Religion classes in school - Megathread

Richard Perez3 said:Ugh, give me a break. Why are you getting all worked up over me? 😁
🤣
Honestly, both of those things are dealbreakers for me. The visit, the cartoon, the "serious talk," and then throwing religious materials at me?
Why am I putting up with this? Let’s just say I’m a polite, tolerant person who prefers to think things were just misunderstood or poorly timed before jumping to conclusions. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.
That’s exactly how it went down at first with that conversation and the religious stuff, so I spoke up.
And then everything went quiet.
Then suddenly there’s this visit involving a cartoon.
Now I’m sitting here wondering if I’m actually losing my mind or what.
Look, obviously I’m not going to go nuclear and start threatening to call the Department of Education immediately—I can't just be a total wreck. 😁

But seriously, I went through something almost identical with the school uniforms, so take it from someone who's been there: this whole thing will keep happening until you actually show up at the school and tell them, in a firm and serious tone, that you aren't okay with it and that it's becoming an unnecessary burden on the kid.
I mean, look, there's a real chance the teacher just wasn't there in the moment, or maybe she's a decent person who honestly had no clue, or even just plain forgot... but once you set that boundary, they'll definitely both be more careful moving forward.

Brenda Doyle5 said:People have already brought this up before. They claim you can't organize anything else during religious education hours because then the kids in those classes would be discriminated against... or some nonsense like that. ☕

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These are just my impressions from parents of the kids in religious studies. It was easy enough to shut them down since I’m a believer myself, even though my kid doesn't attend and won't be attending.

The truth is, there's simply no budget for something like this. The school district explains that it's impossible to organize due to the fixed scheduling—everything is set in stone. When I suggested running a poll to see how many people would actually sign a petition for an alternative elective—assuming we could get enough kids in each grade to make it viable, and then redirecting the funding meant for religious studies toward this new option—I got hit with a fundamentalist, right-wing email from one of the parents. Honestly, I am 100% certain that if an alternative were actually provided, at least half the parents would drop the religious studies requirement immediately. ☕

And that is exactly what they are afraid of.

The schedule is rigid. Every single classroom has its allotted time for religious studies carved out. Any new program would be breaking the legally mandated hourly requirements, and the missing hours from non-participants don't count toward anything. I actually called the school district personally; we tried to push for an initiative once before.

silentraven6 said:These are just my impressions from parents of the kids in religious studies. It was easy enough to shut them down since I’m a believer myself, even though my kid doesn't attend and won't be attending.

The truth is, there's simply no budget for something like this. The school district explains that it's impossible to organize due to the fixed scheduling—everything is set in stone. When I suggested running a poll to see how many people would actually sign a petition for an alternative elective—assuming we could get enough kids in each grade to make it viable, and then redirecting the funding meant for religious studies toward this new option—I got hit with a fundamentalist, right-wing email from one of the parents. Honestly, I am 100% certain that if an alternative were actually provided, at least half the parents would drop the religious studies requirement immediately. ☕

And that is exactly what they are afraid of.

The schedule is rigid. Every single classroom has its allotted time for religious studies carved out. Any new program would be breaking the legally mandated hourly requirements, and the missing hours from non-participants don't count toward anything. I actually called the school district personally; we tried to push for an initiative once before.

Personally, I’m against any kind of alternative.
I really don't want seven-year-olds being split up—some learning about Jesus and faith, while others are busy crushing advanced math and learning that the Earth is round.

I also don't want money (which is already scarce) being wasted on instructors for religion or aides for children who aren't attending those classes.
It drives me crazy when parents complain about their kids having too much homework, or not having enough time to practice reading, or not finishing their writing assignments, or having to memorize poems from religion class, or going to church on Sundays, or heading to speech therapy... basically, saying they have no time to play.🙂

I know it might sound extreme, but I truly believe two hours a week is more than enough time for writing and reading—the absolute essentials at the start of elementary school.
It's the whole reason we send our kids to school in the first place.
As for religion, any parent who is a true believer can teach their own child at home.
On their own.
If they can't, then they have a bit of a problem with their faith.

