Sunday 8 April 2012

Rowan Williams' Last Easter Sermon

Dr Rowan Williams in his last Easter Sermon is urging schools to not play down the importance of religious education in our schools & while I somewhat agree on certain levels for cultural recognition of others who don't share your faith, to learn about your own isn't that what the churches, covens, groves, mosques, gurdwaras etc are for? I remember my religious education & school & seeing as though my school was a white Christian majority school, R.E. as it was called in my day was pretty much Christian studies, with one day a term where would vaguely read a couple of pages out of a text book on another faith & just do the vaguest of nods to them. It wasn't until working with Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists & Jews did I get any real understanding of what their day to day lives were like. OK if I hadn't found Paganism first I would have probably studied Buddhism further on my quest to find my spiritual path. At school I didn't find out any more about my faith (which was vaguely Church of England at the time), than what I did through my rather uninspiring stint at Sunday school. If we are to teach religions in schools because of the increasing number of us Pagans it would be good to see a nod to us as Atheists already are being recognised. But should we have them as anything other than cultural studies? There is the argument that you shouldn't teach religion in schools, but in that case i feel that there may end up being a bit more of cultural ignorance being created if it doesn't. He is also worried that people don't recognise what Easter is & to many people the meaning has been lost, but those are the ones who are lost from or never been a part of Christianity. Those who are Christian who have lost the meaning of Easter that is disappointing, for those who aren't, if you have the time off spend time with you family & get stuffed.... full of chocolate eggs, which is a tradition that the Christians seem to have nicked from us Pagans. Must be going there is a birthday cake in the oven for a member of my family.

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