Comments on: Faith Schools: Other Problems http://wongablog.co.uk/2006/07/27/faith-schools-other-problems/ like balloons, only with dancing Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:58:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Lola http://wongablog.co.uk/2006/07/27/faith-schools-other-problems/#comment-4255 Lola Sat, 29 Jul 2006 21:23:54 +0000 http://wongablog.djcounsell.org/?p=1978#comment-4255 Hmmmmmm. Is difficult. A few points: a) I don't think the 7 sacraments etc etc are 'extreme' in the slightest, but they certainly are atypical compared to much C of E practice - just cuz you're not used to it doesn't make it extreme - Jewish practices are atypical compared to the C of E but that's not the same as extreme b) Whilst it's atypical compared to much C of E practice, I think it's only comparable to the Salvation Army etc in that it is atypical - it's atypical in the opposite direction, really... c) I don't think that makes it less benign - I think that if people are brought up non-religious or in your standard C of E Church for weddings and funerals family then many of the practices would seem a bit different from the norm, but I think that's very different from being less benign d) Yes, we were taught about everything on your list except for exorcism (that's unbelievably rare) and contraception (although it was Primary school so we wouldn't have done that anyway) - however, my undrstanding is that my wee cousin at the RC secondary girls school in our town has had standard education about contraception according to the tenets of the national curriculum e) We all did prep for our First Communion in school in Year 3, as well as extra classes in Church too - I think everyone in my class was RC and did their First Communion f) Despite that, quite a lot of God Stuff at school was fairly standard Christian stuff - like learning about the Good Samaritan etc etc etc. g) There was a lot of the Virgin Mary going on. IE, statues in all classrooms and a huge one in the lobby, plus the school houses were named after places that she has appeared (Carmel, Walsingham, Lourdes and Fatima). But that was all quite endearing and so on and so forth. Happy to answer any questions you have - think there are many myths about RC practices that make them seem odder than they really are! Hmmmmmm.

Is difficult.

A few points:

a) I don’t think the 7 sacraments etc etc are ‘extreme’ in the slightest, but they certainly are atypical compared to much C of E practice - just cuz you’re not used to it doesn’t make it extreme - Jewish practices are atypical compared to the C of E but that’s not the same as extreme

b) Whilst it’s atypical compared to much C of E practice, I think it’s only comparable to the Salvation Army etc in that it is atypical - it’s atypical in the opposite direction, really…

c) I don’t think that makes it less benign - I think that if people are brought up non-religious or in your standard C of E Church for weddings and funerals family then many of the practices would seem a bit different from the norm, but I think that’s very different from being less benign

d) Yes, we were taught about everything on your list except for exorcism (that’s unbelievably rare) and contraception (although it was Primary school so we wouldn’t have done that anyway) - however, my undrstanding is that my wee cousin at the RC secondary girls school in our town has had standard education about contraception according to the tenets of the national curriculum

e) We all did prep for our First Communion in school in Year 3, as well as extra classes in Church too - I think everyone in my class was RC and did their First Communion

f) Despite that, quite a lot of God Stuff at school was fairly standard Christian stuff - like learning about the Good Samaritan etc etc etc.

g) There was a lot of the Virgin Mary going on. IE, statues in all classrooms and a huge one in the lobby, plus the school houses were named after places that she has appeared (Carmel, Walsingham, Lourdes and Fatima). But that was all quite endearing and so on and so forth.

Happy to answer any questions you have - think there are many myths about RC practices that make them seem odder than they really are!

]]> By: Andrew http://wongablog.co.uk/2006/07/27/faith-schools-other-problems/#comment-4254 Andrew Fri, 28 Jul 2006 09:16:26 +0000 http://wongablog.djcounsell.org/?p=1978#comment-4254 gah, correct one mistake and you get slashes everywhere. It's a Wordpress bug that'll hopefully get fixed next release. gah, correct one mistake and you get slashes everywhere. It’s a Wordpress bug that’ll hopefully get fixed next release.