When you look at it that way, it becomes a question of priorities.
It shows what is actually most important to a parent regarding their child's upbringing.

Since my daughter couldn't sleep in longer anyway (and let's be honest, she probably won't next year either), I taught her to use those two hours for homework, reading, or just things she enjoys.
And keep in mind, my daughter has absolutely no trouble keeping up with her schoolwork.
I can totally respect that someone might prioritize their child praying and being part of the congregation, even if it means extra reading and writing at home, but I find it hard to accept when they turn around and complain about being overwhelmed, getting too many B's, or how "poor the child" is.
Whatever.

Regarding the teaching assistants, I haven't heard it directly from the source, but word on the street is that if a student with an instructional aide skips religion class, the aide isn't paid for that hour (similar to how it works when a kid is out sick).

silentraven6 said:These are just my impressions from parents of the kids in religious studies. It was easy enough to shut them down since I’m a believer myself, even though my kid doesn't attend and won't be attending.

The truth is, there's simply no budget for something like this. The school district explains that it's impossible to organize due to the fixed scheduling—everything is set in stone. When I suggested running a poll to see how many people would actually sign a petition for an alternative elective—assuming we could get enough kids in each grade to make it viable, and then redirecting the funding meant for religious studies toward this new option—I got hit with a fundamentalist, right-wing email from one of the parents. Honestly, I am 100% certain that if an alternative were actually provided, at least half the parents would drop the religious studies requirement immediately. ☕

And that is exactly what they are afraid of.

The schedule is rigid. Every single classroom has its allotted time for religious studies carved out. Any new program would be breaking the legally mandated hourly requirements, and the missing hours from non-participants don't count toward anything. I actually called the school district personally; we tried to push for an initiative once before.

Look, speaking from experience here, I’ve gotta tell you—it wouldn't actually happen like that.
Parents love to grumble and whisper behind people's backs, sure, but when it comes down to it and they're actually standing in a school meeting having to speak up? You won't get a single quiet moment from them; they'll be shouting from the rooftops.

Lawrence Torres56 said:Look, speaking from experience here, I’ve gotta tell you—it wouldn't actually happen like that.
Parents love to grumble and whisper behind people's backs, sure, but when it comes down to it and they're actually standing in a school meeting having to speak up? You won't get a single quiet moment from them; they'll be shouting from the rooftops.

Precisely.

If we were to run an anonymous poll against religious education in schools, at least 50% of parents would probably vote yes—but if this thing actually moved forward and required them to put their actual names and signatures on a petition? Suddenly, 99% of them would be all for it.

We are a fundamentally hypocritical people—the type who loves to trash talk at a local diner or gossip on street corners, yet when it comes time to actually stand behind our own convictions? Only a tiny handful ever shows up. I see it constantly in my own school district. Everyone complains, everyone grumbles, but when it’s time to actually revolt against something, I end up being one of the few outliers—labeled as "difficult" or "contrarian" 😬 while everyone else just stays quiet.

Lawrence Torres56 said:Look, speaking from experience here, I’ve gotta tell you—it wouldn't actually happen like that.
Parents love to grumble and whisper behind people's backs, sure, but when it comes down to it and they're actually standing in a school meeting having to speak up? You won't get a single quiet moment from them; they'll be shouting from the rooftops.

There are still so many people who feel it’s best for kids to "get their sacraments out of the way" while they're young. They want to be able to have a church wedding later in life, or they just figure, "you never know when you might need it," like if someone asks you to be a godparent.😬
Since religion class is a requirement for school, people aren't going to give up on it just because they'd rather focus on math or a foreign language; they'll just fight to make sure that extra language class happens at a different time instead.

