Should single faith schools be privately funded?

[Tyrone Biggums]

keep digging.

Not digging at all. You've a very closed mind.

It's your way or the highway. Closed mind.

 

[sten_super]

I'm saying both are things that are felt, not seen.

Not that difficult a concept to follow.

It's much more difficult to follow when written down than when in your head, seemingly.

I think you were closer to the mark in your previous post, actually. Both are human-made constructs or explanations. Love is our phrase for the feeling when a load of hormones get fired throughout our body, which is a process that has evolved into us through necessity. A belief in God is our way of manifesting other feelings or issues that we don't understand. Some of these are probably evolutionary (the issue of 'knowing our place in the grand scheme of things', for want of a better turn of phrase) and others that are more around knowledge (a god is a convenient way of us explaining things we don't understand, particularly when we don't want to admit as much).

 

[Buzzer]

What are you talking about? Love is stimulated largely by hormones, and has evolutionary value (as our offspring require a long period of development and we as a species are relatively vulnerable). What's that got to do with the idea of a god?

Hang on. I love the Albion, toast with duck pâté and Asics Onitsuka trainers. I'm pretty sure I've not tried to breed with any of those. Although I have occasionally introduced Albion tops into the love-making. With women, I hasten to add.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

As an atheist myself, it's a very nice way of putting the idea of faith forward.

Not sure why it's not put in these simple terms more often.

Well I try to make as simple as possible.

A lot of human behaviours are similar to how faith works. Intangibles one cannot explain but have a very strong resonance with people.

It's tied into the senses.

Sensory perception in people is something tied into faith, relationships, parenthood etc etc

 

[The Large One]

But he is not King now.

And he will not be allowed to do this when he is king.

So there.

Why not?

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

As an atheist myself, it's a very nice way of putting the idea of faith forward.

Not sure why it's not put in these simple terms more often.

have you spent much time with christians? or gone to an alpha course perhaps?

you might learn something

(I'd say it is very regularly put in those terms)

 

[Bold Seagull]

Not digging at all. You've a very closed mind.

It's your way or the highway. Closed mind.

I'm an atheist with an open mind. If some miracle occurs in front of me, or some revelation that God exists, I'll happily change my mind. I have no faith in my atheism, it's simply there as a term for not believing in something. I have no reason to live by it, or adhere to it in anyway. I'll happily slap my head and change my mind at any given point in time that I am convinced otherwise.

If you have faith in God however, can you also allow yourself an open minded state to entertain the possibility God doesn't exist? Can faith allow this possibility to exist? Or does faith, like love, induce a kind of blindness?

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

I'm an atheist with an open mind. If some miracle occurs in front of me, or some revelation that God exists, I'll happily change my mind. I have no faith in my atheism, it's simply there as a term for not believing in something. I have no reason to live by it, or adhere to it in anyway. I'll happily slap my head and change my mind at any given point in time that I am convinced otherwise.

If you have faith in God however, can you also allow yourself an open minded state to entertain the possibility God doesn't exist? Can faith allow this possibility to exist? Or does faith, like love, induce a kind of blindness?

blind faith is quite unhealthy. Most Christians I know frequently question whether the big man exists (myself included)

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I'm an atheist with an open mind. If some miracle occurs in front of me, or some revelation that God exists, I'll happily change my mind. I have no faith in my atheism, it's simply there as a term for not believing in something. I have no reason to live by it, or adhere to it in anyway. I'll happily slap my head and change my mind at any given point in time that I am convinced otherwise.

If you have faith in God however, can you also allow yourself an open minded state to entertain the possibility God doesn't exist? Can faith allow this possibility to exist? Or does faith, like love, induce a kind of blindness?

Well that's the thing.

I sense something spiritual for want of a better word. As with the concept of love it's not that easy to describe, however you feel it within you and at times it feels as if it guides your thought.

People often use the term "broken heart". Now for anyone who's loved and lost someone the sensation of that is that your heart may seem to be the thing conveying/feeling the emotion.

This however is not possible as the heart is simply an organ to pump blood.

Nether the less its still a very real feeling to the person, even to the point of it feeling a physical thing.

