Call for more 'acts of worship' in schools

[Sgt Badass]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/5072756.stm

What's more stunning is it's supposed to be the law! This country's more backward than I thought.

[huw-l]

Since King Henry VIII we've also had a state-sponsored Chruch: The Church of England. No establishment clause here. Although apart from the compulsory woship bits of various education acts I'm not sure what state-sponsored actually boils down to these days.

The obvious riposte to this letter would be to call for Islam to be made the national religion. That would shut them up.

[vbloke]

We don't have the same thing as in the USA, our church and state are the same thing.

How they're going to foist a collective worship onto a population that includes a multitude of faiths is beyond me.

Our respective deity who may or may not reside in heaven or other spiritual abode,
many and various be thy name
Thy kingdom/domain/realm/spiritual abode come
Thy will/best wishes/holy war/pogrom/hopes be done
On earth as it is in heaven or other spiritual abode.
Give us this day our daily bread/bling/communion wafer/wine/water/grain/meat-free produce
And forgive us our trespasses/sins/criminal record
As we forgive/kill/ignore/battle those who trespass/sin/kill/covet/defame/do stuff against us
And lead us not into temptation/ignorance/other ways of living/poverty/starvation/jail
But deliver us from evil/sin/infidels/unbelievers/being able to think for ourselves
For thine is the kingdom/domain/realm/spiritual abode
The power/bling/eternal something or other
And the glory/virgins/redemption/reincarnation/meat-free produce
For ever and ever
(*insert appropriate mumbled name of deity here*)

[Admin]

This quote sums it up for me:

<blockquote>General secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, John Dunford, said: "The law compelling schools to conduct collective worship is a contradiction in terms - worship cannot be compelled. "</blockquote>Unless worship is voluntary, it's indoctrination.

And, when was it ever shown that collective worship is important in a child's moral development?

[Sgt Badass]

We don't have the same thing as in the USA, our church and state are the same thing.

'tis strange that a country with a direct and constitutional split between religion and state, there is far more religious fundyism and it penetrates the heart of government.

Over here I get the feeling that most people just shrug their shoulders and say "eh, whatever".

[Hazen]

Our respective deity who may or may not reside in heaven or other spiritual abode,
many and various be thy name
Thy kingdom/domain/realm/spiritual abode come
Thy will/best wishes/holy war/pogrom/hopes be done
On earth as it is in heaven or other spiritual abode.
Give us this day our daily bread/bling/communion wafer/wine/water/grain/meat-free produce
And forgive us our trespasses/sins/criminal record
As we forgive/kill/ignore/battle those who trespass/sin/kill/covet/defame/do stuff against us
And lead us not into temptation/ignorance/other ways of living/poverty/starvation/jail
But deliver us from evil/sin/infidels/unbelievers/being able to think for ourselves
For thine is the kingdom/domain/realm/spiritual abode
The power/bling/eternal something or other
And the glory/virgins/redemption/reincarnation/meat-free produce
For ever and ever
(*insert appropriate mumbled name of deity here*)

If we had a TLA I would have nominated this

[doubting thomas]

As i have said elsewhere i went to a Catholic school and attendance at morning worship or "assembly" was actively encouraged or enforced however you want see it.

Opting out was not an option, or if it was there was no mention of it.