From: bobb@vice.ICO.TEK.COM (Robert Beauchaine)
Newsgroups: alt.atheism,talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Reader's Digest on prayer: amusing, or scary?
Date: 6 Nov 92 21:25:08 GMT
Followup-To: alt.atheism
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.


  I missed the original, so I'll be responding to both here.

In article <1992Nov6.135020.11562@bsu-ucs> 00prneubauer@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu (Paul Neubauer) writes:
>In article <1992Nov5.160855.20757@digi.lonestar.org>, 
> gpalo@digi.lonestar.org (Gerry Palo) writes:
>> I find it ironic that the atheists, materialists, and free thinkers , those
>> who advocate diversity of thought, are always the first to insist on
>> uniform education for all, whereas most religious people are only interested
>> in being allowed freedom to choose their own schools.  

  Which atheists are restricting your freedom to choose your own
  school?  There are numerous alternatives to the public school
  system, and you are free to choose any or none of them as you see
  fit.  If you want my tax dollars to support you, however, is
  asking the government (and myself indirectly) to subsidize your
  religious educational system.  Can't do that.  Wouldn't be
  prudent.

>>The only exceptions
>> seem to be with Libertarians, many of whom are atheists.  They at least
>> recognize that an environment of freedom is essential for truth to prevail.
>> To repeat my warning, the curricula of public schools may suit your beliefs
>> today, but the state that promotes atheism or theistic neutrality as the
>> rule today can just as easily change tomorrow.  


  I am married to a grade school teacher.  I will say this once
  without yelling:  the public school system, at least in the area I
  live, does not teach atheism.  Period.

  OK, I guess I'd better yell for emphasis:

  THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM DOES NOT TEACH ATHEISM. PERIOD.

  As for theistic neutrality,  what's your suggestion?  Teach
  christianity?  I thought so.

>>And when it does, it changes
>> for everyone. If religion is so self evidently foolish and materialism-
>> atheism is so self evidently true, why is there so much fear of diversity 
>> and free choice in education?

  Why this paranoia?  You can educate your children bloody well
  anywhere you want.  I don't care.  Just be prepared to pay for any
  educational expenses that my government should not be responsible
  for.  

>While I am personally aware of a number of children attending schools
>run by religious groups to which neither they nor their parents
>belong, I am also aware that these individuals are the exception
>rather than the rule.  That is, in my (admittedly limited) experience,
>religious or other special-interest schools tend to promote
>homogeneity rather than diversity *within* the school.  That is, it
>tends to be the case that virtually all of the students in such a
>school are Catholic, or evangelical Protestant, or white, or wealthy,
>or whatever.  I do not consider that desirable.

  This hasn't been my experience.  My wife has taught in both the
  public and Catholic school system.  When she was teaching in the
  private schools, there were many children from all denominations 
  in the classrooms.  Most of them were there because their parents
  felt that they would 1) get a better education or 2) the
  teachers would have more control over the students.  The actual
  religious content of the education was often a secondary concern.
  Diversity was both allowed and encouraged;  Jehovah's witness 
  students were regularly exempted from activities that the parents 
  objected to as an example.  Other religious views were discussed
  (American Indian mythology comes to mind).

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ 

Bob Beauchaine bobb@vice.ICO.TEK.COM 

"Look, I tried the cat experiment.  On the third trial, the cat was
dead.  On each of the subsequent 413 trials, it remained dead.  Am I
doing something wrong?"
			James Nicoll

Q.  How many Heisenbergs does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A.  If you know the number, you don't know where the light bulb is!