Holy places - church/synagogues/mosques

[exstream]

Let's say a child asked to go to church, do you let them/go with them?
Would it be better if children weren't allowed in holy places until the age of 18 at which point most people will believe in science and eventually eliminating religion as we know it?
Should children have it drilled into them that religion is real etc

[DungBeetle]

Don't think they should have it drilled into them that religion is real but I'm happy to look at churches etc as buildings of beauty.  Happy for my kid to go in.

[teddybloat]

Churches are often beautiful buildings.

The king James bible has some wonderful passages, and contains stories from which many cultural threads are pulled across music, art, film, television, literature  - be it high brow or low brow.

You don't need to ban children. Religion is on the wane because it uses ancient dogma to solve current scientific, philosophical and moral questions. It's artifice lacks the agility to satisfy people, except for the most gullible and pliant minds.

I wouldn't drill anything into a child.

[Doobs]

My niece goes to church so she can get in the local church school, and my mother also goes.  My daughters don't when at home.  My kids have been invited to church a few times when I have gone home and I have let them go.  It makes my mum happy and I don't see any real harm.  I don't think religion is so powerful that one visit to a church is going to mean they are going to be stuck believing the World was created in 6 days for the rest of their lives.  I prefer that they use their intelligence to decide where they go with their life.

Even if I hadn't taken them to church, they are going to come across God through friends and school.  Again I don't see much harm in it and am happy to answer questions.  I'd rather she kept her friends she has rather than forcing her to choose from only those that share my beliefs. 

When my father died last year, my eldest told me that he had gone to heaven and told me he was sat on a star watching over us.  Not sure where that fits in with any specific religion, but it seemed to give her comfort, and also made me feel a bit better. 

[exstream]

All for children going at xmas and to visit
But to go every Sunday and all with their parents etc, meh

[bagel]

All for children going at xmas and to visit
But to go every Sunday and all with their parents etc, meh

quite close to home for  me and my family, am  interested in peoples views on this.

personally i think most of it is a load of bollocks.


glad you think its ok for kids to visit and "do xmas"

next they will be visiting the local mosque.

god forbid.

meh.

[exstream]

You make a good point bagel
I'm drunk
Ban them all before 18, irrelevant of occasion

[The Camel]

My niece goes to church so she can get in the local church school, and my mother also goes.  My daughters don't when at home.  My kids have been invited to church a few times when I have gone home and I have let them go.  It makes my mum happy and I don't see any real harm.  I don't think religion is so powerful that one visit to a church is going to mean they are going to be stuck believing the World was created in 6 days for the rest of their lives.  I prefer that they use their intelligence to decide where they go with their life.

Even if I hadn't taken them to church, they are going to come across God through friends and school.  Again I don't see much harm in it and am happy to answer questions.  I'd rather she kept her friends she has rather than forcing her to choose from only those that share my beliefs. 

When my father died last year, my eldest told me that he had gone to heaven and told me he was sat on a star watching over us.  Not sure where that fits in with any specific religion, but it seemed to give her comfort, and also made me feel a bit better. 

That's really quite sweet and moving, but isn't that sort of thing how religions suck people in?

We are all scared of dying and we don't want to that to be the end of our story.

Religion pops up with a convenient answer that if you behave in a certain way while living, you'll be set up for eternity in Paradise.

If hoping that's true lets religious sorts get through the day, let them crack on with it.

But I'd rather tell Jake how it really is and to cherish every moment on this planet for its own sake, not in the hopes of going to a better place afterwards.

As Doug Stanhope wisely said, "If you honestly think you'll be going to a better place when you die, why are you wearing a seatbelt?"

[Ransom]

On the subject of kids and churches/religion -

I have strong memories in primary school of singing hours and hours of hymns, having to pray before lunch and having the local Christian Am/Dram group come in for assembly and do little plays. Outside of that, my primary school wasn't affiliated with any Church or religion outside of the yearly Nativity at St Andrews Church down the hill. Always seemed a bit odd to me that there would be so much of these small Christian things every day, but nothing else. Could just be tradition mind.

