A great KS2 & KS3 resource (great for adults too!) to understand Humanism including
- are you a humanist? quiz
- what about God?
- what's it all for?
- what is your religion? and are you religious?
- what is the good life?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
the really simple guide to ... Humanism
Sunday, April 3, 2011
BHA: All students should have the opportunity to learn about non-religious beliefs in RE
Reference: http://www.humanism.org.uk/news/view/779
MAR 31 2011 BHA:
All students should have the opportunity to learn about non-religious beliefs in RE The news that Humanism will be included in a new RE syllabus in a Lancashire local authority from September has elicited a number of reactions in the media this week.
The Daily Express warns us of 'lessons in Atheism' for young children. The Mail quotes a local councillor as feeling that: ‘I don't think it is right. People are born into faiths and are brought up in that faith and that's how it should stay.’
A particularly interesting perspective comes from a local Catholic priest Father Michael Lavin. Quoted in the Sun, Father Lavin opined: ‘I think that four years old is too young to be learning about atheism, at that age they hardly know what Christianity is.... It is difficult to get youngsters to understand theology and spiritual concepts. Children tend to struggle when you are making the first Holy Communion.’
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3501156/Primary-school-children-to-be-taught-atheism-in-Blackburn.html
Jenny Pennington, Education Campaigns Officer commented: ‘What a lot of these commentators fail to understand is that for many parents, teachers and RE campaigners this news story will appear wholly curious. The study of Humanism has been a feature of school RE for at least four decades and first appeared in a local syllabus in the early 1970s. Today, most of the 152 local syllabuses in this country include the study of Humanist perspectives.’
‘Learning about non-religious answers to questions alongside religious ones contributes to the development of pupils' own perspectives and educates them about the beliefs of millions of their fellow citizens. It ensures that non-religious students are able to feel fully included in discussions around ethics and morality.
‘We are delighted that Blackburn with Darwen local authority have taken this step to include non-religious perspectives on their RE curriculum. However, we stress the need to ensure that all students, around the country, are also able to learn about the full range of beliefs in society.’
MAR 31 2011 BHA:
All students should have the opportunity to learn about non-religious beliefs in RE The news that Humanism will be included in a new RE syllabus in a Lancashire local authority from September has elicited a number of reactions in the media this week.
The Daily Express warns us of 'lessons in Atheism' for young children. The Mail quotes a local councillor as feeling that: ‘I don't think it is right. People are born into faiths and are brought up in that faith and that's how it should stay.’
A particularly interesting perspective comes from a local Catholic priest Father Michael Lavin. Quoted in the Sun, Father Lavin opined: ‘I think that four years old is too young to be learning about atheism, at that age they hardly know what Christianity is.... It is difficult to get youngsters to understand theology and spiritual concepts. Children tend to struggle when you are making the first Holy Communion.’
 |
| source: The Sun |
Jenny Pennington, Education Campaigns Officer commented: ‘What a lot of these commentators fail to understand is that for many parents, teachers and RE campaigners this news story will appear wholly curious. The study of Humanism has been a feature of school RE for at least four decades and first appeared in a local syllabus in the early 1970s. Today, most of the 152 local syllabuses in this country include the study of Humanist perspectives.’
‘Learning about non-religious answers to questions alongside religious ones contributes to the development of pupils' own perspectives and educates them about the beliefs of millions of their fellow citizens. It ensures that non-religious students are able to feel fully included in discussions around ethics and morality.
‘We are delighted that Blackburn with Darwen local authority have taken this step to include non-religious perspectives on their RE curriculum. However, we stress the need to ensure that all students, around the country, are also able to learn about the full range of beliefs in society.’
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Children as young as four to be educated in atheism & humanism - Daily Mail
School pupils aged just four are to be taught atheism in a move schools hope will equip them to be 'citizens of the world'.
Education bosses in Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, have radically restructured the RE syllabus to accommodate non-religious beliefs.
Youngsters will continue to learn about the six major faiths - Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism - but they will also be taught humanism, the belief that there is no God or Gods, and that moral values are founded on human nature and experience.
