"Faith Schools: Abolishing Sectarian Education Decreases Inter-Racial Violence and Curbs Religious Extremism" by Vexen Crabtree (2003)

Page has a new conclusion and has been lightly edited:

In 2001 there were 7000 state faith schools in the UK (of 25000). The worst teach creationism (that the world is only 6000 years old, against all scientific evidence) and some, although they excel at religious education and Koranic studies, fail on everything else from science to fitness. Reports on the race riots of 2001 criticized faith schools for creating the segregation that increases racial and religious sectarian tensions. Over 800 studies by social psychologists have found that cooperating and extended contact between racial groups is a very good way of producing positive race relations. Faith schools sometimes produce better-than-average results, but they also select students based on ability (despite attempts to stop them), whereas state schools accept poorer students in the first place. The Home Office, National Union of Teachers, Chief Schools Inspector, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers have all spoken out against faith schools and the United Nations Human Rights Commission recommends non-sectarian education, especially of children. The National Secular Society has long campaigned for the government to reverse the creation of faith schools (100 new ones since 1997), and instead convert faith schools back into all-inclusive secular schools where religion and race do not define the children. Abolishing faith schools will decrease social tension between ethnic and religious groups, increase the fairness of the schools system (as religious schools accept fewer poor and disadvantaged students), and reduce the scope for religious extremism and indoctrination.

Tags: children, creationism, education, faith schools, fundamentalism, indoctrination, intolerance, prejudice, racism, religion, schooling, sectarianism, segregation, tolerance, vardy foundation
Current Location: Germany

I really didn't know! Alan Turing commited suicide after being convicted of homosexuality. What a pathetic end :-(. I forget just how recent the major battles against intolerance are, even in the UK!

Tags: alan turing, homosexuality, intolerance
Current Location: Germany
Listening To: "Ravishing Grimness" by Dark Thorne

Islam and Unbelievers: Convert, Subjugate, or Die: What the Qur'an says the attitude of Muslims should be to non-Muslims.

Tags: intolerance, islam, religion
Current Location: Afghanistan

New Page: Single Issue Parties are Dangerous (BNP, etc). Looking at single issue parties as the result of special interest groups, parties that represent a specific religion or a specific ethnic group, and far-right nationalist parties such as the BNP, who epitomize trash-culture: short-term ignorant instincts at the expense of genuine good policy

Tags: democracy, governments, intolerance, nationalism, politics
Current Location: Germany
Current Mood: busy
Listening To: "Architecture and Morality" by OMD

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=3&u=/nm/20030603/od_nm/malaysia_dc
Malaysia, with just over 50% Muslim population, where the official religion is Islam, is now fining people for holding hands in public. 'About 30 unmarried couples have been fined $7.90 for holding hands in a drive to keep the city "morally clean," ', the 30 fined people were non-Muslims who do not consider holding hands to be morally wrong.

http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/coe_fundamentalism.html
Growing Fundamentalism within the Church of England is causing a potential split and financial bankruptcy of the liberal traditional Church of England, as the Anglican Church continues to struggle with gay tolerance.

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=25145
India passes anti-conversion laws. "These difficulties are exacerbated by the increased activity of a few Hindu fundamentalist groups which are creating suspicion of the church and other religions", the Pope said said, "Unfortunately, in some regions the state authorities have yielded to the pressures of these extremists and have passed unjust conversion laws, prohibiting free exercise of the natural right to religious freedom, or withdrawing state support for those in the scheduled castes who have chosen to christianity"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,969021,00.html
Northern region of Pakistan adopts Sharia law. This is the most extreme, barbarian form of religious fundamentalist rule that there can be, responsible for public stonings, apostasy laws and many other elements that we haven't known, in the UK, since the Dark Ages and Inquisition, but which are common in heavily Muslim countries. (The Muslim world is going through it's own Dark Ages, it has been said).

In other vaguely-remembered news (I can't be bothered to find more links...) a Canadian Anglican bishop/priest done a "gay blessing" ceremony, which is good, but according to Reform/Church Society (groups within C of E), 2/3 of bishops have stated they no longer recognize the Bishop as a Christian. In other good news, a Catholic/Protestant mutual service has occured, which is good although the Pope did say he didn't approve.

London, another city, and several European countries have ran government sanctioned gay relationship registration schemes for some time, to much opposition by Christian and Islam groups in the UK and Europe.

Link:
http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/homosexuality.html

Tags: church of england, homosexuality, india, intolerance, malaysia, news, pakista, religion, sharia, the pope

Mundanes, Trendies, Townies... and ignorant intolerance

Tags: intolerance, mundanes, subcultures, townies, trendies