[MB.]

This has recently become a subject of interest involving a scandal at a Canadian elementary school over Arabic prayer.

http://dennismichaellynch.com/parents-f ... er-school/

Now, keeping in mind that education in Canada is conducted at the provincial level, and the reason for this is the complex religious history of Canada, specifically Quebec's unique position in the British Empire, I would like in this thread to guage people's reactions to the following ideas.

1) should public (tax payer funded) schools build or designate specific room(s) for prayer, and if so, how should all religions be accommodated?

2) should taxpayer money be spent on religious education in public schools, or not? What is your reasoning?

[The Sabbaticus]

1. No. Children should be able to attend school without the oppressive religious strictures of their familial backgrounds.
2. No. Reasoning: the school system is firmly in the hands of the 'progressive left'. Their views on Christianity and the Islamic religion can not be considered objective or unbiased in any sense of the term. 'Religious education' is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to proselytize Islam amongst children, considering the special (and preferential) treatment it receives from authorities as a putative 'minority faith'.

[The Immortal Goon]

I would also say no to both, but for sane reasons.

1. Tax funding should not go to religion at all. I realize that the Commonwealth has a different relationship with this than the United States (who, in turn, has a different relationship with it than virtually everyone but France), but privileging one religion over another, no matter how slight, will only lead to further and more aggravated problems.

I am against Reagan's utterly stupid push to allow prayer in school as the government is paying for room to pray. I am against the Faith-Based Initiative because it, ultimately, funds churches with public money. If someone wants to find a corner and pray, fair enough.

However, since most countries have decided that they are going to treat rightwingers with the dainty little hands that the crybabies demand and we allow prayer in school, and Bible clubs, and all other such clap-trap; we have to extend that to Islam. And Judaism, and Taoism, and Satanism, and whatever else. It's dumb and shouldn't be like that. But the blubbering victims of the right have won so now we have little choice but to open up the floodgates and hear more of their constant whining when they get their victory after decades of warning of what it would mean.

2. Religious education should happen with religious people. There is a qualification to this that religion should be allowed to come up as needed (most history would be difficult to understand without it). But there should be no attempt to do more than a remedial understanding of religion in context because school is a place for learning facts. There is no religious institution that teaches how atoms work, or biology, or chemistry, etc. That's what school is for. Reconciling this stuff with the invisible sky-god that your parents want you to believe is the business of religion and yourself. Not the other way around.

[Godstud]

1) should public (tax payer funded) schools build or designate specific room(s) for prayer, and if so, how should all religions be accommodated?

It costs nothing for a room to be designated a prayer room and they can use it as such during recess, or class breaks. I think we can go a little ways to accommodate most religions. I am not for funding to go towards this, however.

2) should taxpayer money be spent on religious education in public schools, or not? What is your reasoning?

No. Education at school should be on actual subjects(Math, Language skills, History, etc.), and unless you have a specific 'Religion' or 'Philosophy' course, it shouldn't be included, or funded. You parents can teach you religion, for the most part, at home, on their own dime/time.

Mostly, I'm with The Immortal Goon, on this one.

[Ter]

Religion should be kept out of schools completely, especially tax-funded schools.
Even giving one room for religious activities opens the door to more and more compromises in the name of religion. Five prayer breaks anyone? Separating the genders for swimming and PE? Special menus in the cafetaria?

Teaching religion in schools also causes divisions as the different religions will be segregated during those lessons. When I was a kid we had one or two hours religion in school every week. The Catholics separate from the Protestants separate from the few Jews. So no.

[Thunderhawk]

1) should public (tax payer funded) schools build or designate specific room(s) for prayer, and if so, how should all religions be accommodated?

No.

2) should taxpayer money be spent on religious education in public schools, or not? What is your reasoning?

No.
Being exposed to it in history class is fine.

[Decky]

State money should only be used to teach the state religion which should always be a faith based on the Marxist-Leninist gospel of the manifesto, Das Capital, value, price and profit along with Lenin's the state and revolution. It should be illegal to even mention the existence of other faiths on the grounds of a place of education. This is the fastest and most humane way to bring about a situation where a critical mass of the population of Canada think correctly about matters of the soul.

[MistyTiger]

No and no.

There could be a class on religious philosophy, but students do not need rigorous religious education unless they want to grow up to become rabbis, nuns, clerics or something extreme like that.

A crazy religious lady tried to make me right-handed and I refused! Left hand life is good!

[Telessmwzt]

Here we can list out the schools and colleges of Madurai. We can discuss about their eduction standard, course offered, fees structure, donation etc.,

This will helpful for the parents and students to select the right school, college, course for their future