Read more: Daily Mail and Lancashire Telegraph and Richard Dawkins.net
Update: 31st March 2011, Dorset RE Syllabus will include 'Secular worldviews' such as Humanism / Atheism which MUST be studied at KS3.
Education bosses in Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, have radically restructured the RE syllabus to accommodate non-religious beliefs.
Youngsters will continue to learn about the six major faiths - Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism - but they will also be taught humanism, the belief that there is no God or Gods, and that moral values are founded on human nature and experience.
Read more: Daily Mail and Lancashire Telegraph and Richard Dawkins.net
Update: 31st March 2011, Dorset RE Syllabus will include 'Secular worldviews' such as Humanism / Atheism which MUST be studied at KS3.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, R4 discuss the crisis of RE in schools
The teaching of Religious Edcuation in schools in crisis. It has been omitted from the new English Baccaluareate and a recent survey found that a third of all secondary schools will cut it from their curriculum. Professor Trevor Cooling, Reverend Jan Ainley and Dr Phillip Barnes discuss.
What is the role of secularism and humanism in RE?
Listen via iPlayer (from 33- 45 minutes)
What is the role of secularism and humanism in RE?
Listen via iPlayer (from 33- 45 minutes)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
BHA meets with schools minister Nick Gibb MP
FEB182011
BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson and Head of Public Affairs Naomi Phillips met with the schools minister Nick Gibb MP at the Department for Education. Mr Copson explained the BHA’s long history in education, campaigning for inclusive schools since the early 1900s and on RE since the 1950s.
Mr Copson raised the BHA’s concerns about religious discrimination in the state school system and the funding of ‘faith’ schools. Mr Gibb replied that the government did not agree with the BHA’s position on ‘faith’ schools.
We raised the issue of compulsory worship, informing the minister that it was one of the most frequent reasons why parents got in touch with us, worried about their children being forced to worship and equally not wanting to withdraw them from whole class or school activities. Mr Gibb stated that he felt there was already enough flexibility in the system, with schools being able to apply for “determinations” so that they do not have to have mainly Christian content in the worship.
We raised the issue of evolution in the curriculum, asking for the government’s position on including evolution as a core part of the primary science curriculum. Mr Gibb said that he agreed that the teaching of evolution should be compulsory at secondary level. Mr Gibb also said that he and his department were robust in their response to requests from religious groups wanting the inclusion of creationism and “intelligent design” in science lessons, stating that creationism has no basis in science and should not be taught as such.
The topic of Religious Education was discussed, with particular reference to the inefficiency of RE curriculums being locally determined and the deleterious effect on the subject because of that. The BHA argued that RE should be included in the current review of the curriculum being carried out by Mr Gibb’s department.
Mr Copson raised the BHA’s concerns about religious discrimination in the state school system and the funding of ‘faith’ schools. Mr Gibb replied that the government did not agree with the BHA’s position on ‘faith’ schools.
We raised the issue of compulsory worship, informing the minister that it was one of the most frequent reasons why parents got in touch with us, worried about their children being forced to worship and equally not wanting to withdraw them from whole class or school activities. Mr Gibb stated that he felt there was already enough flexibility in the system, with schools being able to apply for “determinations” so that they do not have to have mainly Christian content in the worship.
We raised the issue of evolution in the curriculum, asking for the government’s position on including evolution as a core part of the primary science curriculum. Mr Gibb said that he agreed that the teaching of evolution should be compulsory at secondary level. Mr Gibb also said that he and his department were robust in their response to requests from religious groups wanting the inclusion of creationism and “intelligent design” in science lessons, stating that creationism has no basis in science and should not be taught as such.
The topic of Religious Education was discussed, with particular reference to the inefficiency of RE curriculums being locally determined and the deleterious effect on the subject because of that. The BHA argued that RE should be included in the current review of the curriculum being carried out by Mr Gibb’s department.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
a rationalist/fideist paradox
reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fideism#In_culture (accessed 5th February 2011)
Douglas Adams, in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, uses his Babel fish to demonstrate a rationalist/fideist paradox:
- "I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
- "But," says Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves that You exist, and so therefore, by Your own arguments, You don't. Q.E.D."
- "Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.
- "Oh, that was easy," says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.
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