Why every child should do religion

For the second class I teach religion is one of their favourite subjects.  We light the candle and immediately fall quiet. That moment is in stark contrast to so much of our day. We settle in, listen to each other more respectfully and even the quietest amongst us shyly proffers a little something.  Indoctrination to any great extent - well I don't see that as my role.  I leave that to the experts.  For First Communion, to take an example, each dioceses has a perfectly good system parish based programme with the greater emphasis rightly on the links between home and parish.

So what do the children get out of religion class?  What do we get out of it together?

Religion class is great for a chat, a walk down memory lane, glimpses into the future, to find out something about someone that we didn't know before.  All of us get a great sense of ourselves and of others - and that's impossible in Maths class! In fact there is little other chance to encourage reflection and meditation at school or at home.
For that little while there is great warmth among us and for me an overwhelming sense of having facilitated some good.
If our class never went beyond that  - well that would be enough.  But there are more reasons to study religions, many, many more than reasons not to.

"That is God."

"-What?" Mr Deasy asked.

"-A shout in the street," Stephen answered, shrugging his shoulders.

Ulysses, Chapter 2

A knowledge of religions underlies the understanding of great literature, art and of ancient cultures - Yeats, Joyce, Shakespeare (just in English), Michelangelo, Caravaggio, the Egyptians, - the list is as long as the history of the human race.
To know the cultures of others - their art, literature and beliefs - is to find a cultural context for themselves in this crazy world where all certainties are up for grabs. Symbols - as simple as a supermarket candle-  guide the way to the more complex symbolism each and every one of us encounters, every day.
From a young age all children should also come to see that all religions bear some responsibility historically and now, for wars, inequalities and bigotry.

And whatever our creed the impulse to give thanks and to forgive is profoundly human not religious.

Our little democratic ritual - everyone gets to light the candle at some point - has fostered a love of ritual, again so culturally important and personally enriching.  

We wouldn't be without it!