[England] Prayer in church of England schools?

Hi Jacob. This is my big bugbear. I was raised by atheist parents but went to a church of England school where my teacher told me that God was real and I believed her because she was a teacher. I read the bible and became a Christian and had myself baptised etc. My parents wanted me to make my own choices but it was a bad decision. I got so scared that my parents would go to Hell and also about floods and plagues etc. It was because I read the bible so much. I got quite mentally ill over it. I became atheist in my late teens/early twenties. I decided to allow my daughter to go to RE and assemblies but when she came home in tears after the great flood stories saying 'Couldn't the mummies swim and stop the children from drowning?' I took her out and educated her at home at about all 6 of the major religions and also about atheism and secular Humanism. She decided that she was a Humanist even tho I tried not to influence her - think it was the number of different religions she was introduced to which made her feel none of them could be true. She still goes to assemblies again now and is forced to pretend to pray - the headteacher said that children could think their own thoughts but must bow their heads and clasp their hands - she does not want to protest this and I don't want to make my fight her fight. I have serious concerns about children being taught that God kills children and tortures people for eternity but that he should be worshipped anyway. I am morally opposed to christianity for this reason and do not feel it is an acceptable message to send children. I campaign against this with the British Humanist Association. Get involved? http://www.humanism.org.uk/campaigns/religion-and-schools

I'm atheist but I was ex-Muslim and I feel the same because I had to grow up going to Saturday classes in mosques. Children are being indoctrinated into religion at a young age and it's not right. Richard Dawkins puts it very well, if we were to say that child is a Labour child, or that child is a Liberal Democrat child, we would think they were mad. But Christian child or Jew child is an acceptable term! Children should be given all the facts and be allowed to make their own choices about religion when they grow up, but that will never happen.

I'm atheist but I was ex-Muslim and I feel the same because I had to grow up going to Saturday classes in mosques. Children are being indoctrinated into religion at a young age and it's not right. Richard Dawkins puts it very well, if we were to say that child is a Labour child, or that child is a Liberal Democrat child, we would think they were mad. But Christian child or Jew child is an acceptable term! Children should be given all the facts and be allowed to make their own choices about religion when they grow up, but that will never happen.

I do not think it is wrong. You are not forced to believe. If nothing is told to you about Christianity then how can you make your mind up whether to believe or not?

The school you went to is apparently owned by a religious institute and you're surprised about ideological bias? Schools owned by the government have a duty to be neutral, all others only have the duty to teach the pupils what they need to know to pass and get a diploma.

I went to a British grammar school, and unless you had a note from your parents you had to recite the Lord's Prayer every day. The fact that they had to use this level of brainwashing made me start questioning the entire thing.

I do not think it is wrong. You are not forced to believe. If nothing is told to you about Christianity then how can you make your mind up whether to believe or not?

I went to a British Atheist School, where we had to recite the Lord's Prayer backwards and sacrifice a spotless white goat every day.

hey, i agree with you. religion should not be forced upon by anyone. in canada, where i come from, we dont get forced religion. you can choose to go to a relgious school or not, but most public schools are not relgious, and indeed dont teach anything of the sort, so that other religions dont get offended. course its been a while since i been in school out there. I personally do not believe in religion, too much contradiction, i also am not an athiest. I believe we live on after death, and we are free to go and create that which we will afterwards. lots of great books like "conversations with god book 3" , or trying out "astral projection" (look it up on youtube)., makes me realize this. Unfortunately, religious people dont see the contradictions in there own teachings, and atheists are created by such. I don't think anything should be forced upon anyone. believe what you will. thats the greatness of being a Creator.