Then you have those parents who are weighing their options—they aren't against it, they just want their kid to explore other things. If the alternative is drama class (which isn't really their kid's thing) or a sport that the child isn't interested in or shouldn't be playing, they're naturally going to pick the religion class where everyone gets an A and they just sing some songs on the clock.

I honestly don't see what the alternative would be for first graders that would satisfy everyone.
Not to mention, how much would that even cost?
And please, let's not suggest "ethics" or some vague general religion course. The actual content could be covered in two years, not twelve, just to keep Catholic religious education in the schools.☕
(It would actually be quite nice if these classes were taught by grad students from a local seminary instead.🥳)

Susan James said:There are still so many people who feel it’s best for kids to "get their sacraments out of the way" while they're young. They want to be able to have a church wedding later in life, or they just figure, "you never know when you might need it," like if someone asks you to be a godparent.😬
Since religion class is a requirement for school, people aren't going to give up on it just because they'd rather focus on math or a foreign language; they'll just fight to make sure that extra language class happens at a different time instead.

Then you have those parents who are weighing their options—they aren't against it, they just want their kid to explore other things. If the alternative is drama class (which isn't really their kid's thing) or a sport that the child isn't interested in or shouldn't be playing, they're naturally going to pick the religion class where everyone gets an A and they just sing some songs on the clock.

I honestly don't see what the alternative would be for first graders that would satisfy everyone.
Not to mention, how much would that even cost?
And please, let's not suggest "ethics" or some vague general religion course. The actual content could be covered in two years, not twelve, just to keep Catholic religious education in the schools.☕
(It would actually be quite nice if these classes were taught by grad students from a local seminary instead.🥳)

One could easily spend twelve years or more tackling ethics; I fail to see where the issue lies.

Linda Price5 said:One could easily spend twelve years or more tackling ethics; I fail to see where the issue lies.

Oh boy.
You could technically teach Physics for 12 years too, but usually, it’s just two years of core classes plus maybe a year or two of electives, if you're lucky.
Maybe it’s just my perspective, but I feel like these are topics I can discuss with my kids at home. In my view, families should be the ones having those conversations. High school is where you go for the deep, complex stuff.
Elementary school definitely isn't the place for that—especially not in those first four grades when they are still focusing on learning how to read, write, and mastering basic math skills for life.

Classes like Ethics, Religion, or various alternatives to religious studies often seem like perfect spots for graduates from liberal arts colleges to land jobs, especially when they might struggle to find work elsewhere.

No, I really don't want my tax dollars being funneled into those specific positions (and honestly, the funding for religious education is already way too high).
I want my child to have top-tier language instructors and an IT teacher who actually chose their career because they love tech—not someone who only went into it because the job market would swallow them up otherwise. I want someone who does it out of passion and deserves a great salary.
I want teachers across all subjects to be paid well, rather than seeing endless money spent on lecturers who probably couldn't have succeeded in any other field anyway. Sure, there’s that 5% who study philosophy purely out of love, and they belong teaching in high school. But looking at child development, you have to consider the age when abstract thinking actually starts to kick in.

Lawrence Torres56 said:Look, speaking from experience here, I’ve gotta tell you—it wouldn't actually happen like that.
Parents love to grumble and whisper behind people's backs, sure, but when it comes down to it and they're actually standing in a school meeting having to speak up? You won't get a single quiet moment from them; they'll be shouting from the rooftops.

Why is that?
Why does it feel so uncomfortable to publicly stand up against religious education in our schools?

Because you’ll be branded a traitor, not an American enough, or even worse—a Mexican.

I’m well aware, but some people just choose to look the other way.

nimblelynx7 said:Because you’ll be branded a traitor, not an American enough, or even worse—a Mexican.