Are schools still doing that? This was from 1994-2001, and I assume has been happening way before that, but my friends with children in Primary school now say that there's none of it.

TBH kids need to have their local Christian group come in, start doing a play about football that quickly turns into some sort of religious and moral quandary topped off with a rousing rendition of a hymn with the words projected onto the wall by a 30 year old overhead projector. Not for the religious message, but to teach them not to get their hopes up about anything. The amount of times I thought I'd gotten an hour off lessons only to be 30 minutes in to another never ending fable.

[Marky147]

Sunday School was ace when I was a kid... Well, it was until we got caught nicking the sweets after service one Sunday morning 

[Cf]

Most churches are pokestops or gyms so hard to keep away.

[AdamM]

I would be in favour of banning ALL religious education at primary level, then introducing it at secondary level, but strictly taught from a secular persoective.

The Tories are talking about not only expanding selective grammars, but also having more faith schools. They need wiping out entirely.

[Doobs]

My niece goes to church so she can get in the local church school, and my mother also goes.  My daughters don't when at home.  My kids have been invited to church a few times when I have gone home and I have let them go.  It makes my mum happy and I don't see any real harm.  I don't think religion is so powerful that one visit to a church is going to mean they are going to be stuck believing the World was created in 6 days for the rest of their lives.  I prefer that they use their intelligence to decide where they go with their life.

Even if I hadn't taken them to church, they are going to come across God through friends and school.  Again I don't see much harm in it and am happy to answer questions.  I'd rather she kept her friends she has rather than forcing her to choose from only those that share my beliefs. 

When my father died last year, my eldest told me that he had gone to heaven and told me he was sat on a star watching over us.  Not sure where that fits in with any specific religion, but it seemed to give her comfort, and also made me feel a bit better. 

That's really quite sweet and moving, but isn't that sort of thing how religions suck people in?

We are all scared of dying and we don't want to that to be the end of our story.

Religion pops up with a convenient answer that if you behave in a certain way while living, you'll be set up for eternity in Paradise.

If hoping that's true lets religious sorts get through the day, let them crack on with it.

But I'd rather tell Jake how it really is and to cherish every moment on this planet for its own sake, not in the hopes of going to a better place afterwards.

As Doug Stanhope wisely said, "If you honestly think you'll be going to a better place when you die, why are you wearing a seatbelt?"

She is 8.   Better to just let it slide a couple of days after her grandfather's death.  Might be different now.  She already understands evolution and the planets go round the sun.  She is going to work the rest out soon enough.

I don't really have an issue with my mother's religion.  I have the odd discussion, but if it brings her and her friends together and they get comfort from it, then it isn't a bad thing.  I can't see any of them going off and starting jihad any time soon.

Faith schools are an interesting topic.  Should go the way of grammar schools in my view.  My daughter's school is just a standard one where they don't particularly push religion (they had a christmas assembly, but it wasn't religious).  

[AdamM]

The problem we have with faith schools is, they're quite hard to get into, so a lot of the kids there have parent who put a great deal of effort into getting them in there. They will also be the sort of parent who puts a lot of time into helping with homework and extra tuition. So the kids, and by extension the schools do well.

Then people from a distance look at faith school's results and say "they must be a good thing, look at the results."

Silly business.

[Doobs]

The problem we have with faith schools is, they're quite hard to get into, so a lot of the kids there have parent who put a great deal of effort into getting them in there. They will also be the sort of parent who puts a lot of time into helping with homework and extra tuition. So the kids, and by extension the schools do well.

Then people from a distance look at faith school's results and say "they must be a good thing, look at the results."

Silly business.

Pretty much the same with grammars.  One of the relatives on my wife's side sent her kids to a private primary school, which gave them a big advantage when it came to the 11+.  Apparently this is really common behavior.  I am not sure what perecentage of Kent's grammar schools are filled with those that were privately educated, but suspect it is a lot higher than it should be.

Faith schools are also bad as they separate communities too, which is a terrible thing.  I accept that some schools will always be predominantly christian or muslim, but specifically separating the communities, effectively, by racial background is not going to build a more cohesive society.  Of course not all splits are on race lines, but I wouldn't be happy with any other religious school either.