I for one would love to see this nation burning 'holy books' -- whatever those are: it would represent a stage of enlightenment and rationality that we are, unfortunately, still far away from.

As for the risk of children picking up weird religions from learning about them, does anyone really think they can't find enough weird beliefs and cults to join on the Internet in their own time? But the appropriate response is not a course in comparative religion -- it is a course in rational thinking, which can take in ALL the various means by which humans work to delude themselves.

Courses in rational thinking? This is heresy, Jon.

How are the poor god-botherers going to get more flock if people are taught how to think, how to rely on evidence to substantiate any beliefs they hold?

Religion is like cancer. Once it takes hold it is difficult to get rid of.

Better to prevent it getting started!

Well said, Cathy Byrne.

It is time for religion to enter the modern world by critically and consciously evaluating it and its components so we can create a more honest future. Starting with the history of their genesis as fiction would be a good start.

Comparative RE is now as important, or more important than maths or English. Kids need a BS detector far more then they need one particular set of dogmas.
The *only* way multiculturalism is going to work is if the exclusive rights of religions to brain-wash kids is removed in the early vulnerable years. Parents can still push their own agendas at home, but if we are to become one nation again we need at least some common ground.
Ever since politics descended into "Culture wars" there has been a risk that we would be paralysed as a nation: Clean power or not? Public transport or US style cartopia? Population growth or sustainability? Science or faith? Can we afford a global warming style "argument" on all these important issues?
It all starts by avoiding putting kids into political corners, by teaching that there *is* a common central position.
I consider teaching only one faith child abuse as it is like a straight-jacket for the mind. It is akin to the old Chinese foot binding of girls. Teaching about all faiths, both Theist, Deist, and Atheist is the only rational approach if we are serious about multi culture. the only alternative is to pick our "state religion"...anyone apart from runner keen on that?

@Jon J, “would love to see this nation burning 'holy books'”

And this is your example of rational thinking, is it?!? You should try listening to yourself espousing an act of provocation as “rational thinking”. I find that as scary as the religious fundamentalists. Grow up! Burning books is NOT an act of rationality, but of provocation fuelled by ignorance and hate. Next you will want the burning of Mein Kampf, The Catcher in The Rye, Gulliver’s Travels and the Communist Manifesto, and any book that portrays an idea that you disagree with.

Now, you may have been having a bad day and expressed yourself differently than you meant. But the advocating of book-burning is not a rational act, but an emotional and provocative one, and historically speaking, is representative of tyranny of thinking, ignorance and fear-mongering.

Tolerance however, is the free-flow of ideas with everyone allowed to pick and choose what they wish to subscribe to. As a non-theist myself, I have no problem with theists because the average theist is no different to the average non-theist except for a singular belief.

But fundamentalist atheists are just as ignorant and dangerous as fundamentalist theists, for both espouse ignorance and intolerance.

I agree, OzAndy, we need common ground for education, and valid information, and not just as a nation, but as a world. Teaching tenets of reality of maths, language, sciences and biology are increasingly important, and these should not be over-stated or understated, nor overshadowed by wacky ideas like creationism.

What is increasingly important is critical thinking, logic, philosophy and ethics, and our education departments and schools are doing that increasingly better, so then we can position comparative religion as an exercise in cognition.

Society has generally removed "the exclusive rights of religions to brain-wash kids .. in the early vulnerable years" for all but a small proportion of the population, but we do now need to try to engage that component, too, or at least rescue most of it.