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The government has finally realised that faith schools are divisive. Now someone has come up with the stupid idea of making such religious schools take a quarter of non believers.

This will only make matters worse as when it comes to prayer time the non believers wont be able to attend! The inherently divisive nature of religion will become intensified with the non believing children seperated and alienated from their peers.

When will the politicians realise that faith schools indoctrinate children and that indoctrination is the opposite of education? The answer is to close all faith schools as quickly as possible, in order to stop the cycle of religious indoctrination. Blair has done the opposite encouraging the opening of more religious schools and even offering state funding to private religious schools. This is insanity in the present situation.

We live in a secular society and a good start would be to separate state and Church. The state should play no part in religion and show no group any special favour.

Religion should be practised in private and children of school age should be taught the history of all religions, with equal emphasis, and that all human beings are born equal.
Mike Freeman.

There is an interesting piece by AC Grayling in the Guardian



Everyone is free to believe what they want, providing they do not bother (or coerce, or kill) others; but no-one is entitled to claim privileges merely on the grounds that they are votaries of one or another of the world's many religions

I don't have a problem with faith based private schools as they are SUPPOSED to give you a better education and make a better enviroment for children. I do believe that all religion should be taught to children but at a high school level (teenage). As to who ought to teach it though...... ? Unfortunately if you have religious parents you have no choice when you're a child but if you've been taught to have an open mind you can convert yourself or get out of religion period when you become older. Here in the states some black people have been known to put their children in catholic schools just because the education was better and in boys catholic high schools it made better students out of them. This also meant that they had to warship in the catholic faith (the whole family) as a requirement but it didn't mean they had to convert.

An excellent, thoughtful, fair, and sensible article Jaques. I nearly cried with relief, upon reading such sense!

On this Mike, I agree entirely. However faith schools will bring better understanding between differing groups is a complete mystery.

Don't believe your original quote that

"The government has finally realised that faith schools are divisive"

Blair, as a serious Catholic now, is fully committed to faith schools so as long as he is in charge the government is going to pursue them, sadly enough.

Even if they try and get faith schools to admit others I don't buy you original premise

Faith Schools? More like sectarian schools.

I'll keep the tissue on hold next time. LOL.

They should all be banned as should religion.