• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Faith Schools: Sectarianism, Segregation and Division in the Name of Religion

Somerville

DP Veteran
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Messages
17,822
Reaction score
8,296
Location
On an island. Not that one!
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Socialist

Commentary from the UK

Faith Schools in the West
Sectarianism, Segregation and Division in the Name of Religion

Faith Schools are those in which the ethos of the school is aligned explicitly with one particular religious denomination, with most of the teachers being dedicated adherents. They're an example of sectarianism, in which, starting from childhood, people are segregated into communities based on racial, ethnic or religious lines.

Social psychologists have consistently found across over 800 studies1 that segregating children by religion causes increased aggression and violence between groups2,3,4, "animating dangerous divisiveness" in the words of Amartya Sen5.

  1. Myers (1999). Social Psychology, p542.
  2. National Secular Society newsletter (2002 Jun 30) "Response to the Scottish National Debate on Education"
  3. Fukuyama, Francis (2018 Sep/Oct). Against Identity Politics. An Article in the magazine Foreign Affairs. p108
  4. Myers (1999). Chapter 10.
  5. The Guardian (2006 Jul 28) article "Stuart Jeffries: Abolish all faith schools" re-accessed 2007 Jan 06.
To have a sectarian school where everyone is part of the same religion, ethnic group, sectarian division, belief system or cult, and who are taught a particular ideology that they are also taught at home, is the worst possible scenario for the development of ideas of peace and tolerance towards others. [. . .] For example, it is better that Catholics and Protestants mingle in schools, with a common education. The alternative is what we had in Northern Ireland, where Catholic schools and Protestant schools churn out two completely opposed groups of people, who are not familiar with the "humanness" of the other group.

At this time in the US, there are many who apparently really don't want their kids to learn about other cultures and religions. This 'desire' is a major factor behind an increase in efforts to move funding from public to private schools. History tells us that time and time again, ignorance brings fear and hatred into the forefront of interactions with different cultures.

In America, the largest group that wishes to limit the knowledge of other faiths and cultures in their children is that which calls itself "evangelical Christian", though they are not the only group. In other nations, we can see Islamic leaders doing the same thing, which causes atrocities like the massacre at the mosque in Pakistan this past Friday. That was due to the conflict between Sunni and Shia, both claim to be the true faith. The Terrors in Northern Ireland were hopefully the last major conflict between Protestants and Catholics, following centuries of killing each other.

Should religious schools ever receive funds from federal, state or municipal governments? Why? What is the benefit for society as a whole?

Ignorance of the 'other', ignorance of history, and a refusal to accept the diversity of cultures in our world is not - in my opinion - a path to a kinder, gentler world.
 
I'm continuously slightly pissed off about using tax dollars to further education about mistranslated fairy tales from a time when our ancestors knew
next-to-nothing about how the universe and reality works.
It's an insane world where My God will kick-ass on Your God.
The bottom line is still indoctrination of young minds to hate other young minds so some sleazy ass politician can rule his/her Jack-off fantasizes.
Religion is a death stroke on the human race.
 

In America, the largest group that wishes to limit the knowledge of other faiths and cultures in their children is that which calls itself "evangelical Christian"

Usually they just call themselves just "Christians" - as if they had a monopole of being Christian.
 
The segregation thing has always been a huge part of it for a bunch of people that live around me. Hell, they've even said so.

Some are even in my family/extended family.
 
Should religious schools ever receive funds from federal, state or municipal governments? Why?

No. Taxpayer dollars should not be spent to indocrinate children into a religion.

I like the idea of school vouchers - it's bad enough that people who have no kids (or a reasonable number) have to subsidize the people who can't keep it in their pants or use condoms. But that should only be used for secular schools.
 
I believe private religious schools are currently be funded in Maine. Because there are no other options available.
 
No. Taxpayer dollars should not be spent to indocrinate children into a religion.

I like the idea of school vouchers - it's bad enough that people who have no kids (or a reasonable number) have to subsidize the people who can't keep it in their pants or use condoms. But that should only be used for secular schools.

Secularism sucks. Without a decent moral foundation, society will turn the world into Hell.

