I Didn't Send You An Email About RE Lessons, But It's Always Nice To Be Thanked.

Some time ago now, the Department for Children, Schools and Families issued a document called “Faith In The System”, which set out their insane plan to put more children’s education in the hands of groups who define themselves by a shared delusion and the voluntary suspension of critical faculties. I wrote to them about this, asking to know on what basis this derranged scheme was justified and I got a reply about RE lessons. Both of these emails are reproduced in full on this website, in my previous entry on the subjet. This entry contains the reply I sent them and their response to it.

Indeed that does disappoint me. I believe that secular education is in the best interests of both individuals and society, and that faith-based schooling is, especially when dealing with vulnerable and impressionable children, an act of indoctrination. The idea that a so-called "human rights" convention places the religious views of a child's parents, views which have no burden of evidence or even of rationale of any kind, above the right of the child to an honest and balanced education is actually quite disturbing. I should like to know on what basis such legislation is justified. It would appear to protect the religion itself rather than protecting anybody's human rights. Andrew Taylor

I was very shocked by the email I got back yesterday. Here it is, again in full except for names:

Dear Mr Taylor Thank you for your further letter of 17 October to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) about religious education (RE). I can only reiterate what my colleague, P stated in his previous reply to you on this issue.  However, your comments have been noted by the Department. The legislation surrounding the teaching of RE in schools is based around the right of parents to expect and the Government's duty to ensure that their children are given education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions.  We believe the current system to be fair, and of course, parents do have the right to withdraw their children from any or all parts of RE without having to give a reason.  The school must comply with this request and provide alternative provision in these cases.  Once again, thank you for writing Regards C Public Communications Unit

First I was shocked because it’s another message about RE lessons. Not only that, but it says I sent them an email about RE lessons. I did not. We know I didn’t because I posted me email just above this one and it doesn’t so much as mention RE. Again I have no reason to assume my emails are being read. But mostly I was shocked that these lessons are now optional! Now parents not only have the right to choose a school that will spend my money indoctrinating their children into a religion that will potentially ruin their lives, but they have the right to exclude their child – without saying why – from the one lesson that might point out to the poor child that any alternative to that religion exists. (I use the word ‘right’ in its purely legal sense, of course.) I don’t even understand why C told me this. Surely it’s obvious that that won’t make me feel any better? I can only assume that C is on my side and is trying toprovide me with more ammunition while maintaining the illusion that he is toeing the line. That, or he’s no smarter than P.

I sent them this email a few minutes ago:

I really don't know why your department keeps sending me emails about RE lessons. I have no problem with RE lessons. Religion is a very powerful force which has influenced almost ever aspect of mankind's history, often to devastating effect. Religion is a fascinating phenomenon from a psychological point of view, and it is a huge part of many people's self-identities. Of course it is important that children are taught about religion. A person entering the world ignorant of the many religions that exist in it would be as ill-prepared as a person entering the world ignorant of how to safely cross the road. There are problems, of course, with RE lessons: in my experience they were deathly boring token-effort lessons taught by people who would far rather be doing something else. However they are vital to fully prepare a child for life. And so now you're telling me that parents can exclude their child from them. Why is this? Could I exclude my child from geography lessons? We now have a system where a parent can select a school that will reinforce their indoctrination into a potentially damaging religion, and specifically exclude the child, without giving a reason, from the one lesson that might show the child that alternative religions exist, that religion is optional, or that their parents have no particular authority on which religion is the right one. It is important that children be taught about religion in school. But it is at least as important that they not be taught a religion in school. This is what faith schools do. They blur the lines between the facts of science, maths and history and the superstitions and beliefs of religion. A child that leaves school unable to distinguish knowledge from ritual has been seriously let down by the system. Andrew Taylor

I will, as ever, post any replies here as and when I get them, relevant or not. I expect it’ll be another three weeks or so before I get anything, as that’s how long it apparently takes the Department for Children, Schools and Families to fail to read an email. Still, we shall see. Perhaps, explicitly stating that I am not talking about RE lessons will make them stop defending RE lesons to me. One might even hope they’ll re-read my original letter armed with this new knowledge and actually send me a relevant reply.

But that would seem like mindless optimism.

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