Religion classes in school - Megathread

Richard Perez3 said:Quincy:

Lawrence Torres56 I can't even begin to process what they just said. Seriously. It’s like some people just wake up and decide to be completely disconnected from reality. I'm sitting here staring at my screen, rubbing my temples, thinking, "Is this guy for real?" It's honestly exhausting dealing with this kind of nonsense. Every time I think we've hit rock bottom with these discussions, someone comes along and digs a hole right under us. Just... wow. Typical. Honestly, it’s not even an insult. It’s just a massive red flag showing exactly what kind of people he hangs out with.👍 And besides, do you guys seriously think kids in school are actually sitting around talking about religious stuff? Like, give me a break. It’s all video games and crushes. That's it. 😍

Look, it’s always a mess when a friend suddenly turns on you like that. It's tough, I get it. But honestly? Most of the time, they’re just acting out because of all that stupid stuff they were raised with. It's just human stupidity, passed down from parents to kids. Typical.
Yeah, they’re talking. You wouldn't think so just looking at them, but they're definitely talking.

I don't know about all this, but I certainly am not raising my kid to obsess over fake friendships, nor am I teaching them to feel like they need to hang out with bullies who use blackmail as a social tool. Thank God for small mercies, right?

Plus, I’m driving my kid to school every single day, picking up a bunch of other kids along the way too, and honestly, I have never once heard them discussing religion, let alone judging someone because they didn't show up to Sunday service or aren't religious. There are kids of all different faiths—and even little atheists—in that group.
So, if the kids in your circle *are* actually talking about faith, shouldn't that be even more reason for you parents to sit them down and explain that it doesn't matter if they aren't believers? Why should they feel any shame over it?

nimblelynx7 said:You're right on that point, but it’s never that simple when it’s your own flesh and blood. The Church knows exactly how to exploit that, which is why they play the games they do.

Believe it or not, the church isn't the one pulling the strings here; it's pure politics. Honestly, it's not even that hard to explain things clearly to a kid, provided you actually have the willpower to do it.

Man, you're just preaching here. I’m sure as hell not raising my kid to stress out over fake friends. And we actually talk about this stuff. 😁
Like, is it a crime to talk about feelings?
Look, I teach my kid everything, but getting them to face certain truths involves some serious emotional baggage. Like, imagine your best friend suddenly judges you for something totally out of your control—something that shouldn't even matter to the friendship. A kid has to process that mess first.
Our job is to help them through it if we can.
Or at least not make it worse.
Just because we adults are sitting here discussing this doesn't mean we're teaching kids to cave to blackmail.
If anything, it's the exact opposite. That's why we're talking about it.

Richard Perez3 said:Man, you're just preaching here. I’m sure as hell not raising my kid to stress out over fake friends. And we actually talk about this stuff. 😁
Like, is it a crime to talk about feelings?
Look, I teach my kid everything, but getting them to face certain truths involves some serious emotional baggage. Like, imagine your best friend suddenly judges you for something totally out of your control—something that shouldn't even matter to the friendship. A kid has to process that mess first.
Our job is to help them through it if we can.
Or at least not make it worse.
Just because we adults are sitting here discussing this doesn't mean we're teaching kids to cave to blackmail.
If anything, it's the exact opposite. That's why we're talking about it.

No, those aren't "extremes"—real extremes would be telling a kid who knows nothing about religion that they should be traumatized just because someone at school mentioned the devil, or acting like they're broken because someone doesn't want to hang out with them anymore... sorry, no offense intended, but what exactly are you teaching your kids if that's your stance? Seriously, what's the point? What are they supposed to do? Forbid their so-called "best friends" from mentioning God just because we aren't religious?😕...it's like you think they won't feel any emotional pain in that scenario, or that we should force people to stay friends with our kid just because our kid wants them to.🤔

And honestly, who even said we're teaching kids to give in to blackmail? We're saying that a true friend isn't someone who tries to hold a friendship hostage based on faith or anything else.
There’s really no need to turn every little playground spat into some massive tragedy just because someone happened to mention God. Kids are going to fight over the most trivial things, make up, break up, and move on; today it's Tyler, tomorrow it's Jackson, and that's just life.
Besides, are you guys 100% certain your kid hasn't started badmouthing God in front of that "best friend," and maybe *that's* the actual reason the friendship ended?

