PZ Myers & Richard Dawkins: The Danger of Teaching Children to believe in Faith rather than Evidence

Listen from 27 minutes.

PZ Myers (PZM)
i'm often told by the relgious 'you shouldn't worry about the moderate christians or muslims, its only the extremist fanatics that should worry you'. I will attack unitarians, buddhists, methodists, anglicans, etc. What it comes down to is [Relgious] Faith. We have a culture that regards Faith as a virture. Faith is promoted in all these religions even the most moderate. I will not tolerate this excuse of Faith. Wallowing in ignorance is not the answer!
Richard Dawkins @ 28 minutes: mild and gentle people teach children that faith is a virtue, that it's a good thing to believe something just because you have faith and you don't have to justify it. Then those children will grow up and a minority of them will say, well my faith says 'go and bomb skyscrapers' and such. Moderate religious people have this pernicious influence of glorifying faith and actually making it a positive virtue. Doubting Thomas, the least admired of the disciples, the patron saint of scientists, actually wanted evidence, but we are taught as children that it is better to believe without evidence than with evidence. That is the fuse that after a long burning can produce true fanaticism and violence.
PZ Myers @ 29': The opposite of Faith is criticism. We come from a scientific culture that values critical thinking, argument and criticism. Which is antithetical to what you do when you are favouring Faith. In Faith you are not supposed to question things. Or its ok to question things as long as you come up with the right answer - that you go on believing!
Richard Dawkins at 30': I've heard countless stories of children being criticised for simply questioning. I met a man in Dublin last week who said he was thrown out of Sunday School for simply asking 'why didn't all the other boats float along with Noahs!'

secularism is opposed to privilege for any or all religions including prejudiced arrangements for religious education (which still usually excludes humanism)

Article in The Guardian on 7th July 2011 by David Pollock

Dorset SACRE Agreed Syllabus for RE 2011 & Teaching Secular Worldviews

New Dorset RE Syllabus

On 28th June 2011, the Dorset SACRE Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education 2011 was launched to over one hundred Dorset RE teachers at Springfield Hotel in Wareham.  From September 2011, Dorset Primary schools can and KS3 schools must focus on Secular Worldviews such as Humanism or Atheism.

Teaching Secular Worldviews

To coincide with the launch of the new Dorset RE Syllabus, a new website, 'Teaching Secular Worldviews', was developed by Chris Street to provide secular worldview (such as humanism & atheism & scientific method) resources for UK RE teachers. Our presenters will give the 'Secular Worldview RE Workshops' at your school anywhere in Great Britain. The presentation will follow your locally agreed SACRE RE syllabus.

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Chris Street

Wendy Dimmick

Chris is the Education Officer for Dorset Humanists and Humanist Observer at Dorset SACRE. Wendy is a teacher and temporary RE co-ordinator at a Dorset Middle School.

Secular Worldview RE Resources

• Teaching Secular Worldviews
• Dorset SACRE Agreed RE Syllabus 2011
• Humanism For Schools
• Really simple guide to humanism
• British Humanist Association 

Debate: Does religion in education lead towards division or inspiration?

On June 15th 2011 the Accord Coalition and University College London held a panel debate asking whether religion in education lead towards division or inspiration?

The event was held to mark the 140th anniversary of the University Tests Act 1871, which brought to end almost all religious discrimination in Universities in the UK. The speakers were Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain (Chair Accord Coalition), Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari (Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, 2006-2010), The Rt Hon Charles Clarke (Secretary of State for Education 2002-04) and Andrew Copson (Chef Executive of the British Humanist Association).

A recording of the debate is now available to watch online at:
https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/events/2011/06/22/%E2%80%98religion-in-education-towards-division-or-inspiration%E2%80%99/.