Religion classes in school - Megathread

Kate Cox2 said:I am honestly just sitting here waiting for that day... once it actually happens, then we can have a proper debate about it. But frankly, that isn't really what we are here to discuss today.

The whole point is, once that goes down, they'll finally stop breathing down everyone's necks about religious studies in school.

Larry Walker24 said:The real number of believers will finally come to light once they introduce a church tax here in the US—then you'll see how that "faithful" percentage drops straight down to 8.6%.

That’s exactly why the establishment made sure they're protected so that never happens. 😉 Look at him playing the provocateur now, acting like people are just donating out of the goodness of their hearts rather than through the legal frameworks established by the Vatican agreement. 😂

It looks like first grade starts sometime this year, and I caught wind from another thread that we need to decide whether or not our kid will be taking religion classes.
We aren't Catholic—we follow a different faith entirely (meaning the kids haven't been baptized and there are zero plans for them to take any sacraments), but I was actually thinking it might be beneficial for my child to attend the sessions. That said, I have absolutely no desire for them to receive grades for it. Is that even an option? Or is there a way for them to sit in on the class without it being officially recorded as "attending"?

Jack Gray6 said:It looks like first grade starts sometime this year, and I caught wind from another thread that we need to decide whether or not our kid will be taking religion classes.
We aren't Catholic—we follow a different faith entirely (meaning the kids haven't been baptized and there are zero plans for them to take any sacraments), but I was actually thinking it might be beneficial for my child to attend the sessions. That said, I have absolutely no desire for them to receive grades for it. Is that even an option? Or is there a way for them to sit in on the class without it being officially recorded as "attending"?

Not really.

Jack Gray6, why on earth would you think that’s a good idea if you aren't even Catholic?

Jack Gray6 said:It looks like first grade starts sometime this year, and I caught wind from another thread that we need to decide whether or not our kid will be taking religion classes.
We aren't Catholic—we follow a different faith entirely (meaning the kids haven't been baptized and there are zero plans for them to take any sacraments), but I was actually thinking it might be beneficial for my child to attend the sessions. That said, I have absolutely no desire for them to receive grades for it. Is that even an option? Or is there a way for them to sit in on the class without it being officially recorded as "attending"?

That is certainly an option. A student isn't officially enrolled, but the parents sign a waiver agreeing that the child will participate as a "guest student," which allows them to listen to the lessons whenever they wish, either periodically or consistently... In that scenario, they aren't required to have textbooks, they won't take any tests, and they won't be questioned or graded—they simply sit in and listen. A guest student...
I should also mention that this is actually quite common in American schools...

I want her to be exposed to the religious culture she’s growing up in. We share quite a bit with Catholics, though there are certainly our differences.

Our family is deeply tied to our specific church; we’re more practical believers than anything else. The kids already know a fair amount about God—we read the Bible together, pray, and sing spiritual songs at home. To them, this is just how faith works; they don't really know any other version of church besides ours. Still, I wouldn't want to pigeonhole her into just our way of believing. I truly believe there are sincere believers within the Catholic Church as well.

Here is a photo of my younger child. By pure chance, she ended up in a religious (Catholic) group at her preschool here in Chicago. We actually hesitated at first, but honestly, the group has been fantastic.

On the flip side, I have no desire to see her stuck in some library or hallway during that hour.

Nancy Kelly31 said:That is certainly an option. A student isn't officially enrolled, but the parents sign a waiver agreeing that the child will participate as a "guest student," which allows them to listen to the lessons whenever they wish, either periodically or consistently... In that scenario, they aren't required to have textbooks, they won't take any tests, and they won't be questioned or graded—they simply sit in and listen. A guest student...
I should also mention that this is actually quite common in American schools...

I’ve worked in plenty of different schools over the years, and I honestly can’t say I’ve ever heard of this being a "common practice."😕
I mean, sure, you might have some kids sitting in on a class when they aren't officially enrolled in that specific subject, but the idea that someone would show up to every single period without being on the roster—not having any supplies, not taking tests, and just sitting there without participating—well, I haven't really encountered that at all, I guess.🤷

Jack Gray6 said:I want her to be exposed to the religious culture she’s growing up in. We share quite a bit with Catholics, though there are certainly our differences.

Our family is deeply tied to our specific church; we’re more practical believers than anything else. The kids already know a fair amount about God—we read the Bible together, pray, and sing spiritual songs at home. To them, this is just how faith works; they don't really know any other version of church besides ours. Still, I wouldn't want to pigeonhole her into just our way of believing. I truly believe there are sincere believers within the Catholic Church as well.

Here is a photo of my younger child. By pure chance, she ended up in a religious (Catholic) group at her preschool here in Chicago. We actually hesitated at first, but honestly, the group has been fantastic.

On the flip side, I have no desire to see her stuck in some library or hallway during that hour.

Check how things are handled at your school. In my district, the younger kids are supervised and spend that hour with their regular teachers.
As for the second part, have you thought about introducing them to all different faiths since that's on your mind? Maybe just a little bit at a time—use a good encyclopedia or a documentary to help broaden their horizons. 🤷

Jack Gray6 said:I want her to be exposed to the religious culture she’s growing up in. We share quite a bit with Catholics, though there are certainly our differences.

Our family is deeply tied to our specific church; we’re more practical believers than anything else. The kids already know a fair amount about God—we read the Bible together, pray, and sing spiritual songs at home. To them, this is just how faith works; they don't really know any other version of church besides ours. Still, I wouldn't want to pigeonhole her into just our way of believing. I truly believe there are sincere believers within the Catholic Church as well.

