Would you baptise your child - school
- Thread starter PaulStat
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This is how it is in my house, I am trying to teach my boy how to be a good person and have good values with no religious undertones. He comes home talking about god (and other religious people from various religions) and I struggle to not tell him how I feel. It will be kept in for now though, just like Santa not being real
That's good craic though....cos your boy will grow up (as I have) to make his own mind up.
I think it's far better to be informed and to make the decision not to follow something than to just be ignorant to it.
You'd think with the way some people in here are talking that a C.E. school is a terrible thing, and that they are out to brainwash your kids.
The only difference as far as I can tell, from any non-faith school, is that they have a religious message in assembly and a prayer.
It's not like they spend the whole day studying the bible cover to cover.
I'm not religious at all, and I was brought up in a C.E. school. My wife is very religious. Our kids will make their own minds up just like we did.
As I say, the Church of England school my kids attend has kids from many religions in it, and as part of the normal curriculum they learn about many different cultures and their beliefs. So it's not force fed to them. They are taught to be accepting of everyone's opinions and beliefs and to make their own minds up.
The only difference as far as I can tell, from any non-faith school, is that they have a religious message in assembly and a prayer.
It's not like they spend the whole day studying the bible cover to cover.
I'm not religious at all, and I was brought up in a C.E. school. My wife is very religious. Our kids will make their own minds up just like we did.
As I say, the Church of England school my kids attend has kids from many religions in it, and as part of the normal curriculum they learn about many different cultures and their beliefs. So it's not force fed to them. They are taught to be accepting of everyone's opinions and beliefs and to make their own minds up.
My brother nor his missus aren't particularly religious (i.e. at all) and they've had my nephews baptised.
I was baptised and my parents never went to church.
TBH on growing up it's something I've always seen in family and friends, they are baptised as it is the done thing.
If that is the case then I suppose the better education has to win, but I still don't agree with having your child baptised just so they can be accepted in to a school.
What if the school was a Muslim school and the child had to accept that Mohammed was the one true god?
Would you accept that just so your child could go to the better school?
So at that school they don't have to be baptised to be accepted I'm assuming? as per the OP.
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The main complaint is not about the religious part.
It's that CoE schools and "faith" schools in general are a way for parents to select schools and for poor kids to be excluded from good schools.
They don't get better results because they pray to jeebus every morning. They get better results because they can be picky about who goes.
It's that CoE schools and "faith" schools in general are a way for parents to select schools and for poor kids to be excluded from good schools.
They don't get better results because they pray to jeebus every morning. They get better results because they can be picky about who goes.
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I was baptised by my atheist parents purely to get into a desired c of e school and I am fully on their side about why they did it.
Ultimately you can go on a crusade against faith schools etc. but if you want to be realistic about getting your child the best possible education then just do it.
Ultimately you can go on a crusade against faith schools etc. but if you want to be realistic about getting your child the best possible education then just do it.
Everybody should do both.
Crusade against faith schools is a laugh though
I'm not sure you meant a holy war against holy!Anyway though. We should just vote against them, and put a bit of pressure on politicians to get rid of them, that's all. Meanwhile you do the best for your kids. You don't make a stand and have your kid suffer.
Did you get taught about all religions? I'm intrigued.
Why would poor kids be excluded from a C.E. school?
It's not like the school checks the parents income before they offer your kid a place.
less likely to be C of E so they are less likely to be in the school?
It's not only baptism they will want, they will probably want a written reference from your local vicar/minister as well. I know as I went to a Bristol CoE school, not that I am slightly religious now though
. There are other criteria you can meet to get into a majority of CoE schools without being religious though, if you live within a certain catchment area of these schools then they are pretty much obliged to consider your application no matter what religion you hold.
Good luck.
Why would poor kids be excluded from a C.E. school?
It's not like the school checks the parents income before they offer your kid a place.
HeX, don't be so naive! It's exactly that. They socially select. They may not be able to check bank accounts... but they pick the "good parents" and exclude the bad ones. And some of them even require bribes - very few to be honest and they keep getting caught.
Really? Well most of my friends and myself are not exactly from rich families or from affluent areas of Bristol yet we managed to get accepted no problems.
What did you and your wife do when you got married, if you're not religious? Do you do the church thing (which as you say would be hypocritical) or do it some other way?
Surely what you did then would apply to your child's baptism?
Surely what you did then would apply to your child's baptism?
But is it a big issue Spoon? Surely it's an issue, but isn't it very minor? You want me to get my kid baptised, sure I'll go through the motions.
Doesn't the selection bother you? Or am I alone in thinking it's ok to exclude the poorest kids from decent schools and doom them to stay poor?
Doesn't the selection bother you? Or am I alone in thinking it's ok to exclude the poorest kids from decent schools and doom them to stay poor?
We did.
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I've always wondered that. I'm sure the number of 'white weddings' i.e. those that take place at church is far more than those that take the religion seriously.