You’re getting all worked up over nothing.
Are you even reading what you wrote?
You literally said you teach your kid not to settle for blackmail, which basically implies everyone else is out here teaching their kids that stuff, and then suddenly you’re like, "who even says you're teaching kids..." Like, by saying *you* don't do it, you're pretty much admitting other people do.

Anyway, whatever, I'm too exhausted to play these mental games with you.
I just think you're being way too dismissive about this whole thing, acting like "oh, you don't teach your child to get hung up on fake friendships" is some deep insight.
Nobody here is doing that.
Your comment was just a total generalization.
Now that we've hopefully moved past that and you've realized everyone else is looking at this the same way, let's move on.
Does a kid even have the right to feel disappointed when they realize a friend isn't actually a friend anymore—due to broken trust?

Richard Perez3 said:You’re getting all worked up over nothing.
Are you even reading what you wrote?
You literally said you teach your kid not to settle for blackmail, which basically implies everyone else is out here teaching their kids that stuff, and then suddenly you’re like, "who even says you're teaching kids..." Like, by saying *you* don't do it, you're pretty much admitting other people do.

Anyway, whatever, I'm too exhausted to play these mental games with you.
I just think you're being way too dismissive about this whole thing, acting like "oh, you don't teach your child to get hung up on fake friendships" is some deep insight.
Nobody here is doing that.
Your comment was just a total generalization.
Now that we've hopefully moved past that and you've realized everyone else is looking at this the same way, let's move on.
Does a kid even have the right to feel disappointed when they realize a friend isn't actually a friend anymore—due to broken trust?

Don't worry, I'm not losing my cool.😁
And yes, I am reading everything I write and everything anyone else writes, and sorry, I'm not implying anything—it's just that people who bring up trauma are usually the ones whose kids lost their best friends over religious stuff.🤦,
Does a kid have the right to be disappointed because of a friend's religious beliefs? Sure, they do, but if you ask me, it's kind of silly because kids that age shouldn't even be weighed down by that kind of stuff... which brings us back to the same point: it's not the kids' fault, it's us parents who end up poisoning them with our own ideologies instead of just explaining things simply and letting them be kids.

Lawrence Torres56 said:I don't know about all this, but I certainly am not raising my kid to obsess over fake friendships, nor am I teaching them to feel like they need to hang out with bullies who use blackmail as a social tool. Thank God for small mercies, right?

Plus, I’m driving my kid to school every single day, picking up a bunch of other kids along the way too, and honestly, I have never once heard them discussing religion, let alone judging someone because they didn't show up to Sunday service or aren't religious. There are kids of all different faiths—and even little atheists—in that group.
So, if the kids in your circle *are* actually talking about faith, shouldn't that be even more reason for you parents to sit them down and explain that it doesn't matter if they aren't believers? Why should they feel any shame over it?

Believe it or not, the church isn't the one pulling the strings here; it's pure politics. Honestly, it's not even that hard to explain things clearly to a kid, provided you actually have the willpower to do it.

Both the church and politicians are in this together. They both run on money and influence, trading favors in a symbiotic loop because the payoff works for both sides.

It's easy to explain things to someone else's kid.

I honestly can’t wrap my head around this whole idea that you lose a best friend just because they aren't religious. When I sit back and actually look at my own life, most of the friends I grew up with were believers, and whether it was because of my family's values or theirs, it never once put our bond in jeopardy. Even looking at my young child right now—who is a believer—they have a best friend who doesn't participate in any religious studies at all.

