User talk:Neural

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Anyone can use this page to contact me or discuss anything with me in a reasonable manner, but personal attacks and insults will just be deleted when I notice them. This is the stance I'm taking on the issue of insults, and I will leave this message here so everyone knows in advance, before wasting time with petty attacks... -Neural 00:01, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "God in the schools"

Hi Neural, as you've discussed this with the subject before I thought I'd bring this to your notice as I happened to see it. Particularly this bit:

"Richard Dawkins and his friends are completely mistaken when they sneer at religious teaching of children as indoctrination of helpless victims. Children are in fact interested in all the great theological questions and are constantly asking such questions, usually beginning "Why?" and "How?" When they grow up, they are free to reject what they have been taught"

It struck me as a bit like saying 'It's ok to brainwash them cause when I've finished they have a choice?' Miamomimi 17:26, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

It seems like that to me, too. I'm not in favour of censoring religious ideas from kids - far from it. But I am definitely against presenting these ideas to children as facts, as often seems the case. Teachers in these faith schools don't see it as their job to teach kids to weigh up different arguments and think for themselves - they seem to see their job as convincing kids that "X religion is true. Y, Z, and all the other religions are what other people believe. Here is why X is true." Instead, teachers ought to focus on teaching kids conceptual tools and how to think for themselves. I'm of the view that faiths schools are just wrong. Religious indoctrination has no place in education whatsoever. -Neural 14:37, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree... It's madness. M&NCenarius 05:04, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi Matt - I thought I'd pop by and tell you about a debate that Richard Dawkins is taking part in here, along with the very impressive (in print anyway) Chris Hitchens but on getting the link I notice it's sold out and also that you may not be a Brit! Oops. Anyway, I heard Richard Dawkins in an interesting prog on R4 discussing altuism with Melvyn Bragg here - they have a listen again facility usually. So hey, it's the thought that counts and I will now be ashamed I wasn't quicker and not darken your user with such stuff again (but they do have cancellations sometimes so I thought I'd mention it) All best, Miamomimi 11:03, 23 November 2006 (UTC)