Look, those are just excuses, not actual reasons,
so what if someone "might" say something? It's a big deal, right? 🤣
If we follow that logic, does someone just jump off a skyscraper because some random guy on the street tells them they should?
Or, are we really any better than the people who would supposedly "label" us, considering we basically think anyone from a different background is somehow less important, so we're just terrified of being lumped in with them? 🤔

Matthew Young35 said:Why is that?
Why does it feel so uncomfortable to publicly stand up against religious education in our schools?

Who’s to say it’s about "discomfort" and not just straight-up human stupidity?
That weird human urge to just gossip around and stay silent when we actually ought to speak up... it's just a sign that these people are more interested in following the herd than actually forming their own thoughts.
It’s like what Gustave Le Bon said way back when:
"The ease with which certain opinions become common stems from the inability of the majority to form their own opinions based on their own reasoning."

What is all this yapping about? 🤣

At my local school, at least back when we were enrolling, nobody ever bothered to ask if we wanted religious studies held on campus or over at a church.

It was just a checkbox on the registration form: do you want religious education, extra German classes, or nothing at all?

Basically, nobody asks you anything.
Parents aren't even consulted on where those religious classes should actually take place.
So, what kind of "voting" are you people talking about if nobody is even allowed to speak up against the established rules?

mistydrifter55 said:What is all this yapping about? 🤣

At my local school, at least back when we were enrolling, nobody ever bothered to ask if we wanted religious studies held on campus or over at a church.

It was just a checkbox on the registration form: do you want religious education, extra German classes, or nothing at all?

Basically, nobody asks you anything.
Parents aren't even consulted on where those religious classes should actually take place.
So, what kind of "voting" are you people talking about if nobody is even allowed to speak up against the established rules?

Well, I suppose no school asks because the public school curriculum and the parish-run programs are two totally separate things. The school is required to offer religious studies, and they basically just ask if you want to opt into that specific class or not. But as for the church-organized stuff, the school really doesn't have anything to do with it; that’s entirely up to the local parish.

Betty Wood54 said:Well, I suppose no school asks because the public school curriculum and the parish-run programs are two totally separate things. The school is required to offer religious studies, and they basically just ask if you want to opt into that specific class or not. But as for the church-organized stuff, the school really doesn't have anything to do with it; that’s entirely up to the local parish.

People above were mentioning how parents don't protest.

Actually, a massive number of parents did push back against those "clerical reforms" once upon a time.

But here's the kicker: parents aren't even consulted. Period. The experts call the shots.
Parents are essentially irrelevant in this process.
So, what's the point in blaming parents for staying quiet when they aren't even given a seat at the table?
☕

mistydrifter55 said:People above were mentioning how parents don't protest.

Actually, a massive number of parents did push back against those "clerical reforms" once upon a time.

But here's the kicker: parents aren't even consulted. Period. The experts call the shots.
Parents are essentially irrelevant in this process.
So, what's the point in blaming parents for staying quiet when they aren't even given a seat at the table?
☕

I'm not quite sure how your example above relates to this, honestly. Keeping religious education on the curriculum is a school obligation that stems from a political decision. The teaching professionals aren't asked for their input; they just carry out directives handed down from the top.

At the end of the day, religious studies is an elective in the school system, and the school asks whether or not you want your child to participate. As far as the church is concerned, they don't really care because they have no direct link to the school administration.

Betty Wood54 said:I'm not quite sure how your example above relates to this, honestly. Keeping religious education on the curriculum is a school obligation that stems from a political decision. The teaching professionals aren't asked for their input; they just carry out directives handed down from the top.

At the end of the day, religious studies is an elective in the school system, and the school asks whether or not you want your child to participate. As far as the church is concerned, they don't really care because they have no direct link to the school administration.