The other thing to consider is that we are talking about seven-year-olds here, and let's be honest, friendships at that age are incredibly fragile. These little bonds tend to fracture over all sorts of trivial nonsense, and if you ask me, religion shouldn't be the catalyst for some massive drama. It’s all very much the same whether they are bickering over someone being a little chubby, wearing glasses, rocking certain designer sneakers, or debating religious education. What they really need is for us to explain that judging someone like that isn't okay, and that a friend who evaluates you based on those things isn't truly a friend, even if they were your absolute best friend just yesterday.

northerncobra27 said:I honestly can’t wrap my head around this whole idea that you lose a best friend just because they aren't religious. When I sit back and actually look at my own life, most of the friends I grew up with were believers, and whether it was because of my family's values or theirs, it never once put our bond in jeopardy. Even looking at my young child right now—who is a believer—they have a best friend who doesn't participate in any religious studies at all.

The other thing to consider is that we are talking about seven-year-olds here, and let's be honest, friendships at that age are incredibly fragile. These little bonds tend to fracture over all sorts of trivial nonsense, and if you ask me, religion shouldn't be the catalyst for some massive drama. It’s all very much the same whether they are bickering over someone being a little chubby, wearing glasses, rocking certain designer sneakers, or debating religious education. What they really need is for us to explain that judging someone like that isn't okay, and that a friend who evaluates you based on those things isn't truly a friend, even if they were your absolute best friend just yesterday.

🤣 Spot on.

Lawrence Torres56 said:I don't know about all this, but I certainly am not raising my kid to obsess over fake friendships, nor am I teaching them to feel like they need to hang out with bullies who use blackmail as a social tool. Thank God for small mercies, right?

Plus, I’m driving my kid to school every single day, picking up a bunch of other kids along the way too, and honestly, I have never once heard them discussing religion, let alone judging someone because they didn't show up to Sunday service or aren't religious. There are kids of all different faiths—and even little atheists—in that group.
So, if the kids in your circle *are* actually talking about faith, shouldn't that be even more reason for you parents to sit them down and explain that it doesn't matter if they aren't believers? Why should they feel any shame over it?

Believe it or not, the church isn't the one pulling the strings here; it's pure politics. Honestly, it's not even that hard to explain things clearly to a kid, provided you actually have the willpower to do it.

Well, it’s not always about overt bullying. Sure, that happens, but there are so many subtle, everyday comments that can really sting and mess with how kids relate to one another.

I've seen it happen—and heard it from various kids—in so many different ways.
I'm not just talking about what's happening in my own backyard or with my own kids.
I'm talking about kids who feel left out by their peer group simply because they choose to do things differently or don't follow the crowd.
In my experience, this stems from both sides of the aisle: it's the result of how parents act, and also how teachers and religious education instructors behave at school.
Sometimes teachers just wash their hands of it, saying "it doesn't concern us," or you might find yourself wondering if you should enroll your child in religion class just because you see they're unhappy—even when the religious instructors end up encouraging kids to pray for those who aren't part of the faith.
Even with the best intentions, that can actually deepen the divide and make kids feel insecure just because they're different.
That's a real dynamic that plays out in schools. You can try to drill the opposite message home at home all you want, but if your kid walks into school and experiences the complete opposite, they're going to start questioning everything. They'll wonder if they're the ones being unreasonable, or if the people at home and their close friends are actually the ones in the wrong.

Lawrence Torres56 said:I don't know about all this, but I certainly am not raising my kid to obsess over fake friendships, nor am I teaching them to feel like they need to hang out with bullies who use blackmail as a social tool. Thank God for small mercies, right?

Plus, I’m driving my kid to school every single day, picking up a bunch of other kids along the way too, and honestly, I have never once heard them discussing religion, let alone judging someone because they didn't show up to Sunday service or aren't religious. There are kids of all different faiths—and even little atheists—in that group.
So, if the kids in your circle *are* actually talking about faith, shouldn't that be even more reason for you parents to sit them down and explain that it doesn't matter if they aren't believers? Why should they feel any shame over it?

