DISQUS

Nice point about Doris' disappearing act Scott - a little like someone else we know hey ;p I find it both amusing and offensive that God botherers demand evidence for evolution yet can provide nothing but 2000 year old rhetoric to support their claims! According to them their argument is so solid but all it comes down to is feelings and emotions.

As for the mental illness issue, again if someone were getting around telling people that pixies in the garden were talking to them they would be institutionalised Yet if god talks to someone that's perfectly rational behaviour. When was the last time anyone actually saw god???

Cal,

You have reverted back to the "parent is always right" argument. This is so often not the case. I work in a lower socio-economic school and I see on a daily basis the "parental influence" that children suffer. Humans may be altricial, but does that mean that it is the best way to be? You obviously believe so but my experience (both personal and professional) leads me to believe otherwise.

Your comment on parental authority perplexes me. Let me get this straight. So as long as parents aren't "consciously" harming their children its ok, but if they consciously do it then someone else should step in? That makes no sense to me.
Harm is harm and blinding children by enforcing only one viewpoint is disadvantageous. It is worse still when a particular viewpoint is forced upon them without them having the opportunity to decide for themselves! Look at the jehovas or the morons (mormans). You cannot attempt to promote that as a healthy and balanced upbringing for a child!

Also, did you not read my opinion on if religion is to be taught then it should be taught from all perspectives thus giving the child the choice?

"Paying for nonsense that you don't agree with"??? Welcome to the world for atheists who have had religion rammed down their necks in schools for centuries.

As for your comment on totalitarianism and removal of rights. For centuries it has been religious organisations have have been the totalitarians and taken away the rights of the "non-believers". Now the shoe is on the other foot and they are bitching. If you knew anything about Sweden you would know that it is one of the most liberal societies in the world. They are generally accepting of different viewpoints, even religious ones. The argument is not about religion being allowed, it's about them (religious groups) providing "PROOF" before they teach it as FACT. Something that they are yet to do. ( and no, people believing it to be true and PROOF are 2 very different things!)

sorry about the typo! "Their" instead of "there" in the first sentence :p

That's exactly my point! They are complaining that there rights are being taken away yet they take the rights of the kids without a second thought. Why do they have ultimate power. They haven't studied educational psychology, to know the effects that their decisions will have on these children. All the Swedish government is doing is allowing those who actually know how to best educate a child to do their jobs. I once watched a "talk" that the principal and pastor of a school had with year 11 students on how science fits in with their religion! Go figure....IT DOESN'T. Yet they are literally allowed to teach what ever the hell they want and no one is allowed to ask questions! It's absurd.

It both amuses and frustrates me to no end when I read comments saying that parents reserve the right to do WHATEVER they want to their children and no one should say otherwise. What credentials do parents have that make them the choosers of curriculum, thus deciding absolutely what their children will be exposed to? Where are the childrens' civil rights here??? Further to this religious groups know how impressionable young minds are and bank on this as a means to secure a following. It is the state's responsibility (who employ education professionals) to ensure that children are able to grow up in a safe environment. This includes protecting them from fundamental religion being forced on them by parents who take the "we are always right, we are the parents" approach! I am a teacher and I have seen what happens to children who buck against the religious teachings of a religious school. If this is appropriate pedagogy, then why don't we just bring back corporal punishment while we are at it? As usual, those going in to bat for the side of religion only look at things from their perspective. IF, religion is to be taught at all in schools, the only socially just way for it to be done is if a multitude of religions/viewpoints (atheism included) were taught and the students themselves were able to CHOOSE which one they wished to follow.

Well said! They (religious organisations)require us to be unintelligent enough to swallow the fairy tale. This is why they discourage independent and critical thinking. This also means that those who take the blue pill and continue on with the dream lack sufficient intellectual capabilities to successfully navigate the complexities of society in the 21st century.

Well said! They (religious organisations)require us to be unintelligent enough to swallow the fairy tale. This is why they discourage independent and critical thinking. This also means that those who take the blue pill and continue on with the dream lack sufficient intellectual capabilities to successfully navigate the complexities of society in the 21st century.