Religion classes in school - Megathread

It’ll be there during enrollment, but they don't make a big deal out of it if someone changes their mind right when school starts.
At least that was how it worked in my hometown.

Back in our district, they didn't even bother asking for input... which resulted in nine non-religious kids being split up across four different classrooms, when honestly, they could have easily just been grouped together in one... It’s quite a peculiar setup at our local school, too; most classes where everyone attends religion studies have those lessons scheduled for the very first or very last period of the day, which is how it usually goes... Our generation was actually the first to deal with a classroom dynamic where at least one student in every single group opted out... and because of that little quirk, for our first three years, those classes were always stuck right in the middle of the daily schedule... presumably so they could send us a notification or something...

Drew Johnson2 said:Back in our district, they didn't even bother asking for input... which resulted in nine non-religious kids being split up across four different classrooms, when honestly, they could have easily just been grouped together in one... It’s quite a peculiar setup at our local school, too; most classes where everyone attends religion studies have those lessons scheduled for the very first or very last period of the day, which is how it usually goes... Our generation was actually the first to deal with a classroom dynamic where at least one student in every single group opted out... and because of that little quirk, for our first three years, those classes were always stuck right in the middle of the daily schedule... presumably so they could send us a notification or something...

Wait, seriously?😲
That’s awful. Honestly, that sounds like a total nightmare for an audit.

The recommendation is to schedule those sessions during the first or last period. While that might be a logistical headache, it’s only fair—if some kids are being inconvenienced by mid-day shifts, they should prioritize scheduling the groups where everyone stays together, or at least give preference to the kids who aren't participating.
So bad. 🤮

Exactly. A close friend of mine has two kids attending that school—one is about six and the other is eight... Religion class always seems to be scheduled as either the very first period or the absolute last one. Everyone ends up taking it. I suppose you could say that’s how most of the grade levels have it structured, though I can't quite wrap my head around why they wouldn't just standardize it for everyone...

I haven't the slightest clue, nor do I have the energy to sign up for anything or engage in any sort of debate; we’ve already pushed through more than half of the schooling years by now, and there's no way the younger ones will end up at this particular school anyway. It isn't just about religion class, mind you, there's a whole host of other matters involved...

And really, who can blame me for moving into the most devout Catholic neighborhood in town? On Sundays, when Mass is being held, you can't even walk down the street without it being completely blocked off because everyone is heading toward the church... 😉

Drew Johnson2 said:Exactly. A close friend of mine has two kids attending that school—one is about six and the other is eight... Religion class always seems to be scheduled as either the very first period or the absolute last one. Everyone ends up taking it. I suppose you could say that’s how most of the grade levels have it structured, though I can't quite wrap my head around why they wouldn't just standardize it for everyone...

I haven't the slightest clue, nor do I have the energy to sign up for anything or engage in any sort of debate; we’ve already pushed through more than half of the schooling years by now, and there's no way the younger ones will end up at this particular school anyway. It isn't just about religion class, mind you, there's a whole host of other matters involved...

And really, who can blame me for moving into the most devout Catholic neighborhood in town? On Sundays, when Mass is being held, you can't even walk down the street without it being completely blocked off because everyone is heading toward the church... 😉

You could've picked a much harder route! I moved to a town that basically centers around its own massive shrine and survives entirely on religious tourism. Being an atheist, I honestly had zero clue what that actually meant for daily life. And let me tell you, the whole vibe of the town definitely spills over into the local schools.

Man, my biggest "fail" was when the local priest started doing house blessings. My auntie—who's also an atheist, by the way—left her gate wide open just because she didn't want to offend the priest she works with. (It’s kind of a local thing here; leaving the gate open is how you signal you're inviting the priest in). Since we live on the ground floor, he rang our bell first. I had absolutely no idea what was happening, so I opened the door, saw the priest, politely told him, "We don't need anything, thanks!" and shut the door right in his face. Can you believe that? Let's just say the whole town had something to gossip about thanks to me for at least a week. 😶

My father-in-law said the exact same thing to the priest years ago when he visited their place 🤣 We've lived in this house for a few years now and not once has a priest stopped by—and I'm pretty sure it’s still the same guy.

