Faith School Petition

[cosmos]

Hi all!

I would be very grateful if you could check out, and if your super nice maybe even sign my petition for the abolition of faith schools in the UK....

petitions.number10.gov.uk/faithschoolsban

If we can get at least 500 signatures we will get an official response from the Government.

Spread the word!

[Trinoc]

Hasn't this petition already finished and been weaselled out of by the government?

http://www.skeptics.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=3615

[Dubious Dick]

Yes. sadly a little too late on this one as well. Would have happily signed up had noticed. Not sure what good these petitions do. Imagine they get answered by some poor civil servant and get no real airing.

However, this remains an important issue and a big plank in the secular manifesto. It is vital if we are to see religion take its only rightful place i.e. behind closed doors and personal, that biased religious education is removed entirely.

If people wish to worship or bring their kids up in any particular religious belief then they can do so outside of taxpayer funded time and not supported by the state in any way at all. If the state wants to promote social cohesion then it should do so through the better provision of community facilities available to all, as opposed to through faith based routes.

Let's have another go in a different wording.

[Trinoc]

Let's have another go in a different wording.

How about something like a law to ensure that no child should be discriminated against in the quality of education received on the grounds of their or their parents' religion or lack of religion?

That would mean that all schools, including faith schools, should be open to everyone - none of this pretending to be Catholics etc., - and then using the existing arrangements the parents of any child from a different religion from the school (or no religion at all) could insist that their children be excused from religious indoctrination.

That still leaves the kids of the "right" faith getting indoctrinated, so maybe it still needs some work.

[Croydon Bob]

Not sure what good these petitions do. Imagine they get answered by some poor civil servant and get no real airing.

Yup.