Avris

There’s a reason we don’t teach astrology, fortune-telling, horoscopes, telepathy or homeopathy at schools – they’re bullshit, they are claims not supported by any credible evidence. Yet when it comes to religion, some countries are fine with teaching it in schools. What the fuck?

Of course students should know about religions. The problem is presenting them as any other subject. They’re not.

Schools should teach students about religions, but they should not teach anyone the religion. Just like they should mention homeopathy when discussing the placebo effect, or mention astrology when explaining the scientific method and what kinds of hogwash do not follow it. But those are not valid school subjects!

During my whole education in Polish public schools I’ve spent like 10 hours tops discussing the religions of the world during the geography classes (and to be fair, also during the catholic catechesis classes). In comparison – I’ve wasted two hours each week for twelve years of education on getting indoctrinated with the catholic doctrine. It’s insane!

The rule should be simple – if there’s evidence for it, it should be taught in schools. If there’s not, but it’s somehow relevant: culturally, as a point of reference, or in a different way – it should be mentioned with an explanation of its unscientific nature.

Let’s keep children educated – not indoctrinated.