Here is a photo of my younger child. By pure chance, she ended up in a religious (Catholic) group at her preschool here in Chicago. We actually hesitated at first, but honestly, the group has been fantastic.

On the flip side, I have no desire to see her stuck in some library or hallway during that hour.

It’s definitely doable. It would probably be best to just coordinate those details directly with the teacher.

Jack Gray6 said:It looks like first grade starts sometime this year, and I caught wind from another thread that we need to decide whether or not our kid will be taking religion classes.
We aren't Catholic—we follow a different faith entirely (meaning the kids haven't been baptized and there are zero plans for them to take any sacraments), but I was actually thinking it might be beneficial for my child to attend the sessions. That said, I have absolutely no desire for them to receive grades for it. Is that even an option? Or is there a way for them to sit in on the class without it being officially recorded as "attending"?

That’s exactly the issue parents from other faiths struggle with—that "loophole" where kids end up sitting in on the class even though they aren't technically enrolled for credit.
Or they get sent to watch cartoons while the religious studies class is happening, which sometimes makes parents second-guess their decision.

Some schools—or rather, certain teachers—make the curriculum really engaging through extracurricular activities that involve the whole class, like field trips to various religious institutions or visiting senior centers and stuff like that.

Religious studies lasts for eight years, so there’s plenty of time to talk about these things later. Personally, I wouldn't suggest pushing it during the early elementary years. It might be a better idea for when they hit middle or high school.
Let the kid just be a kid for a bit. In those lower grades, they aren't really studying comparative religions anyway; most kids just learn basic prayers.

Jack Gray6 said:I want her to be exposed to the religious culture she’s growing up in. We share quite a bit with Catholics, though there are certainly our differences.

Our family is deeply tied to our specific church; we’re more practical believers than anything else. The kids already know a fair amount about God—we read the Bible together, pray, and sing spiritual songs at home. To them, this is just how faith works; they don't really know any other version of church besides ours. Still, I wouldn't want to pigeonhole her into just our way of believing. I truly believe there are sincere believers within the Catholic Church as well.

Here is a photo of my younger child. By pure chance, she ended up in a religious (Catholic) group at her preschool here in Chicago. We actually hesitated at first, but honestly, the group has been fantastic.

On the flip side, I have no desire to see her stuck in some library or hallway during that hour.

I'm guessing you guys are Protestant, 😉

Larry Walker24 said:I'm guessing you guys are Protestant, 😉

But why does that matter... in what way is that significant? 🤔
Or are we simply playing a guessing game here? 🤷

From a Christian perspective, the absolute priority is getting kids introduced to the core "substance" of the faith at the earliest possible stage.
That’s why we try to start right in preschool—whenever and wherever there’s an opportunity to make that connection.
The logic here is pretty straightforward: if you can instill that foundational sense of awe, accountability, and the weight of sin early on, then the heavy lifting is essentially done.
After that, the rest of their lives are really just about reaping the fruits of that initial groundwork.

So, what's the deal with religious studies? If a kid is signed up for religion classes at school, does that mean they're basically forced to hit up Mass every single Sunday?

What’s always the deal with religious ed? As far as I know, it’s an elective, yet I still had to sign my kids up for it at school 🤔
and I was stuck learning Marxism—had to learn about the types, the theory, all that... plus I had to serve in the military, which was a total nightmare 🕺

Harold Cook2 said:So, what's the deal with religious studies? If a kid is signed up for religion classes at school, does that mean they're basically forced to hit up Mass every single Sunday?

Well, look—it isn't exactly a legal requirement or anything, but they definitely try to nudge them toward church. It usually starts with little things, you know? Like invitations to the food drives, the Saint Nicholas celebrations, Christmas services, or joining the choir... they definitely find ways to encourage it. And then there's the whole "extra credit" thing and those kinds of incentives—I guess it just depends on the family and how much they care about that stuff.

Tyler Ruiz502 said:Well, look—it isn't exactly a legal requirement or anything, but they definitely try to nudge them toward church. It usually starts with little things, you know? Like invitations to the food drives, the Saint Nicholas celebrations, Christmas services, or joining the choir... they definitely find ways to encourage it. And then there's the whole "extra credit" thing and those kinds of incentives—I guess it just depends on the family and how much they care about that stuff.

But does every single one of them have to go to communion?
Because we’ve got a total disaster for a Pope right now🙂 he’s basically running a Gestapo regime. Everyone just blindly follows his lead.

If you actually claim to be practicing, and I really hope you are if you’re signing your kid up for religious ed because you want them to receive their sacraments, then you should definitely be the ones making sure they're at Mass every single Sunday 🙂

What are all the other people whining about?
Do you actually have an issue with the priest? Or are you just repeating everyone else's complaints?

Kenneth Wood9 said:What’s always the deal with religious ed? As far as I know, it’s an elective, yet I still had to sign my kids up for it at school 🤔
and I was stuck learning Marxism—had to learn about the types, the theory, all that... plus I had to serve in the military, which was a total nightmare 🕺

Are you really comparing religion classes to Marxism, civics, and state doctrine?

OK, actually, the comparison holds water.
In every single instance, we are talking about ideological subjects designed to shape a child's worldview.
That is precisely where the problem lies with religious education. It functions just like Marxism or civic indoctrination; whether it's labeled "mandatory" or "elective" doesn't change the core reality. In the end, it's all the same thing because, let's be honest, children aren't the ones making the choice anyway.