In the UK, religious studies are still- technically at least- taught in
every school, and parents have the right to withdraw their children.
There is also a morning assembly, supposed to be religious in tone (it is by
no means always so) and again parents have the right to withdraw their
children.
We also have a considerable number of faith schools, supported
by the government, so they are free for the pupils and are immensely
popular.
In a very few of them, there have been questions raised about
the sort of syllabus used, including whether creationism is taught in some
Christian schools and whether one Islamic school teaches views that are
derogatory about Judaism or Christianity.
So we operate in a very different system from the U.S. The teaching
of religion in school is commonplace. We are also very poor church
attenders, a deeply irreligious society in the main, with the exception
of Catholics, Muslims and some rather more traditional Jews. Mainstream
religious practice has been diminishing for decades.
The question for the UK is, therefore, whether teaching of religion in
schools has helped keep the population faithful, and the answer, for the
mainstream at least, is patently a resounding no.
It is clear that home teaching, and home practice-emulating parents who are faithful Jews,
Christians or Muslims, is far more important than simply teaching in the
schools.
So a UK message to the U.S. is not about teaching religion in the schools,
though I do believe teaching about religion, and about the different
faith groups in our society, is an important part of citizenship education.
What we need to teach in the UK is what it means to be faithful, and I
believe that can only be done through the home and family. Schools have no place
here.
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