Believe it or not, the church isn't the one pulling the strings here; it's pure politics. Honestly, it's not even that hard to explain things clearly to a kid, provided you actually have the willpower to do it.

If they aren't talking about it on the walk home while you're driving them, you'd assume they aren't talking about it at all.
😕

Oh, they talk. They talk all the time. From blessings over school lunches to Easter and First Communions, they talk about it. But you know when they talk about it most? When grades are being finalized. 🥳
When an 'A' feels worth more just because it's in a religion class 🤣. It sounds silly, but you'd be surprised how common it is.

They count up their straight A's, and suddenly the kid taking the religion course has twelve more A's on their report card than the kid who isn't, making the overall GPA look much better regardless of their other subjects.
And especially when someone thinks their grade in religion carries the same weight as their grade in math or English.

And how that religion grade can boost a GPA.
And yeah, it does boost it, and it does so in a way that feels pretty unfair.

You see it all the time at the border—that 3.4 or 3.5 GPA range where you have a bunch of Cs and Bs mixed with an A, mostly from subjects that aren't exactly life-changing.

Personally, I find this is a great way to show that grades shouldn't be everything. In my view, religious studies shouldn't even be graded, but we live in a reality where those numbers matter immensely for getting into a good high school. It’s why kids end up comparing themselves to one another on this specific subject, whether they are best friends, classmates, or total rivals.

Lawrence Torres56 said:I don't know about all this, but I certainly am not raising my kid to obsess over fake friendships, nor am I teaching them to feel like they need to hang out with bullies who use blackmail as a social tool. Thank God for small mercies, right?

Plus, I’m driving my kid to school every single day, picking up a bunch of other kids along the way too, and honestly, I have never once heard them discussing religion, let alone judging someone because they didn't show up to Sunday service or aren't religious. There are kids of all different faiths—and even little atheists—in that group.
So, if the kids in your circle *are* actually talking about faith, shouldn't that be even more reason for you parents to sit them down and explain that it doesn't matter if they aren't believers? Why should they feel any shame over it?

Believe it or not, the church isn't the one pulling the strings here; it's pure politics. Honestly, it's not even that hard to explain things clearly to a kid, provided you actually have the willpower to do it.

Politics has nothing to do with religious education 😂
but then why do we have agreements between the State and the Vatican? What is that if not politics?
While politics shouldn't influence someone's personal faith, it absolutely plays a role in how religious education is implemented.
It affects everything from how these classes are scheduled within the standard school day to how the instructors are hired.

At the end of the day, the blame lies squarely with the parents because half of them enroll their kids in religious education classes just so their children won't be labeled as "different" or "outcasts" standing out in the hallway, even though they wouldn't bother if it weren't for that social pressure. Parents need to stop signing their kids up just to make their own lives easier; if you stopped doing that, fewer kids would be stuck in those classes and more would actually be spending their time in the library or wherever else they belong.

Jacob Lopez2 said:At the end of the day, the blame lies squarely with the parents because half of them enroll their kids in religious education classes just so their children won't be labeled as "different" or "outcasts" standing out in the hallway, even though they wouldn't bother if it weren't for that social pressure. Parents need to stop signing their kids up just to make their own lives easier; if you stopped doing that, fewer kids would be stuck in those classes and more would actually be spending their time in the library or wherever else they belong.

Is that really all there is to it?
People protect their children. They don't want to create unnecessary hurdles for them.
Why is that so hard to understand?

Matthew Young35 said:Is that really all there is to it?
People protect their children. They don't want to create unnecessary hurdles for them.
Why is that so hard to understand?

