Is Quebec's mandatory school curriculum in ethics and religion a good idea?
Quebec mandates that all schools teach an 11-year curriculum in ethics and religious culture. Students study a broad range of world religions, with an emphasis on Quebec's own religious heritage (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and native religions). A number of parents have complained that this is a violation of their freedom of religion, but a recent court case was decided in favor of the government.
What do you think? Is this a model to be emulated, or an abomination? Why?
Please provide sources for any facts used to support your answer.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$3 Answers
Now all school children will get a balanced course covering all the world's religions. It is even a requirement at parochial schools. While it's not clear that this is a good way to spend the government's money or students' time compared to more science classes, for instance, it certainly is an improvement.
This would be a good model to emulate in countries or provinces where some specific religion is currently taught. It would be a huge advance in the civilization of Middle East countries if instituted there.
On the other hand, it would be a bad idea in secular countries where Freedom of Religion is more established.
Ideally, religion should be treated as pornography is today; and, it should be a major crime to subject children to religious instruction. When they are full adults, say 21 years old, they may be mature enough to evaluate religious teachings for themselves. A child, who is deemed too immature to see sex or drink alcohol, is somehow deemed mature enough to be exposed to the most difficult, abstract, and violence-prone philosophies, which is ridiculous. The result is brainwashing, where virtually all children are unable to escape the religion of their parents and make an informed choice.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$Religion/Philosophy/Theology deal with some of the most profound questions of life - and kids should definitely gaining understanding and learning about these ideas.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I agree. Religion happens. Turning your back on it won't make it go away. More information is helpful.
But as I've said many times on Mahalo, teach logic and proper scientific method. Take all theoretical teachings out of the classroom (such as creation and evolution) and focus on data gathering and experiments without requiring the students to come conclusions that are based on theory.
Let them think for themselves in every area. Not just religion.
The universal declaration of human rights:
"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion"
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I think you are confusing compulsory religious instruction with compulsory religion – these are completely different. No one is suggesting forcing religious rituals or forcing beliefs on people. Your argument is akin to suggesting that by teaching ABOUT cancer in a biology class that people would be forced to HAVE cancer. It doesn’t work that way.
A crime? I can not think of a better way to encourage kids to get involved with the weirder side of religion than to treat it as taboo.
It is certainly unjust if the government teaches protestant or catholic courses to kids just because their parents pick the course. And, families of other religions had no equivalent. A broad ethics course for all is a big improvement.
Did you happen to read that fourth source I listed? Really criminal. But I was mainly making a parallel to how porn is currently treated. Adults who attempt to "groom" children or who give or sell porn to children are considered among society's worst criminals. I think that should be the approach to adults who "groom" their children to a particular religion or give or sell them religious literature.
I did not even need to read the other answers to yours was the best, the paragraph that starts Ideally... sold me. never heard a more cogent answer.
A crime? You sound upset, but I don't think being exposed to more information deserves being classified as criminal. On the plus side, I'm glad my experience with religious education is nothing like you describe.
I'm in favor of taking all "theoretical" teachings out of the classrooms and substituting them with proper scientific (and theoretical) method. Teach logic and how to determine fact from rhetoric and you'll have kids that can make good decisions at any age.
I vote no for book burnings too. But I'm fanatical like that.
" For Quebec, it is a step forward. In the past religion was taught in schools, and the parents were able to choose which religion (if they were Catholic or Protestant). That was terribly unfair to members of other religions and certainly not the government's business to do at all. "
This is non sense : in practice there were four possibilities :
1) a "neutral" ethics course
2) A Catholic course
3) A protestant course
4) Exemption
Now there is a single "neutral" ethics course with NO EXEMPTION all this in the name of diversity (a single course in the name of diversity!) and dialogue (sorry, you don't have anything to say, your child must attend)!
The Minister of Education, Mrs Courchesne, has even said that for such as great advance "toes will need to be stepped upon" (in Le Soleil, February 2009).
Also this course is also not the first to introduce facts about other religions (this was already the case in the Protestant/Catholic courses), it is the first that says that teachers should says (even in Catholic private schools, see the court case Loyola High has launched against Quebec's Monopoly of Education in this regard) that all religions are basically the same (all aspects of the religious phenomenon) and all equally worthy of respect (even some agnostics have problems with that, see the MLQ).