A Bailiwick Express report on Minecraft Bibles being donated to schools elicited a large number of negative responses on Politics Jersey.
“This is pretty dark, should it be allowed?”
“Have you read the bible? It’s very dark. Gang rape, Incest. Murder, Slavery. All are good in the Bible. If that’s not dark, then what is?”
"Morality, Slavery is perfectly moral in the bible. The overall message is nothing to do with peace and love. Its "Do what I say or else"”
“More brainwashing propaganda, shouldn’t kids be taught the truth at school??”
“Is that a female teacher handing out the bibles? Yet the New Testament states "I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she must be quiet. “
“As a father I’m glad my little girl hasn’t been subjected to this bullshit she already knows that god isn’t real and it’s just something for folk to believe in”
“I would be fuming if they’d hijacked my child’s class for that rubbish. Schools should not be treated as captive audiences that religious groups can prey upon to try and boost their own numbers.
It is amazing how many people assume that because they have definite opinions about the Bible being bad, their children should not be subjected to the possibility of reading the Bible and instead, evidently, take their opinions on trust!
They clearly did not read the statement reported by the Religious Education Advisory Council:
"By having a Bible in class, students can learn how to look up passages and can explore the text first-hand. They can engage directly with the scripts and think about what the text means for believers, and for themselves."
This seems to be about (1) learning about a faith's key text (2) thinking for yourself.
The commentators seem to have taken C.S. Lewis statement (in “Surprised by Joy”) to heart
“A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere — ‘Bibles laid open, millions of surprises,’ as Herbert says”
Clearly the best way to preserve the purity of their children’s atheism is to ensure they are not exposed to something else! But isn’t this a form of censoring the child’s reading? If anything smacks of indoctrination, that does. Are some of these people so scared that their children might make up their own minds, instead of what their parents think? Do they really believe in the old Jesuit maxim: Give me the child for the first seven years and I will give you the man?
The Bailiwick Express article, which no one seems to have read in its entirety, also said:
Francesca Allen, Head of Humanities Faculty at Le Rocquier School, said the school “gratefully received” the donation. “We were previously having to print extracts from the Bible to support students in their Judaism and Christianity studies, which meant they never got to grips with how to negotiate a real Bible.”
Now I’m a great believer in looking at primary texts when doing history. And also in religious education, finding out about what people believe, or stories they have told, are best found in the primary texts.
As Seneca said: " Give over hoping that you can skim, by means of epitomes, the wisdom of distinguished men. Look into their wisdom as a whole; study it as a whole." But people probably don't read Seneca much nowadays.
[That saying is from Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 33 if you want to read the whole piece!]
The Jersey Education law says:
Subject to Article 20, a pupil of compulsory school age in a provided school shall receive religious education in accordance with a syllabus approved by the Minister after consultation with the Religious Education Advisory Council.
And article 20 also provides a right for the parent “”to withdraw the pupil from religious education”
It should be noted that religious education in provided schools follows a strict curriculum guidelines, and again no one criticising religious education in Jersey schools seem to have given the slightest interest in finding that out. Here is what it says:
RE contributes dynamically to pupil’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong.
In RE pupils learn about and from religions.
RE plays a significant part in a balanced curriculum, enabling pupils to consider some of the fundamental questions of life.
RE offers distinctive opportunities to promote pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
RE should offer a structured and safe space during curriculum time for reflection, discussion, dialogue and debate. It is a subject that explores people’s responses, beliefs, traditions, cultures, behaviours and diversity. Pupils will be able to gain and deploy skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. Pupils will learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.”
Before fulminating against handing out bibles for use in Religious Education, perhaps a little more care should be taken to find out what Religious Education is all about. Certainly in some circles of social media, “respecting the right of others to differ” seems far down the list of priorities for children to be taught.
“This is pretty dark, should it be allowed?”
“Have you read the bible? It’s very dark. Gang rape, Incest. Murder, Slavery. All are good in the Bible. If that’s not dark, then what is?”