 

[e77]

How about opening some agnostic or atheist schools where no one is allowed in who believes in god? No, because that would be seen as prejudicial, despite the fact the opposite is allowed.

Church and state should be separated (which the Americans do quite well).

 

[piersa]

Not digging at all. You've a very closed mind.

It's your way or the highway. Closed mind.

I admit, I have a very closed mind to anything that is plucked from thin air, like a god. If there is a god (highly unlikely) and he/she shows themselves, I will believe in god. Until that time I will stick with science and logic.

 

[The Large One]

How about opening some agnostic or atheist schools where no one is allowed in who believes in god? No, because that would be seen as prejudicial, despite the fact the opposite is allowed.

Church and state should be separated (which the Americans do quite well).

Point is, with the Free Schools programme, MORE faith-based schools will be state-funded in future, along with schools using different education methods.

 

[piersa]

blind faith is quite unhealthy. Most Christians I know frequently question whether the big man exists (myself included)

Ok, so why do you think he does exist and why do you think he may not?

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I admit, I have a very closed mind to anything that is plucked from thin air, like a god. If there is a god (highly unlikely) and he/she shows themselves, I will believe in god. Until that time I will stick with science and logic.

Well obviously it's not plucked from thin air.

If people can sense a presence within/around then it's a very real concept to them.

Plenty of believers have become non-believers no doubt.

However, how do you account for people who have been complete cynics who experieince something and their views and perceptions change full circle to oen of belief?

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

There should be no religion in schools, apart from in the form of any religious studies courses.
All schools should be funded by the government, private schools should not be allowed.

Communist!

 

[piersa]

Well obviously it's not plucked from thin air.

However, how do you account for people who have been complete cynics who experieince something and their views and perceptions change full circle to oen of belief?

I'm not too sure. Perhaps the realisation that when you die you turn to dust and the belief in a god comforts them? Perhaps they experience something that they cannot explain and attribute it to some spurious higher power?

 

[Triggaaar]

Why would a parent want their kid to go to a faith school of a religion that they don't believe in?

Why would they want to send their kids to such schools anyway if they aren't of their mindset?

Because the school could be local and good. I don't believe in god, but the people running our local C of E are good people, and the school is good. I'd rather they go to that than have to travel further to a school less able to teach my children.

Mr biggums and nwgull just made it too easy for you.

They've done it again.

So basically the you're saying the church can ransom the local authority into dictating the entrance criteria of it's pupil entry because it owns the land!?

Well as you can see from my posts, my opinion is closer to the middle than either extreme. If an organisation owns some land, and a school on it, they can offer it to the local authority with whatever terms they like. The authority can say yes or no.

How charitable the church really is.

If you want to find an opposing view, you've got the wrong guy. I'm not a huge fan of the church, but that said, I do appreciate they are short of funds locally, and I do see why they want to offer places to church goers. The church would be empty if they didn't.

If a church wishes to provide a school on its land, then fine, but if it is funded by the local authority and tax payers money, then they play by the rules of all other schools or make the school a private intake. If they want to close the school because they want to dictate entry, then so be it, frankly with that mentality, they shouldn't be providing state education.

Principled, but 'so be it' isn't great when you see schools closing because of your fine principles. In return for their land, you propose to offer them nothing - not a great deal for them. How many other organisations provide hundreds of schools around the country in return for nothing?

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Ok, so why do you think he does exist and why do you think he may not?

wow...what an odd question for this time on a friday

the answer to your first question is too large to fully explain here...i'll try

I believe in god because of the work in my own life as well as others around me....healing and answers to prayers included. Could be put down to a series of complete coincidences but I believe otherwise. I also experience God daily in a way that TB suggested (a presence within/around etc.).

Why do I question this? Because it's healthy...my doubts are always short lived, however

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Not digging at all. You've a very closed mind.

It's your way or the highway. Closed mind.

Tyrone Biggums accusing people of being close minded, snigger.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I'm not too sure. Perhaps the realisation that when you die you turn to dust and the belief in a god comforts them? Perhaps they experience something that they cannot explain and attribute it to some spurious higher power?

I'd think it would have to be a very powerful experience to change someone who holds science as the answer mindset to one of total belief.

It's probably akin to people who are complete cynics of the paranormal experiencing something which completely changes their views.