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As December advances a small spectacle will play out in countless primary schools across the land. Wrapped in a seasonal glow proud parents will smile as they witness their 6 year old knocking on the door of the inn or snuggling down in a straw filled stable. Chuckles break out as cotton wool beards drop off or camels collide on a tiny stage. And to top it off some carols, the sound of festive bells and hopefully some minced pies. Why would some miserly atheist want to destroy such magic? What is the harm in allowing children to portray the characters in this much loved story? Fast forward 8 years to a Faith school where that simple story has now been elaborated so that it now it is not some distant myth but part of a belief system where myth has become truth and where doubt is regarded with scorn. Add to this the assertion that this truth is universal and superior to any other claims and why, because it is the word of god. Education is at the heart of a civilised society. The knowledge and skills that children acquire at school should equip them for adult life. Reason is the primary building block of learning and if it becomes corrupted by myth and superstition then we are headed back to the dark ages. As religion has played such a large role in human society it deserves to be studied, much can be learnt from examining how religions developed and why they are still with us. But at no time during this process must any of them be regarded as true. And if that is uncomfortable for devout parents they must be respectfully told that their son or daughter is not a Muslim child or a Christian child but simply a child. The current government is responsible for the increase in what is the most divisive education experiment this country has ever undertaken. Shame on them.
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National Secular Society