]]> By: Andrew http://wongablog.co.uk/2006/07/27/faith-schools-other-problems/#comment-4253 Andrew Fri, 28 Jul 2006 09:14:40 +0000 http://wongablog.djcounsell.org/?p=1978#comment-4253 Compared to the CofE, RC contains far more of what you might call \'active religion\'. Without passing any judgement on them, baptism, confession, confirmation, last rites, exorcism, the anti-contraception ethos and the Eucharist particularly are all atypical in terms of UK beliefs and fairly extreme in comparison to the CofE. I don\'t see any reason to think that RC schools would not teach these tenets. That\'s not to say that the CofE doesn\'t have equally strong beliefs, but I think there\'s a case to be made that the RC Church is closer to the likes of the Salvation Army in terms of these kinds of active beliefs and practices, although the evangelism factor is certainly far less important. That\'s why I\'d call RC schools less benign than CofE schools. I\'d be interested to hear what it\'s like in practice. Compared to the CofE, RC contains far more of what you might call \’active religion\’. Without passing any judgement on them, baptism, confession, confirmation, last rites, exorcism, the anti-contraception ethos and the Eucharist particularly are all atypical in terms of UK beliefs and fairly extreme in comparison to the CofE. I don\’t see any reason to think that RC schools would not teach these tenets. That\’s not to say that the CofE doesn\’t have equally strong beliefs, but I think there\’s a case to be made that the RC Church is closer to the likes of the Salvation Army in terms of these kinds of active beliefs and practices, although the evangelism factor is certainly far less important. That\’s why I\’d call RC schools less benign than CofE schools. I\’d be interested to hear what it\’s like in practice.

]]> By: Andrew http://wongablog.co.uk/2006/07/27/faith-schools-other-problems/#comment-4252 Andrew Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:20:21 +0000 http://wongablog.djcounsell.org/?p=1978#comment-4252 Lola - not ignoring you. I want to write a proper response, but am off out very shortly so shall get back to it later or tomorrow morning. The latter, probably :-) Lola - not ignoring you. I want to write a proper response, but am off out very shortly so shall get back to it later or tomorrow morning. The latter, probably :-)

]]> By: Lola http://wongablog.co.uk/2006/07/27/faith-schools-other-problems/#comment-4251 Lola Thu, 27 Jul 2006 15:32:30 +0000 http://wongablog.djcounsell.org/?p=1978#comment-4251 hmmmm. would disagree with that too! i guess there's 2 meanings for evangelical - 1 usually meaning the more low church 'happy clappy' type of Protestant, who are just about on the polar opposite end of the Christian spectrum to the RC Church, and the other meaning 'go out and evangelise' - and I don't think the RC Church is really known for going out and trying to convert people (obviously in theory it should do, as 'spreading the good news' is central to all brands of Christianity, but in practice I would say the RC Church in the UK is on the whole very inward-looking, and tends to wait for converts to come to it, rather than going out and persuading people... I am interested as to why you think RC schools are somehow less benign than CofE ones though...? hmmmm. would disagree with that too!

i guess there’s 2 meanings for evangelical - 1 usually meaning the more low church ‘happy clappy’ type of Protestant, who are just about on the polar opposite end of the Christian spectrum to the RC Church, and the other meaning ‘go out and evangelise’ - and I don’t think the RC Church is really known for going out and trying to convert people (obviously in theory it should do, as ’spreading the good news’ is central to all brands of Christianity, but in practice I would say the RC Church in the UK is on the whole very inward-looking, and tends to wait for converts to come to it, rather than going out and persuading people…

I am interested as to why you think RC schools are somehow less benign than CofE ones though…?

]]> By: Andrew http://wongablog.co.uk/2006/07/27/faith-schools-other-problems/#comment-4250 Andrew Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:45:26 +0000 http://wongablog.djcounsell.org/?p=1978#comment-4250 Yes, that wasn't phrased terribly well on my part. I meant the Roman Catholic Church was more evangelical, not fundamentalist. Yes, that wasn’t phrased terribly well on my part. I meant the Roman Catholic Church was more evangelical, not fundamentalist.

]]> By: Lola http://wongablog.co.uk/2006/07/27/faith-schools-other-problems/#comment-4249 Lola Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:39:07 +0000 http://wongablog.djcounsell.org/?p=1978#comment-4249 Er, there are dozens and dozens of so-called fundamentalist RC schools.... and they tend to be distinctly fluffy and much much more benign than the creationism-teaching schools that we've all seen on the telly and got worried about. Er, there are dozens and dozens of so-called fundamentalist RC schools…. and they tend to be distinctly fluffy and much much more benign than the creationism-teaching schools that we’ve all seen on the telly and got worried about.

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