Firstly, thank you for the in-depth replies and kind comments - I'll try and respond to all the main points.
I think perhaps I could live with chapel attendance, perhaps I have been slightly close-minded - I can't stop people expressing their religious views in the public domain, nor would I wish to. If I can live with that, I could sit down and listen to somebody express a view I don't share for a while. My real concern was overt religious pressure, which thankfully doesn't seem to be the case.
Please note my anti-religion is subjective, philosophical and respectful. I don't go around denouncing the faith of others just as the majority of Christians don't make uninvited comments to atheists or agnostics.
Anyways:
DavebytheSea wrote:The fact is that chapel is a core part of the community experience of Christ's Hospital. Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Agnostic, Atheist - all meet there to share a common experience. For some that may be perceived as a Christian experience, but for plenty others it is not - nor does it have to be for you. The music is rich, the sermons occasionally interesting and the murals endlessy fascinating. In my opinion, if you cut yourself off from this, you will inevitably be the poorer for it. No one at the school will try and force Christianity down your throat, but they will hope to engender a respect and a toleration of the beliefs of others. Please do not insist on cutting yourself off from such a central part of the CH corporate life; to do so would be to demonstrate the very intolerance which you, with some justification I think, perceive in some of us who would call ourselves Christian.
I don't really think a lack of attendance is tantamount to intolerance. Imagine if you were forced to attend a synagogue, mosque or a secular lecture on the irrationality of faith. Presumably you would be uncomfortable in such a situation, being told something that actually contradicts your position as if it were irrefutable fact and being forced to listen.
There are of course intolerant, even dogmatic atheists of a zealous nature that rivals even that of the most fundamentalist Christian. I judge by the individual in all circumstances.
jtaylor wrote:I would suggest attendance at the services - as previously suggested, this could be an interesting intellectual learning experience to hear the other views, and encourage intelligent debate.
Religion without intelligent debate is dangerous in my genuinely humble opinion....(happy to be argued with!)
I value debate highly, but that isn't the purpose of a religious ceremony - you are expected to sit down, shut up and listen. I can see where you're coming from, though. It would promote understanding if nothing else.
Remember, I do understand the theistic position to an extent - I used to have faith myself, though it was a confused mixture of Judaism and Christianity - sort of like Messianic Judaism, though that itself is a confused term.
Richard Ruck wrote:I often didn't really appreciate having to attend, say, a maths lesson on a Saturday morning, but I just got on with it.
Presumably you didn't find maths offensive! Still, I could sympathize if you did.
soc wrote:Being Catholic I was given the option of not attending ANY chapel services. I decided to go for the sake of being a part of the group. I also joined the chior because I enjoyed singing.
I'd find it pretty troubling if that were not extended to atheists - there is a marked tendency to view atheism as not a hard metaphysical stance at all, but as a state of indecisiveness or weakness that is merely transitory.
So, are Catholics still excused to your knowledge? If so I can't see on what grounds its denied to others, though I wouldn't be surprised.
englishangel wrote:And if there is one thing CH teaches you, it is to be broad-minded, as I think you can see from all the other posts on this forum.
Well, you don't criticise somebody for not choosing to read a book of revisionist history which could possibly offend. Certainly there is much in the Bible (specifically the Jewish Bible) that offends me, even if it is in my view fictional. Violence, racism, sexual deviance, genocide, bigotry, human rights violations - its all there.
Great Plum wrote:Even the most ardent teenage athiests/ agnostics went to chapel...
If they chose to do that, thats cool, but I'd really prefer not to. I would try it of course, but if I find it uncomfortable I don't like the idea of being forced to attend.
Mrs C. wrote:As EA points out, state schools are generally required to have a daily act of religious worship - CH only asks this of its pupils twice a week!
In state schools with religious elements its a legal right to be excused altogether, at least for the time being.
Great Plum wrote:I think one thing to note is that the school is a religious foundation, so to expect no religious attendence at chapel etc would be wrong.
I don't expect it at all, which is why I'm asking you guys. If Christian belief is instrumental, I want to know about it so as to avoid any trouble from the offset.
