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Richard Dawkins: Faith School Menace?

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Following on from the post on Becky Fischer’s weirdo fundamentalist brainwashing for preteens, here’s Richard Dawkins’ recent documentary on faith schools and the damage they do to the minds of impressionable children. Here a more subdued Dawkins, who has been in these situations enough times to learn that all you have to do is let a fundie (of any religion) start talking and they will hang themselves with their own words, providing you with television gold in the process, does just that: He lets them talk

God Man, it must have been so demoralizing for him to go on these shoots! Some of this is just tragic. Supernatural beliefs should have no part in a proper education.

The number of faith schools in Britain is rising. Around 7,000 publicly-funded schools - one in three - now has a religious affiliation. As the coalition government paves the way for more faith-based education by promoting ‘free schools’, the renowned atheist and evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins says enough is enough.

In this passionately argued film, Dawkins calls on us to reconsider the consequences of faith education, which, he argues, bamboozles parents and indoctrinates and divides children. The film features robust exchanges with former Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke, Head of the Church of England Education Service Reverend Janina Ainsworth, and the Chair of the Association of Muslim Schools, Dr Mohammed Mukadam.

It also features insights from child psychologists and key players in faith education as well as insights from both parents and pupils.

Dawkins also draws on his own personal history as a father, arguing that the government must stop funding new faith schools, and urges society to respect a child’s right to freedom of belief.

 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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01.19.2011
05:04 pm
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