The New York Post ran an article yesterday saying 86% of students are taking religion classes. ☕

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I was wondering if there’s any data available on how many people attend Mass on Sundays at least semi-regularly?

rowdypanther12 said:I was wondering if there’s any data available on how many people attend Mass on Sundays at least semi-regularly?

Even if that info exists, I've got a feeling the numbers wouldn't be exactly something we'd want to brag about. 😜

Drew Johnson2 said:Exactly. A close friend of mine has two kids attending that school—one is about six and the other is eight... Religion class always seems to be scheduled as either the very first period or the absolute last one. Everyone ends up taking it. I suppose you could say that’s how most of the grade levels have it structured, though I can't quite wrap my head around why they wouldn't just standardize it for everyone...

I haven't the slightest clue, nor do I have the energy to sign up for anything or engage in any sort of debate; we’ve already pushed through more than half of the schooling years by now, and there's no way the younger ones will end up at this particular school anyway. It isn't just about religion class, mind you, there's a whole host of other matters involved...

And really, who can blame me for moving into the most devout Catholic neighborhood in town? On Sundays, when Mass is being held, you can't even walk down the street without it being completely blocked off because everyone is heading toward the church... 😉

I’m actually itching to write a journalistic piece about this.
The Department of Education would probably just try to sweep it under the rug. Or maybe they'd come up with some clever excuse about protecting teachers' mental health or filling gaps in the faculty schedule.
I'm really curious to see what kind of explanation the principal would give once the media gets a hold of it.

Well, a dear friend and I once found ourselves in quite the predicament during our college years... One particular night, I was staying over at her rental apartment, and we were both still lounging about in our pajamas the next morning when there was this sudden, sharp knocking at the door. To our absolute bewilderment, it was a local priest accompanied by two altar boys, arriving to perform a house blessing. I turned to my friend, whispering urgently, "What on earth is happening?" and she just looked at me, completely baffled, wondering why anyone would even want a blessing in the first place. Being an atheist myself, and with my friend leaning more toward the agnostic side of things, I decided to step up and politely attempt to explain to the gentleman that a blessing wasn't exactly what we had on our agenda... However, the priest remained quite steadfast, insisting that since the landlord had requested the blessing, he was duty-bound to see it through. My friend, ever the pragmatist, simply shrugged and told him, "Fine, if you absolutely must, then go right ahead."

So, there we were, just sitting on the couch sipping our coffee while he went about his business... We did make one small request, asking if he could perhaps just bless the physical space itself and skip over the actual inhabitants, but, well... one must respect the formalities when they arrive at your doorstep.

Jason Ortiz5 said:You could've picked a much harder route! I moved to a town that basically centers around its own massive shrine and survives entirely on religious tourism. Being an atheist, I honestly had zero clue what that actually meant for daily life. And let me tell you, the whole vibe of the town definitely spills over into the local schools.

Man, my biggest "fail" was when the local priest started doing house blessings. My auntie—who's also an atheist, by the way—left her gate wide open just because she didn't want to offend the priest she works with. (It’s kind of a local thing here; leaving the gate open is how you signal you're inviting the priest in). Since we live on the ground floor, he rang our bell first. I had absolutely no idea what was happening, so I opened the door, saw the priest, politely told him, "We don't need anything, thanks!" and shut the door right in his face. Can you believe that? Let's just say the whole town had something to gossip about thanks to me for at least a week. 😶

I used to go with the priests for blessings for years—they always made sure to be super careful about who they said they visited, who they didn't, and exactly where everyone lived.

