Comments on: Indoctrination and Religious Education

By: Henry Neufeld

Henry Neufeld — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:12:04 +0000

Although in this country I prefer that even comparative religion be taught privately, I do not claim to know how that should be best accomplished in the UK. If there is specifically Christian religious instruction, then I would be concerned both from the idea of government promoting religion and from the question of the quality of such religious instruction. However, assuming it is, as you say, the type of religious instruction I’m promoting that would not be a problem.

What I was actually thinking about, and probably should have indicated more clearly, is those cases in the United States where, despite the law, inappropriate religious education does take place. One of two options for Bible curriculum for public schools fails any reasonable test of objectivity and is nonetheless in use in many school districts, for example.

As for the deficiency you mention, it is one reason why I think Christians need to provide more effictive Sunday School curricula. I don’t think you can expect a government sponsored program to always get it in balance, and I strongly suspect we will never all agree on just what “balanced” is.

By: Peter Kirk

Peter Kirk — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:02:39 +0000

Good post on an interesting topic. But I am puzzled by “I would support any effort to remove government support from religious education“. Since there is no such support in the USA, I can only suppose that this is a comment on the British situation. Now if there was religious indoctrination of the kind you rightly condemned happening in government schools, I would agree with you in opposing it. But there is not – except perhaps in some government funded church schools (and the very few Jewish and Muslim schools in this category), but even this is not supposed to happen. In fact the nominally compulsory (although in fact often ignored) religious education in British schools is supposed to be just the kind of “learn[ing] how people in other faiths think and what they believe” which you support. Some criticise the curricula for having a disproportionately small amount about Christianity. But, apart from that shortcoming, why do you think that this kind of religious education should be abolished?

By: Threads from Henry’s Web » Blog Archive » Heat, Light, and Comments

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 12:56:00 +0000

[...] Now I’ve already commented on this issue as such. I wrote about how I think that indoctrination, as I understand the term, is not a good thing. As a Christian, I don’t want people indoctrinated into my faith. I want them to learn about and choose it. That choice is up to them, not to me. I think the petition Richard Dawkins signed was not a good idea, and I’m glad he’s repudiated that signature. In fact, he has risen in my estimation by his response. I have realized from my first exposure to his work (reading The Blind Watchmaker [link is to my review]) that he and I are not going to see eye to eye on many things, and that he has some contempt for my liberal Christian perspective (or moderate perhaps). At the same time his writing on science is truly exceptional and challenging, and I must continue to recommend reading it. Further, I think my fellow Christians should climb down off the ceiling, especially hear in the United States. I’d be much more concerned about the religious right getting power than the “atheist left.” There is, in fact, so little “atheist left” out there, that your expectation should not be that atheism is going to take over. Probably you should be more worried about me. The woods are full of us moderate and liberal Christians, and we’re beginning to get really annoyed at what the hard right is doing to our faith. (Note that I use “moderate” as a very broad term that actually includes most evangelicals.) [...]

By: John

John — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:03:30 +0000

Fabulous post.

A faith a person builds for him- or herself will always be stronger than one inherited from an older generation.