Religion should be given the same priority as "Grimm`s Fairy Tales".
Teach about it but not teach it.

The first thing we should be honest about is the myth (even lie) that there is such a thing as a commom Judeo-Christian tradition.
This point was raised last week in response to the new educational review. The work of both Arthur Cohen and Rabbi Jacob Neusner was cited to prove the point.

yep keep your head in the sand Merdith. The zoo like behaviour of children in class, the foul language, the total lack of respect, the inability to read and write, the drunkenenss,the violence, the abortions are all largely fruit of your beloved secular dogmas which lack any moral basis. No wonder so many who are not even believers are voting with their money and feet. The lame excuse the secularist always use is that its because of lack of money.

Religion should be left to parents: it’s a private matter and people other than parents have no business teaching it.

Schools need to concentrate on the 3 R’s and get back to turning out people ready for the real world of business and science. Currently, schools are not doing the job they are supposed to do, so teaching something that might or might not be a myth is a total waste of time.

Leave it to parents, ministers and the appropriate organisations (churches).

I'd like to see more evidence of these so called "Secular Values" and what their basis is within secular thought.

I also dispute the claim that "Christianity's key ideas were already familiar territory to those living two thousand years ago".

In his book "Humilitas", John Dickson shows how the unique idea of Humility has been shaped by the Cross. According to Dickson, a PHD Historian, the idea of putting others interests ahead of your own power was not a common or esteemed idea until Jesus came along

runner,
Since the days of Socrates it has been known that people who have learned how to think clearly are better citizens.

This was confirmed for 10-11year old students in Scotland in a properly conducted trial in 2001-2. Fifty plus hours of discussion of open ended questions over sixteen months resulted in CAT score increases averaging 6.5 points, compared to a matched control group. Behaviour improved substantially and communications between staff and students doubled in both directions.

The Sam Houston University, Texas, conducted another similar trial in 2012 which confirmed the Clackmannanshire, Scotland results. The Scottish trial confirmed that the benefits are long lasting and, in my view, the benefits pass to the next generation through better marriage and family-raising decisions.

Quebec has introduced a compulsory subject, Religions and Ethics, which must be doing some good. It has been opposed by the Roman Catholic Church all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court, where fortunately they again lost an appeal.

I have a question for you. Of the new findings in science how many have religious leaders supported forthrightly compared to the number they have adamantly opposed? Vaccinations for smallpox, and treatments and preventative measures for aids, come to mind.

It is the probable benefits of such religious dogma free education that alarms the Christopher Pynes of this world and others accustomed to dogmatic teaching methods.