Comments on: 80% of kids believe in God, survey into faith bullying reveals

By: Ian J

Ian J — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:52:37 +0000

Just head line grabbing figures, lets see the raw data and the conditions under which it was collected. probably by some Christian based right-wing 'charity' collected at Sunday school whilst mummy and daddy where there.

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By: Simon Murphy

Simon Murphy — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:49:55 +0000

Unlike gender, race or sexuality, a person's religion is fair game to be ridiculed. A religion is not innate to someone. It is a chosen set of belief systems. Also people think that their freely chosen religion gives them license to behave like drooling facists. A member of a religion who refuses to offer the same respect and rights to a gay person as they expect themselves automatically loses the right to start demanding rights.

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By: wossname

wossname — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:05:33 +0000

Well, Adrian, that's exactly what the Islamic countries in the UN are trying to do, and it seems to be working, any speech against their mercilessly interrupted. There are links to that on the NSS website as well. If it becomes part of the UN charter then you can bet your boots that the xtians will use the same dodge.

http://www.secularism.org.uk/islamicdemandshavefatallywounded.html

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By: Adrian-T

Adrian-T — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:44:24 +0000

Thanks for the NSS link Ivan – Terry Sanderson hits the nail on the head quite frankly. Particularly poignant is his comment that "The impression is being created that simply having hostile feelings about religion (even when they are perfectly logical and expressed reasonably) is presented as the equivalent of being racist…." (So what next, being forced to sit through a biology lesson on evolution will be 'harrassment'). It sounds like an attempt to keep religious opinion protected from any criticism whatsoever.

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By: Robert, ex-pat Brit

Robert, ex-pat Brit — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:45:45 +0000

80% is a staggeringly high number, quite disturbing. I've never been a supporter of state religion or any faith-based schools supported by tax-payers. In France where there is no state religion even though Catholicism is the overwhelming religious denomination, if parents want children to receive religious instruction, they have to make provision after school hours. Religious instruction is prohibited in the school curriculum. We should adopt the same practice. I bet you won't find 80% of French children claiming to be believers either.

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By: Myr

Myr — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:37:56 +0000

Funny. I recall being harassed and called a monster in a religious catholic school BECAUSE not only was I lesbian, we were being taught that I was evil incarnate and that I must burn in hell for my horrid child like puppy love towards another girl.

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By: Ivan

Ivan — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:42:54 +0000

This report is not what it seems. For the National Secular Society's review, go to:

http://www.secularism.org.uk/faithbullyingwhatsthatexactly.html

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By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:37:57 +0000

And 90% of children believe in Santa Claus… big deal!

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By: Adrian-T

Adrian-T — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:37:04 +0000

80 percent belief in a god is truly worrying. Bullying should be stamped out – but people should expect mockery and ridicule, or hatred as the consequences for expressing repulsive or ludicrous views as in the case of that Robinson woman. And secondly, I hope simply telling someone their beliefs are ridiculous is not counted as hate speech nowadays.

Also, there is nothing wrong with questioning one's beliefs.

This report also shows that faith schools will only lead to more sectarianism, and they should be stopped.

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By: Dale

Dale — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:49:47 +0000

If 80% believe in God, then most of the bullies must also believe in God. So if people are being bullied because of their faith, it's because some other believer thinks it's not the right faith.

It's interesting that the survey doesn't cover atheists being bullied by religionists. Most atheist kids I know keep it to themselves because they know how much religionists hate atheists.

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