#religion in school

[360degreesasthecrowflies]

A note on the Katharine Birbalsingh 'removing prayer from schools/defending schools from Islam' story that is doing the rounds in the UK right now...

As you may already have been aware, predictably, Ms Birbalsingh is not, as she presents herself, an impartial educator just fighting against an unjust system.

Firstly, she has direct links to the Tory government including the likes of Suella Braverman, both in terms of securing her funding and her position in the first place.

Secondly, she (and media sources that she has chosen to appear on to support her position) is misrepresenting the situation, which frankly from someone who is an educator and purportedly a role model for children I find reprehensible.

So here's an actual summary of what the situation is here:

Ms Birbalsingh instituted a policy that students at her 11-18 high school - which she admits is multicultural and has students of faith attending (including 50% Muslim students) and is a school where, within the English education system, students do not have a choice of which school they attend - would be forbidden to pray indoors inside the school or to have a specific room to pray in, but could pray outdoors if they wished

Recently, during the winter some of her students took her up on this and, following her instructions and the school rules exactly, prayed outdoors, kneeling on the cold ground

These students were witnessed by passers-by through the school gate, who contacted Ms Birbalsingh and suggested that the students shouldn't have to pray outdoors in the playground in the middle of winter

Ms Birbalsingh then decided this wasn't acceptable and ran to the media, securing several high-profile interviews (strange for a regular educator, no?) in which she portrayed this entire situation as some kind of sustained campaign of hate and terror against herself personally and some kind of culture war, all because students at what she herself describes as 'the strictest school in Britain' followed the rules that she herself set out of where they could pray and, horror of horrors, were seen by members of the public in a way that might make her look bad.

[minilibrarian]

There’s a huge difference between teaching religion and practicing/preaching religion in schools.

Religion is a part of social studies and history that should be taught to children, as it’s involved in, and in many times is the basis of, huge world events and conflicts. We should absolutely be exposing children to the various different religious practices throughout the world and giving them quality information on what religion is and isn’t so as not to be influenced by the misinformation spread by religious extremists and bigots.

However, acknowledging and teaching about religion in school should absolutely not include the act of praying or persuading. Children shouldn’t have to swear their allegiance to their country every morning under a god they don’t have the information to decide whether they believe in, or listen to their teacher or coach preach and pray before they learn or play sports. This is completely different from and is outside the realm of education.

So, when I say religion should be kept out of schools, I don’t mean it shouldn’t be taught.

[queenbeaver69]

HAIL SATAN 👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌

[moishgil]

Donald Trump agrees that the 10 Commandments must be posted in every classroom in America. (As long as it's his alternative version.)

I. Thou shalt have no other leaders than Donald Trump.II. America has never had as perfect a leader as Donald Trump. Everyone knows that, he’s tremendous. He was chosen to lead America the promised land where the interests of the few always come before the needs of the many.III. You will hang flattering pictures of Donald Trump in your homes and places of work. Look at them often and envy the…

[macwantspeace]

"to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation" Narrator voice: the bibble had nothing to do with the foundation of our country.

“Public schools are not Sunday schools. Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters has repeatedly made clear that he is incapable of distinguishing the difference and is unfit for office. His latest scheme – to mandate use of the Bible in Oklahoma public schools’ curriculum – is a transparent, unconstitutional effort to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students.” Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Got to post the ten commandments from the charleton heston movie. Got to preach the bibble. Got to fund religious schools. Gonna have a group prayer on the fifty yard line. And then? Will there be school lunches?

[anonymousdandelion]

A general tip for students who are sending those dreaded Religious Absence Emails to your professors: Rather than asking permission to take the day(s) off, politely let them know that you will be taking the day(s) off.

In other words, consider not saying this:

"May I miss class on [date] so I can observe [holiday]?"

It's not that there's anything wrong with the above, per se. But because it's phrased as a request, it risks coming across as optional — a favor you hope to be granted. Problem is, favors are not owed, and so unfortunately asking permission opens the door for the professor to respond "Thanks for asking. No, you may not. :)"

Instead, try something along the lines of:

"I will need to miss class on [date] because I will be observing [holiday]. I wanted to let you know of this conflict now, and to ask your assistance in making arrangements for making up whatever material I may miss as a result of this absence."

This is pretty formal language (naturally, you can and should tweak it to sound more like your voice). But the important piece is that, while still being respectful, it shifts the focus of the discussion so that the question becomes not "Is it okay for me to observe my religion?", but rather, "How can we best accommodate my observance?"

Because the first question should not be up for debate: freedom of religion is a right, not a favor. And the second question is the subject you need to discuss.

(Ideally, do this after you've looked up your school's policy on religious absences, so you know what you're working within and that religious discrimination is illegal. Just in case your professor forgot.)

[mysharona1987]

[junotter]

Part 2 of my modern avatar au, The Gaang (part 1)

[stil-lindigo]

the fox god.

a comic about a trickster.

--

creative notes:

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all my other comics

store

[pisstiel]

i do have like a clergy kink but i need the outfits and attitudes to be serious. no fucking fishnet stockings or smoky eyes. the nuns and priests in my fantasies don't revel in being "naughty," they either provide solemn corporal punishment or they are so overwhelmed by lust that they give in to their desires with immense guilt. making it all porny just ruins the fantasy for me

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[katabay]

LIPS, MIND, HEART. KNIGHTS, VIOLENCE. CONVICTION.

some. kind of idea. I might try and tackle next year. tragically, I need to do research on the medieval economy lmao

the first knight is the youngest of the pair, eager for war glory. the priest is thinking of murdering him on his return. the eldest brother is thinking of deserting the army en route for a coastal fishing village where no one will know his name.

the statue with all the swords is our lady of sorrows, traditionally fashioned with seven swords. I've decided to do three on each side and the seventh held in front instead of the usual 3 on one side and 4 on the other split I see so that it matches that other panel's sword/hand position :)))

⭐ places I’m at! bsky / pixiv / pillowfort /cohost / cara.app / insta / tip jar!

[carm3n-carm3n]

༺♡come on everybody to the boarding school♡༻

[zimtlees]

ORELIUS PUPPINGAY JERMA

My little Orel

[one-time-i-dreamt]

My friend was sitting on my bed and was giving me a Hatsune Miku tattoo but she only got about halfway through and it was just a bunch of weird lines. I regretted the tattoo before she could finish it because I got scared my family would be mad, so I got my religion teacher to remove it in her tattoo studio in her classroom.

[moeblob]

Sorry I forgot Hanneman suggested Byleth undress after they show up with a different hair color. And I miss Hanneman. And also while swapping between Houses and Hopes and seeing Hanneman pop up to help in a Hopes paralogue is just devastating since he doesn't ever actually join you at all and I am denied my old man rights.

So I had to draw this. Thank you for understanding.