I find it hard to feel too sorry for the poor humanists. The reality is that the whole school curriculum is based on a secularist/humanist world view. Even 'comparative beliefs' or 'study of Christian values' fundamentally assume the humanist/secular point of view that religion is simply an interesting cultural phenomena.

Special RI is the only half hour of the week that in some way presents a world view where God is a reality. It is highly ironic that a group claiming to represent democracy and open inquiry into the world is so dogmatic about the need to remove this small opportunity for children to understand why the majority of people in the world choose to believe in God and have the opportunity to make up their own minds.

Some peopple just don't get it. After 50 or 60 years of humanist secular values being taught people have voted with their feet and are flocking to Private schools and it is not for the religous beliefs. It is because secular humanism ends with two homosexual men replacing a mother and a father in society. Secular humanist values ends with thousands of murdered unborn babies and a warped set of 'religous beliefs'. Secular humanism which basically teaches man is his own god produces the most selfish society where people demand their rights to take drugs, watch pornography and don't give a damn what happens to society. We see the results of secular humanisn in our indigenous communities today. Why allow this poison to be taught in a more open way. It is already modelled through the secular education system.

APR,

Geez its a bit early in the morning to be on the turps mate.

Most of the world does not 'choose' to follow god, Religion has been instilled in them through parents, culture and in many cases, necessity.

Religion is a method of controlling the masses and for explaining what we cant scientifically.

Fair Dinkum, if we stop religion, the irony is that the world would be a better, safer place.

The human race has evolved so that regardless if there was a higher power out there (and i am not disputing it) an organised religion based on old beliefs and differing philosophies is most likely off the track for what is truly out there.

There are thousands of religions out there, theoretically the best case scenario for religion would be that 1 religion is spot on and the rest are way off track. So that makes you ask the question, just because we where brought up in a particular sect or religion, does this make it the right one?

Its worse than picking the Melbourne Cup, 1 in a thousand chance, and the irony also is that you go to hell for following the false ones.

Id rather abstain than run the gauntlet myself, and this is assuming that one religion actually got it right, which is not likely anyway.

If we left it out of schools and allowed religion to be a personal choice, we would be more politically correct and we would be better off as a new age nation.

The first two posts remind me (if I needed reminding) of why I'm a militant atheist. Maybe there should be more teaching about religion in schools - so students can find out what it's really like.

Btw, why not have astrology or witchcraft as part of religious education? There's already Christianity which isn't much different apart from the costumes.

Must say that this whole milieu of teddy (god) worship looks depraved and idiotic to most freethinkers. It should be kept out of school education full stop.

Religious indoctrination where finagling is endemic, is the logical use of fear among other things, as a very powerful inducement used on captive young minds. There is no thought of reason, free inquiry, dignity, participatory democracy, in this systematic manipulation. The end product of this process is simply one of damaged goods rather than the true achievement of human potential.

Data correlations show that in almost all regards the highly secular democracies consistently enjoy low rates of societal dysfunction, while pro-religious and anti-evolution countries including the US of A, performs poorly. In all secular developing democracies a centuries long-term trend has seen homicide rates drop to historical lows.

Surely we can progress from the notion that you only do what's right because someone bigger than you will slap you around if you don't.

realist,
just to try and keep this discussion on the subject of the article - I'm wondering how half an hour of religious instruction a week in any way takes away from personal choice. In my mind it enhances choice by allowing students to be presented with a different world view, which is not presented in any other part of the curriculum.

DavidJS - I think you confirm the point of my original post perfectly. Getting rid of RI is not about any kind of freedom, it's about militant, dogmatic, fundamentalist, ideological, totalitarian atheism.

If Religion is as useless as you guys make out - why so much fear about a half hour presentation a week!