There are good arguments against religion being taught in schools
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After 6 votes and with 40 points ahead, the winner is...
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I need to defend the statement in the title.
My opponent must establish beyond reasonable doubt that the title is untrue. The same burden of proof applies to my defence.
What constitutes beyond reasonable doubt of course comes down to the discretion of the voter.
Children, I'll argue, have a human right not to have their minds crippled by exposure to other people's bad ideas
Children often acquire religious views approximating those of their parents, although they may also be influenced by others they communicate with - such as peers and teachers. Matters relating the subject of children and religion may include rites of passage, education, and child psychology, as well as discussion of the moral issue of the religious education of children.
"And as the capacity for believing is strongest in childhood, special care is taken to make sure of this tender age. This has much more to do with the doctrines of belief taking root than threats and reports of miracles. If, in early childhood, certain fundamental views and doctrines are paraded with unusual solemnity, and an air of the greatest earnestness never before visible in anything else; if, at the same time, the possibility of a doubt about them be completely passed over, or touched upon only to indicate that doubt is the first step to eternal perdition, the resulting impression will be so deep that, as a rule, that is, in almost every case, doubt about them will be almost as impossible as doubt about one's own existence."— Arthur Schopenhauer, On Religion: A Dialogue
Dawkins proposes that religion is a by-product arising from other features of the human species that are adaptive.[10] One such feature is the tendency of children to "believe, without question, whatever your grown-ups tell you" (Dawkins, 2006, p. 174).
Several authors have been critical of religious indoctrination of children, such as Nicholas Humphrey,[8] Daniel Dennett[9] and Richard Dawkins.[10] Christopher Hitchens and Dawkins use the term child abuse to describe the harm that some religious upbringings inflict on children.[11][12] A. C. Grayling has argued "we are all born atheists... and it takes a certain amount of work on the part of the adults in our community to persuade [children] differently."[13]
Professor Grayling argues that 'we are all born atheists...
Dawkins states that he is angered by the labels "Muslim child" or "Catholic child". He asks how a young child can be considered intellectually mature enough to have such independent views on the cosmos and humanity's place within it. By contrast, Dawkins points out, no reasonable person would speak of a "Marxist child"[a] or a "Tory child."[11]
Is This Video of a Baby Being Violently Dunked in Water Real? Mixture
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Mum stops ‘sadist’ priest at baby son’s baptism
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Orthodox Church under fire in Romania after baby dies following baptismThis article is more than 2 months oldSix-week-old suffered cardiac arrest during ceremony, which involves three immersions in holy water
Infant Baptism is enforced membership of the Catholic Church, says Mary McAleese
Reformed paedobaptists frequently cite Col 2:11–12 as evidence that baptism replaces circumcision as the covenant sign signifying the same realities. For example, question 74 in theHeidelberg Catechism asks,Q. Should infants, too, be baptized?A. Yes. For they as well as adults belong to God’s covenant and community (Gen. 17:7)and no less than adults are promised forgiveness of sin through Christ’s blood (Matt.19:14) and the Holy Spirit, who produces faith (Ps. 22:10; Is. 44:1–3; Luke 1:15; Acts2:39; 16:31).
Many countries have only recently started taking a systematic look at how the topic of evolutionary theory and biology is addressed in classrooms. Early research suggests that not only does anti-evolution instruction make its way into science classes worldwide—from the European Union to Southeast Asia—but in many regions, it also seems to be on the rise.In some parts of the world, such as countries in northeastern Asia, evolution has had a relatively solid toehold in curricula for decades. But even in the U.K. the rise of publicly funded free schools allow alternatives to state-approved science curricula. And in some Muslim-majority countries, such as Pakistan, many teachers tell students to disregard the evolution unit entirely because the theory is incorrect.
As lunchtime arrived and the crowds of noisy men and women cleared away, a curious judge asked her what she was doing sitting alone on a bench.
“I came to get a divorce,” 10-year-old Nujood Ali told the jurist.
(CNN) -- A 12-year-old Yemeni bride died of internal bleeding following intercourse three days after she was married off to an older man, the United Nations Children's Fund said.
