou) You have no right telling me how to raise MY child. Unless you have one that is 17+ , can it.

...Duo, EVERYONE rebels against their parents as a teen, regardless of whether or not their parents are strict or not. Hell, even I did, to some extent.

wow you seem to be in some deep denial about human psychology.

I did not. My parents were always fair and understanding, I never felt them to be people I needed to rebel against. They allowed me to do what I wanted as long as it was within reason and never tried to rule over me with an iron fist.

I did

Guys, chill, we all do it differently because with respect, regardless of age, we are all still learning. Do it the way you think best, instincts are after all, still strong in us.

Wow, I think you're the first, BF.

I got over the teen-rebellion stage pretty fast myself, it lasted a whole week when I was about 15.

Laters all hug

i have to agree, as a parent you have to provide your child with the appropriate warnings and education on the subject and then rationalize with them when it comes to doing drugs. If they want to do it, beating them isn't going to make them stop, it's going to make them do it more because they will find it easier to become dependent upon.

Having a healthy relationship with your child is probably the most important parenting tool in the world. If you get along with her well enough to know she wouldn't lie to you...then things like drugs will be easier to talk about.

Indeed.

GRR, that's what I've been trying to say. But I do think it depends on the person in question.

i agree, but, say that after she's been told about the dangers of drugs and i was "reasonable" (since obviously im not), she went behind my back and did it. You're going to tell me that as a parent it would be wrong of me to punish her?

Of course not, but there are other forms of punishment other then beating them.

Precisely. I can't say that I have the best relationship with my mother, and my father is non-existant in my life...but I do get on well enough with my mom. I've seen all the mistakes that she's made in her life and I'm determined to not make any of them. Which is why I don't drink or smoke or do drugs or any of that.

yes then you can punish them...but only verbally and materialistically...the physically is only effective(and legal for that matter) when they are young

When i say beating that doesn't mean i'm going to beat her until she's black and blue! That just mean a smack on the butt or some kind of punishment.

Again, do you think that will actually deter them from doing drugs? Physical punishment has been proven to only enhance their rebellious feelings towards their parents.

you dont have much of an imagination do you?

Look, I've done drugs, smoked, i drink. And it's screwed up my life. I will do whatever it takes to make sure she doesn't do what i did.

well dont go too far now...

this was knocked off topic pretty badly.

I'd send my kids to a relegious school. Ive always gone to a Catholic school, and my dad went to one also. I like them better than public schools. They are for the most part safer, and typicly have less violence and drugs. They also (expecially where i used to live) have higher grade point averages and SAT test scores. In alabama where i lived, my school, which was a catholic one, its SAT score average was somewhere in the 80s, the public school 10 miles down the road, its average was in the 40s.

Yeah, I know what you mean Nazgulinthedark. My parents sent me to a catholic school, although their main reason for doing so was that they believed that school was better than other schools (public or private) in our area. Mainly because it was smaller, from grades prep to 6 I don't think we ever had more than 120 people at the school in total. The whole Christian values thing was just a bonus I guess.

Not a philosophical debaite, so moving to General Discussion.

I would, a religious elementary school, once they're old enough, they could make their own decision about high school

The thing to bear in mind if you are planning on sending your kids to a religious or even segregated school - is that ...

In my experience the best thing about them is that when a girl thats been to catholic school her whole life gets rebellious, they go waaaay off the tracks. Some of the wildest dirtiest women it's ever been my delight to know were from religious schools, they are like whore - factories!

Send your daughters to catholic school - horny boys the world over will thank you for it.

I go to catholic school

well considering I went to Catholic schools my entire life including an all girls catholic high school your observation is a bit twisted. Think we had a total of TWO whores in our entire class pal.

to answer the question, I think this is a personal preference, in my case YES my children attended and the little one WILL attend catholic high school. Not only for the religion but mainly because this school is far ahead of the public school academically. The average ACT score is 28 and the yearly scholarship from the better 4 year colleges in the nation is astounding.

Hahaha.

And also ST above since you too were offended.

It's not an all-or-nothing observation, it's not a science experiment. All I said was when someone who has been repressed goes off the rails - watch out!

Not ALL girls who go to catholic school go off the rails (obviously - look at you two pious ladies of good repute) all I'm saying is that the ones Ive met were crazy with a capital F.

And lets face it: i attract the slutty chicks like bees to honey so my take on this is very skewed.

however - all this blather aside doesnt alter the fact that i called catholic schools whore-factories. Damn.

"And lets face it: i attract the slutty chicks like bees to honey so my take on this is very skewed"

You must give me your strategy.

No strategy required. I sold my soul to satan.

Blast. What's his phone number?

001 666 666 666. Duh!

......Well now....don't I feel stupid.

I have a few friends that told me about all the 'Fun' they had at Catholic school. They had more action in school then I had the first year I was married. Grant this is a bunch of guys talking. Even if you take out the exaggerating, it boggles the mind.