Brenda Doyle5 said:My father-in-law said the exact same thing to the priest years ago when he visited their place 🤣 We've lived in this house for a few years now and not once has a priest stopped by—and I'm pretty sure it’s still the same guy.

The New York Post ran an article yesterday saying 86% of students are taking religion classes. ☕

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In my area, they keep a list for the blessings. If you tell them one year you don't want it, they put it on the list, and if you don't reach out the following year to say you changed your mind, your address just gets skipped automatically.

86%??
Way too high.
Regarding what Summer asked:

rowdypanther12 said:I was wondering if there’s any data available on how many people attend Mass on Sundays at least semi-regularly?

That 86% figure should roughly match the number of parents attending Sunday Mass—but those numbers aren't even close. If I estimate that there are 200 kids doing First Communion in my parish, and we maybe have 100 parents showing up (out of 400; though even 100 might be a stretch), then that percentage is nowhere near 86%.

It would be really interesting to see the official numbers, especially if they tracked them throughout the entire year.
Around Christmas, people flock to our local parish church—it gets so crowded you can barely drive past because of all the cars parked on the street.😁 Personally, I only know three families who actually attend regularly every single Sunday.
Most other people just show up for the big holidays like Christmas and Easter.

Drew Johnson2 said:Well, a dear friend and I once found ourselves in quite the predicament during our college years... One particular night, I was staying over at her rental apartment, and we were both still lounging about in our pajamas the next morning when there was this sudden, sharp knocking at the door. To our absolute bewilderment, it was a local priest accompanied by two altar boys, arriving to perform a house blessing. I turned to my friend, whispering urgently, "What on earth is happening?" and she just looked at me, completely baffled, wondering why anyone would even want a blessing in the first place. Being an atheist myself, and with my friend leaning more toward the agnostic side of things, I decided to step up and politely attempt to explain to the gentleman that a blessing wasn't exactly what we had on our agenda... However, the priest remained quite steadfast, insisting that since the landlord had requested the blessing, he was duty-bound to see it through. My friend, ever the pragmatist, simply shrugged and told him, "Fine, if you absolutely must, then go right ahead."

So, there we were, just sitting on the couch sipping our coffee while he went about his business... We did make one small request, asking if he could perhaps just bless the physical space itself and skip over the actual inhabitants, but, well... one must respect the formalities when they arrive at your doorstep.

That makes zero sense. It’s honestly creepy that a priest would just barge into an apartment like that if you two weren't feeling it.

You don't bless houses, you bless families. Blessing walls when the actual people don't even want it is pointless.

rowdypanther12 said:It would be really interesting to see the official numbers, especially if they tracked them throughout the entire year.
Around Christmas, people flock to our local parish church—it gets so crowded you can barely drive past because of all the cars parked on the street.😁 Personally, I only know three families who actually attend regularly every single Sunday.
Most other people just show up for the big holidays like Christmas and Easter.

I'd be interested in the official numbers too.
And then I'd want to know what those parents in the other 86% or whatever percentage actually have to say about it.

I took religion classes in school even though my parents didn't go to church, just because I wanted to. My sister didn't want to, so she didn't.

Even more fascinating is the number of kids who pick religious studies in high school but never actually step foot in a church service.

I honestly don't think he would have been let in 😁. But since I was just there as a guest, and my friend decided to be lenient, I didn't feel it was my place to step in... though I certainly wasn't part of the decision either. 😛

rowdypanther12 said:It would be really interesting to see the official numbers, especially if they tracked them throughout the entire year.
Around Christmas, people flock to our local parish church—it gets so crowded you can barely drive past because of all the cars parked on the street.😁 Personally, I only know three families who actually attend regularly every single Sunday.
Most other people just show up for the big holidays like Christmas and Easter.

But honestly, that’s just sad to me.....
I don't get it... what does it even mean if you're "Catholic" only on paper????
You either are, or you aren't....
It's not like—"Oh, I'm Catholic twice a year."
To me, that feels just as fake as someone going to church when they don't care at all. I hate that pretense.

