Teaching of Christianity 'lacks intellectual development'

[August]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

Unfortunately August, you can't teach history factually if you disregard or push relgiion aside. Sadly, religion has been a motivating factor in many of the wars humanity has had since it became "civilized".

Take out the basis for half the wars/conflicts in history - what kind of history will you teach?

Hey you don't have to convince me of it's importance but i'd rather leave the hole in the lesson than have some atheist or religious teacher use it to foist their own beliefs on their students which we both know they will do.

[Skybird]

History lessons without reflecting the influence of religions is impossible. You would need to ignore almost every era of European history since Rome. Religion as well as the abuse of it has been the most important motivating factor for developing and hindering arts, for going to war and ending them, for defining the legitimation of kings' rules, for the thirty years war and so many others, the emerging of pour modern understanding of laws and legality oif certain civil rights and freedoms, the way we understand terms like "freedom", "equality", "peace", not mentioning many philosophical concepts. All this is being touched by religion either be religion having fostering it, or because these things have been achieved against the bitter resistance of religion trying to prevent it, thus the conflict with religion having formed the results we have today. Laws. Government forms. Science. Arts. Philosophy. Cosmology.

You cannot imagine "history" without "religion" in good and in bad.

But the role religion plays needs to be understood in a sober, non-missionizing way, like you cannot understand the conception of the Soviet Union without mentioning communism and socialism - while mentioning them and understanding them not necessarily means that you must teach how to like and embrace communism. You mention the pantheon of the Greeks and Romans without trying to convince people of it's reality. You cannot teach Egyptian history without mentioning the old Egyptian concept of the divine nature of Pharao.

You could as well try to teach American history without referring to the independence war or the civil war, and the values and goals declared in those according historic documents. Like "American history" without these is baseless and meaningless, European history for over 2000 years is baseless and meaningless as well. Issues of religious nature have driven people in Europe to do things to a wider degree than anything else, may it be that they did things due to their religious belief, or due to their conflict with and their rebellion against religion.

Being aware of this and seeing it as an important motivational factor of history doe snot need that the confession itself must be missionized.

Some of the biog ancient cathedrals in Europe have been build over several centuries. CENTURIES. We modern Western people do not have that kind of patience and devotion anymore. We expect immediate results, and after ten years maximum we lose interest.

Teaching history, without mentioning the role religions have played, in good and bad? Think again. You could as well teach history without the role craving for money and wealth have played, or the craving for power and influence.

[Cybermat47]

Originally Posted by August

Hey you don't have to convince me of it's importance but i'd rather leave the hole in the lesson than have some atheist or religious teacher use it to foist their own beliefs on their students which we both know they will do.

Imagine having Richard Dawkins or the Pope as a teacher