"Morality, Slavery is perfectly moral in the bible. The overall message is nothing to do with peace and love. Its "Do what I say or else"”
“More brainwashing propaganda, shouldn’t kids be taught the truth at school??”
“Is that a female teacher handing out the bibles? Yet the New Testament states "I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she must be quiet. “
“As a father I’m glad my little girl hasn’t been subjected to this bullshit she already knows that god isn’t real and it’s just something for folk to believe in”
“I would be fuming if they’d hijacked my child’s class for that rubbish. Schools should not be treated as captive audiences that religious groups can prey upon to try and boost their own numbers.
It is amazing how many people assume that because they have definite opinions about the Bible being bad, their children should not be subjected to the possibility of reading the Bible and instead, evidently, take their opinions on trust!
They clearly did not read the statement reported by the Religious Education Advisory Council:
"By having a Bible in class, students can learn how to look up passages and can explore the text first-hand. They can engage directly with the scripts and think about what the text means for believers, and for themselves."
This seems to be about (1) learning about a faith's key text (2) thinking for yourself.
The commentators seem to have taken C.S. Lewis statement (in “Surprised by Joy”) to heart
“A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere — ‘Bibles laid open, millions of surprises,’ as Herbert says”
Clearly the best way to preserve the purity of their children’s atheism is to ensure they are not exposed to something else! But isn’t this a form of censoring the child’s reading? If anything smacks of indoctrination, that does. Are some of these people so scared that their children might make up their own minds, instead of what their parents think? Do they really believe in the old Jesuit maxim: Give me the child for the first seven years and I will give you the man?
The Bailiwick Express article, which no one seems to have read in its entirety, also said:
Francesca Allen, Head of Humanities Faculty at Le Rocquier School, said the school “gratefully received” the donation. “We were previously having to print extracts from the Bible to support students in their Judaism and Christianity studies, which meant they never got to grips with how to negotiate a real Bible.”
Now I’m a great believer in looking at primary texts when doing history. And also in religious education, finding out about what people believe, or stories they have told, are best found in the primary texts.
As Seneca said: " Give over hoping that you can skim, by means of epitomes, the wisdom of distinguished men. Look into their wisdom as a whole; study it as a whole." But people probably don't read Seneca much nowadays.
[That saying is from Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 33 if you want to read the whole piece!]
The Jersey Education law says:
Subject to Article 20, a pupil of compulsory school age in a provided school shall receive religious education in accordance with a syllabus approved by the Minister after consultation with the Religious Education Advisory Council.
And article 20 also provides a right for the parent “”to withdraw the pupil from religious education”
It should be noted that religious education in provided schools follows a strict curriculum guidelines, and again no one criticising religious education in Jersey schools seem to have given the slightest interest in finding that out. Here is what it says:
RE contributes dynamically to pupil’s education in schools by provoking challenging questions about meaning and purpose in life, beliefs about God, ultimate reality, issues of right and wrong.
In RE pupils learn about and from religions.
RE plays a significant part in a balanced curriculum, enabling pupils to consider some of the fundamental questions of life.
RE offers distinctive opportunities to promote pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
RE should offer a structured and safe space during curriculum time for reflection, discussion, dialogue and debate. It is a subject that explores people’s responses, beliefs, traditions, cultures, behaviours and diversity. Pupils will be able to gain and deploy skills needed to understand, interpret and evaluate texts, sources of wisdom and authority and other evidence. Pupils will learn to articulate clearly and coherently their personal beliefs, ideas, values and experiences while respecting the right of others to differ.”
Before fulminating against handing out bibles for use in Religious Education, perhaps a little more care should be taken to find out what Religious Education is all about. Certainly in some circles of social media, “respecting the right of others to differ” seems far down the list of priorities for children to be taught.
References:
https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/jsy/news/minecraft-bibles-donated-help-boost-religious-education
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