The first of these are opening, and what is interesting is that in order to teach, you don’t have to have any kind of teaching qualification. Let’s see how OFSTED handle them when their time for inspection comes around.

The other thing of interest is that Free Schools are being set up by faith groups. So you’ll get some whacky forms of various god botherers teaching very odd stuff. Say “hello” to creationism being taught in schools as part of the science lessons.

This did get me thinking, if faiths can set up Free Schools, what about atheists? Or at the very least people who really can’t be bothered with doing religion in schools. For example, schools are supposed to have a daily act of worship. However, what if you don’t want your child to partake in this? Well, they don’t HAVE to go, but more often or not, they do.

Then this news article popped up today:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14794472

Clearly a majority of parents are not that bothered. I would say that focussing on the community as a whole is more important than praying to an imaginary friend, and when you strip away the religion part of churches, mosques, synagogues, etc. they can provide a form of community support if run properly.

I don't see why it should be enforced.

I'm all for them to hold general assemblies and preach ethics and morality, but wrapping it up as some kind of deity worship is unnecessary.

Religion, morales and ethics should be taught and explored through a mandatory religious and social education lesson, even if your an atheist. It is important that people have an understanding of everyone's special friends, even if you think they are daft/deluded or dangerous heretics that need to burnt at the stake.

TBH I find it disgraceful that children are fed any sort of collective worship [LIFTED] from the state education system.

I see no valid reason, at all, for state schools and state money being used to promote "worship".

If you want your child exposed to that [LIFTED], do it on your own time.

Surely if you want your children exposing at, Catholic schools are still the leaders in that field?

As far as I can tell, the traditional 'worship' times at school contain little or no worship by any theological definition I know of. It would be great to see them drop the pretence and just focus on education about religion/ethics etc.

Sine the vast majority of the population are secular it is wrong to impose religion on us.

What about satanism? Should sacrifices be a part of biology and deflowering virgins homework?

I went to a CofE school, one would expect that sort of thing done there. I know non-CofE schools in my area didn't do any sort of worship. For us, worship was "say the prayer at the end of assembly, unless you don't want to then please just sit there quietly", there were readings from the Bible, but they weren't offensive, and served the same purpose as many children's books, to have a story with some sort of morel at the end...Oh, there was also Easter and Christmas trips to the local Church, but if your parents asked the school to not take you then you were left to get on with other work in a classroom.

I don't think religion should be thrust on anyone, however, I think it's incredibly important to understand that some people do believe in it and take offence at what some people say against it (these people often being the type who don't shout about it).

I agree

Although an atheist I have no problem with moderate religeon being taught

There are quite a few hymes I know off by heart - they are good tunes and its useful to know some for the weddings / funerals that one will attend over ones life

Indeed, though this raises and interesting point, why do atheists have weddings/funerals in churches? My cousin got married in a church last Saturday and neither of them are Christians, and the service was very heavily religious...

Its because they want the "perfect day" and don't mind or realise the rampant hypocrisy in their actions.
My glorious other half all ready knew that it would have been a cold day in hell before I would get married in a church even before I proposed. So when I did, we went straight to the registry office to book the ceremony there.

I went to a humanist wedding. It was like someone had gone through a CofE wedding service and had tippexed the word “god” out of the text. I found that more hypocritical than if they had gone to a church and done it there. At least then they would be getting a “genuine” service with some historical grounding, not some watered down mash-up.

I guess it comes down to whether your atheism is just a fact of non belief, or something approaching a pseudo religion. Some atheists take it much more seriously than others (just like any other religion).

I was married in a church. I did admit to the vicar that it was simply because the 700 year old church made a lovely venue, and that it would go easier on my mum, if we married in a church. He was refreshingly pragmatic, and commented that we had just paid £400 for the privilege.

The Humanist funeral I attended was very uplifting. None of the dried out, tired, mumbling, half remembered hymns and pointless references to the almighty.

It was a celebration of my Uncle's life and achievements. He was a very popular man, and the place was packed, yet there were very few tears. Some people left the cermony actually smiling in remembrance, it was incredible.

My sister found a lovely church venue and she and her partner had to 'worship' there for two months before the wedding. She hasn't been back since.