Not to come over all right-to-life or anything - but I'm not sure if same-sex action counts?

Hmmmm it was a coed school. I am pretty sure they were with the opposite sex. You never can tell though....

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
hysterical you are killing me

I would send them to a religious school, because they have better educational system then public schools. Though, if there were non-religious private schools that I knew of here in Canada, I'd send my kids to them.

Better to let kids make up their own minds rather than force your ideas on them, after all, if they're going to go their own way if they want to.
Regardless of what their parents think.....

Awesome, but crazy with a capital F? Excuse my slowness

i wouldnt send them only because what they learn would have a warped christian/catholic twist to everything. There's nothing wrong with public schools.

In the UK there is everything wrong with state schools

Crazy with a capital "C" makes sense. Crazy with a capital "F" is crazy. See where I'm going?

I can see why you'd send your child to a religous school. But I don't think I would.

There's no chance in hell I would ever allow my child to go to a religious school.

1.) I hate religion...it's utter bullsh!t to have a pre-determined set of beliefs.
2.) Wearing uniforms hinders your child's ability to set themselves apart from their friends, and i personally feel it directly affects their personality.
3.) I think drugs are MORE rampant in private schools, because they types of people who go to private schools, have parents who are rich enough to send them their, and because they feel they can slack off because their parents will guide their way through life.
4.) I think my kid will be less responisble, and MORE prone to drug addiction at a private school than a public school.

Generally speaking, those who have recieved a private school education....feel they are somehow better than those that haven't...and that's garbage.

if the education is better there than other schools in my area then i would think about it defenatly why not IMO

Depends on the mother of the child/children.

I went to a Catholic High School, wore the uniform, and all of that jazz that Link was nice enough to bash.

True, the drug situation was terrible at my high school. If you wanted it, I could get it for you.

It moreso depends on the child. I would not want to send them to a uniform prep elementary school, because that does hinder their ability to develope a personality in some retrospect. However, uniforms at the high school level eliminates the competition and hassle of assembling a waredrobe. There is always out-of-uniform days, too. Being outstanding and unique does not have to revolve around the waredrobe.

Back to my point... it does really depend on the child. If they want public school education, that is their choice. You can choose that for a high school, by all means. The religion is more a moral guideline, and you can get that from anywhere. It is just easier to get it from the "good book."

I could not do that to my unborn child that is just mean....and they also got to wear uniforms, I want my unborn child to be stylish not a LOG

Most schools in the UK are religious. Infact I dont know any that arent. Maybe thats just my area. They dont force it down your throat or anything but state schools are usually C of E (Church of England) or something. All it means is you have to go to church once a year for the christmas service

Or if I did not like the relion schools around here I would home school then.As a kid I went to a jewish center for Pre-K and then my mom took me out and send me to pulic school
So I been at Public school since then.If it was a relionish school I would send them to either a jewish or Cathloic school if my husband argees with me.
But when highschool or middleschool comes around and my child is having a hard time at it I am going to home school her or him myself.JM

No I wouldn't one clear simple reason....I dont trust sex starved nuns and chaplins......

Haha.

Seriously though, if I had children there would be no way i would send them to a religious school. They are meant to be forced to go to school to get a good education. Their religious beliefs are their own buissness and should not be forced upon them. Let them believe what they are comfortable with.

THe governments would save so much money if they scrapped seperate schools. You go to school to learn academically. If you want to learn about religion you go to church.

No religious school. They should be able to choose for themselves. This day and age they have that freedom and who am I to take it away?

Yeah, I would. I'm not Christian but I would rather have my hypothetic kids go to a Christian school then the school that I go to. If I had the money I'd be going to one myself. I don't care about religion or beliefs, since when do kids get their beliefs from their teachers at school? I heard that kids get most of their beliefs from their home life. I took a class in 9th grade in NC called Bible study, and it wasn't half bad. I learned a lot about Christianity which I had no previous experience with, and my teacher was pretty fair in the fact that he didn't force Christianity or religion on anybody and we weren't there to learn about the Bible like it was history but instead a piece of literature. But unless they make some serious improvements in the Florida public schools, Christian Private Schools sound like a good option to me. Of course I would first try to find a good school that wasn't religiously biased, it seems like all the good schools are either Christian academies or a school of the arts (around here at least).

As far as drugs in Christian schools goes, I have never heard that, but it doesn't really surprise me. But guess what, it's the same way with public schools. Drugs are rampant in schools period. Maybe more rampant in some than in others, but public schools have a lot of gang violence, teen pregnancy, and not to mention terrible teachers. Two of my teachers last year just stopped showing up for a few weeks out of no where. And the school never even sent a sub for one of them. They just had an administrator come in everyday and make everyone who was there sign a paper for attendance. I'm not so closed minded that I won't recognize that Christian schools are better just because I don't agree with their philosophies.