I’ve noticed maybe ten families from my neighborhood and school who actually go (people I actually know)....
Yet the entire class signs up for religion class.....
Where are they??
My little girl's best friend isn't religious at all, but she still takes religion class because her mom (who I get along with great) doesn't want her to stand out from the crowd......it's not about faith for her, it's about avoiding the cruelty of other kids....
And what am I supposed to tell her now...?
No matter what I say, she's just terrified of being an outcast......
My kids are fine—they take everything in stride because we taught them to embrace diversity from day one.....but still....I know there are kids out there who will mock you regardless of the reason....

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Doesn't this bother you too? Don't you think our institutions should be stepping up to protect individuals and doing everything possible to make sure no one ever feels this way again?

shadowcrane91 said:But honestly, that’s just sad to me.....
I don't get it... what does it even mean if you're "Catholic" only on paper????
You either are, or you aren't....
It's not like—"Oh, I'm Catholic twice a year."
To me, that feels just as fake as someone going to church when they don't care at all. I hate that pretense.

I’ve noticed maybe ten families from my neighborhood and school who actually go (people I actually know)....
Yet the entire class signs up for religion class.....
Where are they??
My little girl's best friend isn't religious at all, but she still takes religion class because her mom (who I get along with great) doesn't want her to stand out from the crowd......it's not about faith for her, it's about avoiding the cruelty of other kids....
And what am I supposed to tell her now...?
No matter what I say, she's just terrified of being an outcast......
My kids are fine—they take everything in stride because we taught them to embrace diversity from day one.....but still....I know there are kids out there who will mock you regardless of the reason....

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That would be way too easy to fix, but then they wouldn't make all that money from baptisms, first communions, and confirmations...

rowdypanther12 said:Doesn't this bother you too? Don't you think our institutions should be stepping up to protect individuals and doing everything possible to make sure no one ever feels this way again?

Am I "horrified" that there's religious education in schools????
Hell no...
I still don't have an issue with it, even if my kids were the only ones showing up... honestly, my kids would go regardless of how many other students signed up.
As a Catholic myself, I'm never going to tell you that having religion classes in school bothers me...
And even if they weren't in school, I wouldn't complain either...
But am I going to sit here and claim that religious ed in the classroom is some huge problem for me? No way...
Sorry...

What bothers me is that people are too scared to just be themselves...

It kills me that people pretend to be Catholic when they clearly aren't...
And it’s because of those so-called "Catholics" that we even have this debate about religion in schools in the first place...

It's pathetic how parents raise their kids to mock other children...

It’s heartbreaking that she’s afraid to raise her kid to actually be who they are...

The religious classes aren't the problem... the problem is the people and these fake Catholics...

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In America, about 86% of people identify as Catholic... and you can see how the government and all its institutions bend to that reality.
Once those self-proclaimed Catholics stop identifying that way, I assume the state would actually have to shift its "policies."
But as long as they keep checking that box—well, I don't see anything changing.
There just aren't enough people bothered enough to speak up publicly and demand the government change its ways.
Look, personally, as a Catholic, I’m not going to sit here and lie and say that seeing religious doctrine and Catholic symbols everywhere bugs me... because it doesn't.
According to every statistic out there, we are a Catholic nation, and until those numbers start looking different...

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An acquaintance of mine, a theology instructor, maintains the firm conviction that religious studies ought not to be a mandatory part of the school curriculum at all. Her reasoning is quite pointed: currently, the only students enrolling are those who identify as Catholic on paper, yet they don't actually live out those values in their daily lives, nor do they bother to instill such principles in their children. Instead, for most of these families, the class serves as little more than a pro-forma checkbox—a way to pad a GPA without any real substance. In many ways, does it not hold the same hollow, performative status that Marxism once occupied in our academic institutions? It’s treated as a formality rather than something anyone takes seriously.