More debate today about ‘religious observance’ in schools. ..
I get the point – which is that it is difficult to sustain a practice which assumes that children and their families are members of religious and faith communities when many of them aren’t. ‘Pause for Thought’ and ‘Time for Reflection’ are certainly open but they are also somewhat anodyne.
The idea that religion is bad and spirituality is good is overworked. But it seems to me that there is some validity in it – and the recent Census returns support that. Those who wish to make Scotland into a place free of spirituality and religion are not actually in tune with where this society is and where it is going.
I think that there are two important things to hang onto.
The first is diversity. One of the keys to building a society of real quality is an acceptance of diversity. Universal denominational adherence is gone – but a rich diversity of faith and culture is part of what happens when people move around the world. Our children should learn to respect and celebrate that – rather than being encouraged to see all faith expression as dangerous
The second is transcendence. People read books, climb mountains, go to concerts – and are part of faith communities – because they want to engage with that part of the human psyche which rejoices in transcendence. Pauses for thought and times for reflection are an understandable and appropriate way of meeting the needs of where we are now – but they don’t invite us into transcendence.
My family look at the gay marriage issue from a largely generational lens.
Grandma…. simply follows the faith and the rules which have sustained her for over 80 years, and continues alongside this acceptance a hospitable and genuinely kind attitude towards her fellow man and woman of whatever sex, gender, chosen name.
I have moved from the traditional faith view I was surrounded with at home and school towards a more questioning approach……yes I do believe that my marriage is between one man and one woman, etc……however I have no issues over accepting that 2 people of the same gender or indeed of any gender or identification should also have that right …..Bishop Desmond Tutu puts it all more eloquently. Finally my own grown up family of 20’s and 30’s year olds. For them it is a case of ‘yawn’ of Course It is Ok For same sex people to marry in any way they choose……….Neither do my ‘children’ worry about exactly where on the spectrum of high catholic or evangelical the priest or minister is…….I am just so happy that they are tolerant responsible caring adults who get on with life in this difficult and joyful time we inhabit.
If you can get to transcendence in a School Assembly you must be much better at it than I am.