It’s exactly this kind of mindset that keeps us stuck where we are. Protect them? From what? Some obnoxious, malicious kids? It doesn't matter if the catalyst is religious education or anything else—bullies will always find a way to target someone. I honestly don't get what you think you're shielding them from. You're just teaching children how to conform at the expense of their own values and principles. Sure, life requires compromise, but when it comes to core beliefs, this is precisely when you need to stand up for who you are.
I hear it from adults every single day: "I only took religion class because my parents forced me to; I couldn't wait for it to be over."
You should really take a moment to consider the message you're actually sending to your own children.

Susan James said:Well, it’s not always about overt bullying. Sure, that happens, but there are so many subtle, everyday comments that can really sting and mess with how kids relate to one another.

I've seen it happen—and heard it from various kids—in so many different ways.
I'm not just talking about what's happening in my own backyard or with my own kids.
I'm talking about kids who feel left out by their peer group simply because they choose to do things differently or don't follow the crowd.
In my experience, this stems from both sides of the aisle: it's the result of how parents act, and also how teachers and religious education instructors behave at school.
Sometimes teachers just wash their hands of it, saying "it doesn't concern us," or you might find yourself wondering if you should enroll your child in religion class just because you see they're unhappy—even when the religious instructors end up encouraging kids to pray for those who aren't part of the faith.
Even with the best intentions, that can actually deepen the divide and make kids feel insecure just because they're different.
That's a real dynamic that plays out in schools. You can try to drill the opposite message home at home all you want, but if your kid walks into school and experiences the complete opposite, they're going to start questioning everything. They'll wonder if they're the ones being unreasonable, or if the people at home and their close friends are actually the ones in the wrong.

If they aren't talking about it on the walk home while you're driving them, you'd assume they aren't talking about it at all.
😕

Oh, they talk. They talk all the time. From blessings over school lunches to Easter and First Communions, they talk about it. But you know when they talk about it most? When grades are being finalized. 🥳
When an 'A' feels worth more just because it's in a religion class 🤣. It sounds silly, but you'd be surprised how common it is.

They count up their straight A's, and suddenly the kid taking the religion course has twelve more A's on their report card than the kid who isn't, making the overall GPA look much better regardless of their other subjects.
And especially when someone thinks their grade in religion carries the same weight as their grade in math or English.

And how that religion grade can boost a GPA.
And yeah, it does boost it, and it does so in a way that feels pretty unfair.

You see it all the time at the border—that 3.4 or 3.5 GPA range where you have a bunch of Cs and Bs mixed with an A, mostly from subjects that aren't exactly life-changing.

Personally, I find this is a great way to show that grades shouldn't be everything. In my view, religious studies shouldn't even be graded, but we live in a reality where those numbers matter immensely for getting into a good high school. It’s why kids end up comparing themselves to one another on this specific subject, whether they are best friends, classmates, or total rivals.

Politics has nothing to do with religious education 😂
but then why do we have agreements between the State and the Vatican? What is that if not politics?
While politics shouldn't influence someone's personal faith, it absolutely plays a role in how religious education is implemented.
It affects everything from how these classes are scheduled within the standard school day to how the instructors are hired.

You know, it never actually crossed my mind that religion shouldn't be graded... I have to admit, that's a pretty solid point.

As for this whole business of stacking up A's 🤦
I remember once I was chatting with some elementary schoolers after finishing a long session with my morning class; they were just heading in for their lessons. One little girl proudly boasted to me that she had forty A's on her record. 😳
I complimented her on her hard work and how diligent she was, but I couldn't resist giving her a tiny bit of life advice about how every grade has its place, and a real student needs to experience the full spectrum from F to A. 😁 😈

My dad always used to say that religion classes shouldn't be graded.

Lawrence Torres56 said:You’re mistaken there; if you explain to your little one early on that our family doesn't subscribe to the whole God and devil thing, then the concept of hell carries absolutely zero weight for them. Kids at seven years old don't have a clue what hell even is, so naturally, they haven't developed any fear of it... fear, just like hatred, is something we parents instill in them.
We are believers, and my kid goes to religious ed, so if I ever bring up hell or burning, they’ll probably just laugh in my face—not because they’re religious, but because we never planted that seed of fear in them to begin with.

