h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"It is a scandal that the present system is enabling a car salesman to divert significant government funds to propagate dogma such as "intelligent design" in our schools. State funds are also being used to support some schools that abuse impressionable young people by brainwashing them into believing that non-believers will burn for all eternity in the fires of hell. This policy is a perfect recipe for the creation of the next generation of homegrown and state-educated suicide bombers."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,2086202,00.html

We need more faith schools like we need more workhouses. Some obnoxious ghoul suggested in his blog a while ago that Darwin was to blame for the Virginia tech shootings (not the ready availability of guns to unhinged individuals with schizoid personalities, you will notice): http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2007/04/16/how-could-loving-god

I happen to think we need avowedly secular schools. Darwin taught us that we are *all* related, not just to humans, but to animals as well, but it hasn't made a blind bit of difference to the way we treat other people, let alone other species. Instead, not so long ago, we have had bigots killing non-believers in Serbia, Northern Ireland and now Darfur and Iraq. It's about time we gave Charles a chance to improve the moral outlook of young hearts and minds.

Whilst I am totally against religous schools. I am also against business sponsered schools - can you imagine the philosophy at The McDonalds' Academy, or would you like to wonder where The Rover School would be nowadays ?

At a recent teaching practise my daughter was faced with 2 Plymouth Brethren in her class - she was told she couldn't use online resources, and a lot of music was not allowed. This was in an ordinary primary school - schools should be run by the council, and should have ethics or morals classes, if religous education is required, it can be taught at Sunday schools.

The government fails to realise that treating all faiths as equal is to give full regard to extremists.

Well, to meryy hell to that. If people want to opt out of the trappings of civilisation then that's up to them. Expecting the rest of society to absolve them of the feeling that they are excluding themselves, that they are sawing off the limb they sit on, is a different matter altogether.

We have several friends who are Christians. We are agnostics, but we don't let differences in religious opinion contaminate our friendship with them, providing they treat us the same. We can find a lot more in common with them than we have differences: you don't need to be religious to share or even have values. They got to know a lot of Brethren who happen to have a presence in our immediate neighbourhood. They suggested that their daughters play with the Brethren's daughters: the answer was 'No, you don't go to our church'. People may well be excluded at times because of religious belief, but mostly they exclude themselves.