Wednesday, July 13, 2011
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!'
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
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 |
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| Wendy Dimmick |
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/.
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/.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
the really simple guide to ... Humanism
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?
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.’
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| 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.
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