Bullying isn't really about whether a kid is religious or not; it’s about how they were raised. Someone who mocks a peer for skipping religious ed would just as easily mock them for having a blue pencil instead of a red one or using X instead of Y.

Besides, kids today are all over the place with after-school activities, everyone learns differently, and they all have different knowledge bases and grades, yet they don't sit there worrying about what's going to happen to them just because their classmate knows something they don't... I’ve certainly never noticed that being a burden on them... so, I really don't get why they’d suddenly start stressing over some Holy Spirit they don't believe in.

And, if we’re actually asking whether any kid needs this at the start of school, maybe we parents should be asking ourselves if any kid needs our own frustrations, our hate, our intolerance, and our prejudices... etcetera, etcetera. Where does it end? What are we actually teaching them? Even if you wiped religious ed from the schools tomorrow, none of this would vanish; it would just shift to something else, like T-shirts, hairstyles, or hair ties... and what have we actually accomplished?

Go ahead and teach your kids whatever you want. Eventually, that same kid will head to school and be taught in religious education that atheists are responsible for Auschwitz. It’s just the usual state-sponsored spread of hate and intolerance.

☕

Thomas Harris33 said:Go ahead and teach your kids whatever you want. Eventually, that same kid will head to school and be taught in religious education that atheists are responsible for Auschwitz. It’s just the usual state-sponsored spread of hate and intolerance.

☕

Isn't that enough of an argument for believers to stop enrolling their children in religious education under the guise of "protection"? I still don't get the logic here. If you actually wanted to protect them, you'd remove them from that environment entirely.

Jacob Lopez2 said:Isn't that enough of an argument for believers to stop enrolling their children in religious education under the guise of "protection"? I still don't get the logic here. If you actually wanted to protect them, you'd remove them from that environment entirely.

From what, woman? You honestly think it's okay for your kid to learn that atheists are somehow responsible for Auschwitz? That is pure indoctrination.
It's one thing to claim the world was created in seven days—which is just a blatant lie—but this is something much more sinister.

Are you even religious? Do you have atheist friends? Co-workers, neighbors? How can you even look them in the eye after posting something like this?

Look, I'm an atheist. I'm not a communist. I'm an atheist and a capitalist. And I'm certainly not a Nazi. Take someone like Stepinac, for example; he was both a Catholic and a fascist. He essentially gave the green light to the atrocities at Auschwitz, and frankly, if it weren't for the presence of atheists, America wouldn't even be larger than a small suburb outside of Washington, D.C. Without atheists, California would probably be part of the Kingdom of Italy. Personally, I don't trust a single word coming from anyone making claims about Auschwitz like this.

Chloe Roberts2 said:From what, woman? You honestly think it's okay for your kid to learn that atheists are somehow responsible for Auschwitz? That is pure indoctrination.
It's one thing to claim the world was created in seven days—which is just a blatant lie—but this is something much more sinister.

Are you even religious? Do you have atheist friends? Co-workers, neighbors? How can you even look them in the eye after posting something like this?

Look, I'm an atheist. I'm not a communist. I'm an atheist and a capitalist. And I'm certainly not a Nazi. Take someone like Stepinac, for example; he was both a Catholic and a fascist. He essentially gave the green light to the atrocities at Auschwitz, and frankly, if it weren't for the presence of atheists, America wouldn't even be larger than a small suburb outside of Washington, D.C. Without atheists, California would probably be part of the Kingdom of Italy. Personally, I don't trust a single word coming from anyone making claims about Auschwitz like this.

