I borrowed the title of this post from Ariane Sherine’s article Hey, preacher – leave those kids alone, which in itself originates from Roger Waters’ lyric from Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall‘.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is campaigning against the labelling of children as belonging to a particular faith – they can decide for themselves when they are old enough. Religious faith often comes about by accident of birth. Someone believes a particular set of myths (they may not see them as myths, but regard ‘other’ religions’ stories as myths..) because they were born in a certain place at a certain time. And that in itself comes about because somebody told someone else it was true. Religions come and go. But generally, people have faith because they were told so by a figure of authority.
Many will be familiar with the child that is labelled as a supporter of their parent’s favourite sports team. I have known of parents not allowing their child to support another team. Children are told how good the team is and that it is wrong to support another. Perhaps it is harmless. But to tell children they belong to a religion, and that a particular God is to be followed, obeyed, worshipped and if one doesn’t do so, they risk eternal hellfire. That’s wrong.
In this time of increasing knowledge of evolution, cosmology, particle physics and science in general, it just doesn’t seem right that children are being taught religious ideas of Creation as fact. As someone who never became religious, or was never brought up to be religious, I feel that children being labelled by their brand of faith and instructed in religious myths as an explanation for nature are being put at a disadvantage to say the least. Really, one might ask should this even be legal? It might be understandable (though not right) in places where education is lacking. People have a tendency to believe what they are told, especially at a young age.
Our society (Britain) has largely out-grown the myths that hung over us for almost 2 millennia, and that was largely due to freedom from religion, academic knowledge and ideas put forward by the likes of Charles Darwin. Richard Dawkins (The Greatest Show On Earth, 2009) speaks of how the Archbishop of Canterbury accepts evolution, as does the Pope.
Who are these fundamentalists? They come from various faiths, and I feel that they have a lot in common – the denial scientific knowledge due to their religious beliefs would prompt me to label them delusional at best. Creationists – Christian, Jewish, Islamic are irrational and dangerous. Some are not content to just indoctrinate their own children.
Right to religious freedom and to pray, worship.. yes. Religious education for all.. yes. Learning about other cultures, sharing and absorbing different ideas.. yes. Telling children God made the world.. no, not in school.
We don’t need indoctrination! We don’t need thought control! Hey, preacher – leave those kids alone!
(‘Cause if you don’t I am going to get angry..)
We don’t need no education.
We don’t need no thought control.
No dark sarcasm in the classroom.
Teachers leave them kids alone.
Hey teacher leave them kids alone.
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.
‘Another Brick in the Wall‘ (Roger Waters) by Pink Floyd
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is campaigning against faith schools – donate to the campaign.
