How do they teach religion at your chidren's state school?

[~StarBright~]

I havent got kids yet, but my experience of how i was taught religion at school was that we had "scripture Lessons" based on Christiam religion for those who wished to go and if your religion wasnt covered there (we had a few kids in my school who were JW's and some who just didnt follow religion) then those kids had to sit in the library. I was sent to scripture in early primary school and i listened to the stories and filled out the books but i was a tad unsure as i knew my friends didnt follow what was being taught and why did we have more than one thing to learn IYKWIM ,and i dont recall exactly what happened,but in about year 4 or 5 from memory we had been learning about evolution in class, and then that week our Scripture was all about adam and eve, and i got very confused!!!! I started asking questions of the teacher and basically questioning the whole set up and basically arguing that adam and eve must have been monkeys or something along those lines!! (i was about 10 i think!!! ) and long story short, i was asked to not attend the scriptures as my views and questions were making it hard for the other kids to follow the scriptures!!! I eneded up joining with the kids in the library, and ever since i have had quite strange views on religion!! LOL

I am unsure how iw ill brooch this subject when the time comes with my own children, it is something i think about, and if i have the choice, i think i will let my children be the ones who get to go to the library, and we might do some home schooling with religious views and excursions to show LOTS of varying ideas!

SB

[mrsmac]

Most schools only have scripture which is taught by outsiders once a week. Usually they have Catholic and protestant but different schools may ahve others as well, our school has Bahai, and another school had a jewish class- it depends on the school and their different needs and availiability of someone to teach.
My DD in Year 3 is studying people and their beliefs so they are learning about all the major religions as part of HSIE (Social studies)
Basically, public schools don't teach religion as such.

[Pandora]

i didnt realise government schools had any sort of RE.
If I chose to send DS to a state school he would not go to RE clases unless it covered different religions, not just one - if I wanted that I'd send him to a religios school.

[Bathsheba]

Hi, I know you specified public schools but I thought I'd mention that even if you send your child to a private school of a particular denomination they still may teach about all religions. My DD has attended 2 Anglican schools and both have taught about all the world's major religions. I think this is great We attend a Uniting Church (Christian) on Sundays and even there the minister teaches a little about other religions... he tells the congregation about significant religious days for Jewish, Buddist faiths each on a regular basis. I think this is really important. It really fosters tolerance and understanding.

[Heaven]

I went to an Anglican Private school. We had prayer in homeroom and prayers and hymns during assembly but in religion class we learnt about all the major religions of the world.

[Bathsheba]

That sounds similar to what my DD has SJ. I think it's great. When I was a child in the 1970's public schools where I lived still taught some prayers like the Lord's Prayer (Our Father who art in Heaven...) and a little prayer of grace said before eating (Thank you God for the food we eat...) I still remember them to this day. Things you learn as a child really stick hey? In times of stress I sometimes say the Lord's Prayer to myself... it helps to calm me down. I hope that my children will learn a few off by heart too.

[Heaven]

I really liked it too. And I'm like you, still remember them by heart. I often say the lords prayer.