Go back and actually read my posts, because you are clearly reading them with total misunderstanding and attacking the wrong person. I expect an apology in your next post, because I was the one who explicitly wrote that parents should STOP enrolling their children in religious education, whereas some other woman on this forum argued they enroll them just to protect them from being mocked by kids for not going...
So, you've targeted the wrong person in the lowest way possible. You're spitting on someone who thinks exactly like you do. What will you do to those who don't think at all? You've gone way too far.

I mean, seriously, what are we even doing here? Is anyone else just staring at this absolute mess and wondering how we got to this point? It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck where nobody is even trying to grab the brakes. Honestly, does anyone actually have an answer for this, or are we all just collectively pretending everything is fine while the whole thing goes sideways? kaže:
.....
Look, can we just address the elephant in the room for a second? People keep trying to drag religion into the political arena like they’re somehow inseparable, but honestly, politics and theology have absolutely nothing to do with one another. I mean, really, where is this coming from? You can't just take one set of beliefs and force them onto a completely different system of governance and expect it to make any sense, right? It's like trying to mix oil and water—you're just going to end up with a messy puddle that doesn't serve anyone. Why does everyone feel the need to complicate things by blending two totally distinct worlds when they could just exist peacefully on their own? 😂
So, if that’s the case, then why on earth do we even have the Concordat? I mean, seriously, what is that actually supposed to be if not just straight-up politics?
Look, here’s the deal: when we're talking about what someone believes deep down in their own soul, politics shouldn't have a damn thing to do with it, right? Your personal faith is your business. But when it comes to actually implementing religious education in schools or shaping public policy based on those doctrines? Well, that's a whole different ball game, and honestly, politics absolutely *does* play a massive role there. It's pretty obvious, isn't it?
So, we’re looking at everything from how they actually build the school schedule—you know, making sure religious studies gets its fair shake as an actual core subject instead of just some afterthought tucked into a corner—all the way down to the nitty-gritty of actually hiring the teachers. It’s a whole process, really.

😕
Wait, am I tripping or was that first sentence just a total typo? Were you actually trying to say that religious studies has nothing to do with politics before you went off on that tangent? 😂 So, it’s really just a matter of "this or that," isn't it? Like, why do we even bother overcomplicating things when the choice is staring us right in the face? It feels like we're constantly stuck at these ridiculous crossroads where you've gotta pick a side, but honestly, does it even matter which way you turn? Is there actually a right answer, or are we all just spinning our wheels trying to decide between two equally questionable options?
Look, you’re totally right—the government seriously messed up by signing that Concordat in the first place. Instead of just handing over some massive settlement to cover all that stolen property and all those years they basically used Church assets for free, they should have just paid up and handed everything back. But no, instead of making things right, they just keep riding that same old wave, using those lands for nothing while spreading the same tired rhetoric to everyone. Why even bother playing fair if you're just going to keep profiting off what isn't yours?
If she hadn't managed to dodge that total bankruptcy back in the day by pulling off that whole Vatican deal, she’d probably be fully back on her feet by now. Honestly, wouldn't she be?😉

Jacob Lopez2 said:At the end of the day, the blame lies squarely with the parents because half of them enroll their kids in religious education classes just so their children won't be labeled as "different" or "outcasts" standing out in the hallway, even though they wouldn't bother if it weren't for that social pressure. Parents need to stop signing their kids up just to make their own lives easier; if you stopped doing that, fewer kids would be stuck in those classes and more would actually be spending their time in the library or wherever else they belong.

Exactly. At the end of the day, parents really need to learn how to actually stand by their own convictions instead of dragging their kids into all their messy little power plays, only to shamelessly use them as shields to justify their own stupidity. Is that too much to ask?
Look, honestly, once we finally see fewer kids signed up for religious studies in our classrooms, everything is going to get so much smoother. We’ll actually be able to group all the students who aren't taking those classes together into one cohesive class, right? It won't be some awkward logistical nightmare where half the kids are stuck wandering around the library or just hanging out in the hallway while everyone else is in session. Wouldn't that just make life easier for the teachers and the kids alike?