At first glance, it all seems pretty straightforward, and oh-so-reasonable. After all, doesn't the Catholic Church encourage us to recognise and respect what is holy and true in other faiths?
That is not what annoyed me. Indeed, I have a Muslim colleague who, when we're both working late in the faculty office, often asks if I mind her staying in the room to pray, and I have absolutely no problem with that.
What I do have a problem with is the liberal Catholic establishment proclaiming love, peace, harmony and tolerance toward everyone other than fellow Catholics.
Let's examine the proposals a little more closely... There's a link to the article by Graeme Paton (Daily Telegraph Education Editor) HERE.
The guidance said schools should consider putting aside a prayer room "if reasonably practicable" for use by staff and pupils from other faiths.
Damian's point about providing opportunities for worship where children can practise a faith explicitly denying the divinity of Jesus is a telling one; if Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus etc. are all to have their own prayer rooms, then what about a child whose parents are satanists? Sounds unlikely? One child I taught in a Catholic school claimed he was a satanist. I was rather disbelieving at the time, but who can tell? And there is also the problem of where these rooms are to be found. At many schools, huts have had to be installed in order to provide sufficient accommodation for teaching, and chapel rooms often have to double up as classrooms.
The document said schools should ensure "pupils' health is attended to in times of fasting" - and canteens should take children's religious dietary requirements into account.
And yet, in Catholic school canteens around the country, there is often no provision of fish or other vegetarian options on Fridays (some people do maintain the idea of Friday abstinance) and meat is served on Ash Wednesday (when abstinance is still required by Church Law.)
But the real irritant is this last point: the guidance said "respectful understanding" should be shown to pupils of other faiths who are withdrawn from or remain silent during Christian worship."
At the same time, children whose parents wish to withdraw them from sex education classes are often subject to ridicule from both staff and students, and parents who choose not to allow their children to watch television for hours on end are pilloried for their unrealistic views in snide comments at teacher training sessions.
Methinks that a little more true tolerance, instead of mere lip-service, is what we need.
3 comments:
And for kids 14 and up they are also required not to eat fish on Fridays during lent.
And if you want to get REALLY technical the "rule" everyone seems to forget is that actually Friday abstinence is still technically in effect. IF a person does not abstain from meat on Friday, HE is to pick an ALTERNATE form of penance. And how many people conciously remember that?
Very few. I remembered part of the rule when they changed it back in the 60s. It's the rule no one mentions any more....save for ONE nun at a talk at one of the Catholic conferences for the diocese I attended a few years ago.
Mind, not that I always remember either. Maybe that's the "New Year's resolution" I should work on myself.
Even back in the mid-eighties, my father withdrew me from sex education and I was mercilessly pilloried by my peers. However, nobody attacked the Jehovah Witnesses for failing to attend religious assemblies, or for their refusal to be in the same room as a Christmas tree.
Well, at least fish is on the menu on a Friday at my school, and meat is off the menu on Ash Wed.
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