"“I am much afraid that the universities will prove to be the great gates of hell, unless they diligently labour in explaining the Holy Scriptures, and engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount." - Martin Luther

You will not live long enough to see the Word of God failing to be taught in some kind of religious school.

 
Secularism sucks. Without a decent moral foundation, society will turn the world into Hell.

We don't need religion to have a moral foundation. In fact, I would argue that it's impossible to have an actual moral foundation based on religion.
 

Commentary from the UK



At this time in the US, there are many who apparently really don't want their kids to learn about other cultures and religions. This 'desire' is a major factor behind an increase in efforts to move funding from public to private schools. History tells us that time and time again, ignorance brings fear and hatred into the forefront of interactions with different cultures.

In America, the largest group that wishes to limit the knowledge of other faiths and cultures in their children is that which calls itself "evangelical Christian", though they are not the only group. In other nations, we can see Islamic leaders doing the same thing, which causes atrocities like the massacre at the mosque in Pakistan this past Friday. That was due to the conflict between Sunni and Shia, both claim to be the true faith. The Terrors in Northern Ireland were hopefully the last major conflict between Protestants and Catholics, following centuries of killing each other.

Should religious schools ever receive funds from federal, state or municipal governments? Why? What is the benefit for society as a whole?

Ignorance of the 'other', ignorance of history, and a refusal to accept the diversity of cultures in our world is not - in my opinion - a path to a kinder, gentler world.

No government money local, state, federal should be used to fund any religion be it church, school or displays on government property.
 
We don't need religion to have a moral foundation. In fact, I would argue that it's impossible to have an actual moral foundation based on religion.
Quite the opposite. Moral absolutes without a transcendent reference (i.e. God) is impossible, for what you have left is simply moral relativism, where one person's thought-out morality is arguably as good as that of another. That would be your 'anything goes' society.
 
Secularism sucks. Without a decent moral foundation, society will turn the world into Hell.

"“I am much afraid that the universities will prove to be the great gates of hell, unless they diligently labour in explaining the Holy Scriptures, and engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount." - Martin Luther

You will not live long enough to see the Word of God failing to be taught in some kind of religious school.


Humanism, which is secular, is a million times more moral than Christianity.

Humanists for instance don’t engage in apologetics for child murder and slavery like Christians on here do.
 
Quite the opposite. Moral absolutes without a transcendent reference (i.e. God) is impossible, for what you have left is simply moral relativism, where one person's thought-out morality is arguably as good as that of another. That would be your 'anything goes' society.

Would that be like how murdering children is evil up until god orders it, then it becomes good and you have to argue in its defense? That kind of moral relativism?
 
Quite the opposite. Moral absolutes without a transcendent reference (i.e. God) is impossible, for what you have left is simply moral relativism, where one person's thought-out morality is arguably as good as that of another. That would be your 'anything goes' society.

We don't need religion to have an objective basis for morality, and morality specified by religions is no less arbitrary than that based on other concepts.

Religious "morality" is not based on what a god said. It's based on what a person claims a god said.
 
We don't need religion to have an objective basis for morality, and morality specified by religions is no less arbitrary than that based on other concepts.

Religious "morality" is not based on what a god said. It's based on what a person claims a god said.

That's your opinion. But the fact is, you don't have any objective morality. Yours is the kind that changes over time, over cultures, like people change their socks.
 
That's your opinion. But the fact is, you don't have any objective morality. Yours is the kind that changes over time, over cultures, like people change their socks.

You don’t have any objective morality either. Your morality is “do whatever god says”.

You might think raping infants is evil. If your god commanded you to rape an infant( your “morality” now says that must be “good”.
 
You don’t have any objective morality either. Your morality is “do whatever god says”.

You might think raping infants is evil. If your god commanded you to rape an infant( your “morality” now says that must be “good”.
This has always been the issue with religions, the followers of religion are willing to commit any atrocity if their god demands it. This is shown all through the Bible, women, children and animals slaughtered because God said to do it. Their morality extends only as far as those people who set themselves up to speak for their God, case in point, Jim Jones.
 
That's your opinion. But the fact is, you don't have any objective morality.

Bullshit. Funny, it's my opinion, but your fact. You can't make up this kind of stupid.

Yours is the kind that changes over time, over cultures, like people change their socks.

Just like religions.
 
Back
Top Bottom