Look, if religious education wasn't even an option in schools, parents who want to opt their kids out wouldn't have to deal with all this social stigma. They wouldn't feel judged, shamed, or like outsiders just for making a choice. Why does it have to be such a thing?
🍿

mistydrifter55 said:Look, if religious education wasn't even an option in schools, parents who want to opt their kids out wouldn't have to deal with all this social stigma. They wouldn't feel judged, shamed, or like outsiders just for making a choice. Why does it have to be such a thing?
🍿

Look, parents who act like they’re having some deep moral crisis over this? They aren't actually struggling because of religious education classes in school; they're doing it because of who they are at their core. Honestly, even if you wiped every single theology course off the curriculum tomorrow, their little "feelings" wouldn't go away. They'd just find some other scapegoat to blame for their own internal mess. It's always something, isn't it?

Look, you’ve actually got a choice here, and honestly? You should be counting your blessings that you even have one to make.
Look, I’m someone who tries to stay completely out of the political fray—I really do—but at this point, I feel like I don't even have a choice in the matter. How am I supposed to shield my kid from all this heavy-handed political nonsense when they're basically spoon-feeding it to them in the classroom?

I don't know about you guys, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much everything changes once you have kids. It’s like you wake up one day and suddenly your entire world revolves around tiny humans and snack schedules! Does anyone else feel like they lost their old self somewhere between the diaper changes and the endless laundry? I really miss those quiet mornings where I could just sit with a coffee and actually finish a chapter of a book. Now? Now it's just pure chaos. But honestly, even with all the madness, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's just... life, right? What do you all think? How do you find your balance? kaže:
So, I wanted to get some honest feedback from parents whose kids go to religious education classes. I basically just sat them down and asked what they thought—kind of like how you’d grill someone about their favorite local diner—since I’m speaking from the perspective of a believer whose own kid isn't attending and, frankly, won't be attending. What do you guys think? Is it just me?

Look, let's be real here—there just isn't any money for something like this. That's the bottom line. Plus, even if we had the cash, the scheduling alone makes it a total nightmare. That’s exactly what the City Hall office told me when I asked. How are you supposed to pull something off when the timing is this impossible? It just doesn't add up. So, I was thinking—just a random thought, really—but what if we actually ran a poll? You know, just to see how many people would actually step up and sign a petition for an alternative electoral college system? I mean, imagine if we could get enough kids involved in every single classroom to make some noise about it. Would anyone even do it? Is that even possible? Just a thought! So, they’re taking the funding from religious studies—you know, that class half the kids aren't even going to show up for or will eventually drop anyway—and dumping it into some new elective. Well, I just got an email from a parent that was pure, unadulterated fundamentalist right-wing energy. Seriously! And honestly? I’m 100% certain that if we actually offered a real alternative, at least half of those parents would ditch the religious classes in a heartbeat. ☕

And that right there? That’s exactly what they’re terrified of.

The schedule is already set in stone. They’ve officially factored religious studies into every single grade level, so there's no wiggle room left. Even with all these new changes trying to push past the mandated hours, they aren't even counting the gaps where there aren't enough instructors to teach it. I actually reached out to the City Hall myself—we tried to get an initiative off the ground to fix this, you know? But yeah, the schedule is locked.

Can we get some more specifics on this whole initiative? I’m talking details! How did the communication actually go down? What was the exact proposal on the table? I really want to know about the actual experiences behind the scenes. Like, if you had to do it all over again today, what would you change about the approach? What would be different? Give me the real scoop!

I see things are really starting to heat up over here. 👏

It’s not even the religious education classes themselves that bother me—it's the fact that neither the school board nor the Department of Education holds any actual authority over those instructors (whether they're laypeople, nuns, or priests). No, the buck stops at Vatican City. It creates this absurd reality where if anyone has an issue with a teacher—and believe me, people have—they can't just file a complaint with the principal; they practically have to make a pilgrimage to Vatican City just to be heard.

Essentially, they've inserted themselves into the public school system, yet the school system itself possesses zero leverage over them🙂, leaving them completely unaccountable for anything related to their curriculum. It's a total paradox—something you'd only see in a place as dysfunctional as this. But then again, that's just politics for you.