Children's rights group draws attention to plight of child brides in Yemen
- 12-year-old Yemeni girl Fawziya Ammodi died after painful three-day labor
- Fawziya left school and was forced to marry a 24-year-old man in 2008
- More than half of all young Yemeni girls are married off before the age of 18
Child Brides, Inegalitarianism, and the Fundamentalist Polygamous Family in the United States
Some religions treat illness, both mental and physical, in a manner that does not heal, and in some cases exacerbates the problem. Specific examples include faith healing of certain Christian sects, denominations which eschew medical care including vaccinations or blood transfusions, and exorcisms.[23][24]
An autistic eight-year-old boy has died during a prayer service held to supposedly cure him of the evil spirits blamed for causing his condition.
A detailed study in 1998 found 140 instances of deaths of children due to religion-based medical neglect. Most of these cases involved religious parents relying on prayer to cure the child's disease, and withholding medical care.[28]
The State of Israel recognizes all religious schools, at every level, whether they are publicly funded or privatized. The state has taken on a "melting pot" mentality to education in Israel, meaning they back all religious schools and teachings of religions as long as they follow the mandated structure set by the Ministry of education. Religion plays a large role in the education of all students in Israel.[5]
This becomes more complicated when trying to compare students from schools that teach different religious historical backgrounds (i.e. Arab schools and Jewish schools.) Furthermore, a recent study found that the rising budget cuts to state secular and state religious schools drove up the number of students who attended private institutions for religious or academic studies, and critics argue that this creates a bigger divide among the wealthier and lower classes, primarily the Muslim and Jewish populations. Critics argue that a bigger wedge between varying religions cause further divide among the different ethnicities within the state, causing long term tension.[13]
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from the daily act of collective worship if they wish.
Sixth-formers can decide for themselves whether or not to attend, without giving a reason for doing so.
Guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) defines worship in this context as "reverence or veneration paid to a divine being or power."[5]
On the opposing side, others have argued that prayer has no place in a classroom where impressionable students are continually subject to influence by the majority.[3]
"ID's home base is the Center for Science and Culture at Seattle's conservative Discovery Institute. Meyer directs the center; former Reagan adviser Bruce Chapman heads the larger institute, with input from the Christian supply-sider and former American Spectator owner George Gilder (also a Discovery senior fellow). From this perch, the ID crowd has pushed a "teach the controversy" approach to evolution that closely influenced the Ohio State Board of Education's recently proposed science standards, which would require students to learn how scientists "continue to investigate and critically analyze" aspects of Darwin's theory.
Some bills seek to discredit evolution by emphasizing so-called "flaws" in the theory of evolution or "disagreements" within the scientific community. Others insist that teachers have absolute freedom within their classrooms and cannot be disciplined for teaching non-scientific "alternatives" to evolution. A number of bills require that students be taught to "critically analyze" evolution or to understand "the controversy." But there is no significant controversy within the scientific community about the validity of the theory of evolution. The current controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution is not a scientific one."
Schools are where many people – parents, children, and teachers – first encounter religion and discrimination by certain religious groups; school-related requests for help, advice, and guidance constitute the largest single category of requests that Humanists UK receives from the public. We have campaigned and lobbied for over a century for the rights and interests of humanists and other non-religious people in education, for non-religious beliefs to be respected in schools, and for a genuinely inclusive school system where all pupils receive a rounded education and are taught together, not separately according to the beliefs of their parents.
Full forfeit
full forfeit
Though I disagree, in principle, Pro did bring sound, sourced arguments to the table that have merit and ought to be considered and would have been compelling even had Con brought argument. Well done, Nevets.
Full forfeit
FF .
EXTRAORDINARILY, CON DID NOT MAKE EVEN A SINGLE SPELLING MISTAKE.
I'm cool with that
I am not disclosing what the arguments might be in the comment section
So how are these arguments against religion?
Well I was certainly taught the basics about God and Jesus, aswell as the main biblical stories including creation. The exodus et cetera. And I seem to remember sitting in assembly saying prayers and singing hymns.
What arguments do you believe are being taught?
In general I support teaching all religions in RE/RS type subjects. However, scientology, Satanism and Jehovah's Wintess as well as others may not be worth teaching to general school populations so I'd end up in a tough spot on this debate.
tbh gugigor I have mentioned that the same burden of proof applies to me also in my defence
you can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that no good arguments exist for anything.
Unless Con proves that Religious schools are so important that they must continue existing...