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Why Are We Forced To Do Religion For JC?

  • 28-01-2012 7:55pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 621 ✭✭✭ Marshall Numerous Meat


    I hate religion its a f****** joke, learning about God when I could be doing something practical. Why are we forced into Religion? I don't even believe in God but I still have to do the exam!

    And our class is a joke, nobody takes him seriously, I could really be doing something better with my time, like a study period.
    So why is my school forcing this bullsh*t on me? :mad:


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭ButtonBox


    Before you start attending a secondary school, you're supposed to know what subjects are mandatory or not. In some schools, religion is, so you have to take the exam (in the junior cert cycle anyway) whether you want to or not, unfortunately.. :/
    I agree, though. I'd like a free class to study, but that'd only be useful in exam years, you know? Other years would just doss most of the time like.
    Religion class would be so much more fun if it wasn't an exam subject.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,088 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Most Irish schools are owned by reigious orders or churches. Even VEC schools, which are not owned by them are obliged by law to give two hours of religion per week. It shows you how disgracefully under the heel of the church Irish governments have been and still are.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17 kelijryan


    the religion that is usualy in the jc isnt just about catholics, its about all world religions and how they started and what their culture is it can be interesting at times


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,838 ✭✭✭✭ Mathias Quiet Worshiper


    spurious wrote: »
    It shows you how disgracefully under the heel of the church Irish governments have been and still are.

    If they were then it'd all be Catholocism. When I did my JC in 2009 there was much more emphasis on the other world religions than Catholocism. It's good to have some education and understanding of them, imo.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,088 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    baz2009 wrote: »
    spurious wrote: »
    It shows you how disgracefully under the heel of the church Irish governments have been and still are.

    If they were then it'd all be Catholocism. When I did my JC in 2009 there was much more emphasis on the other world religions than Catholocism. It's good to have some education and understanding of them, imo.
    The religion exam is no problem - it is a choice. The OP asked about having to do religion and the reason is church owned and church controlled and church influenced schools, be they catholic, protestant, islamic or jedi.

    Outside an academic study or exam situation, it has no place in a school, imo.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 171 ✭✭conorcan2


    spurious wrote: »
    The religion exam is no problem - it is a choice. The OP asked about having to do religion and the reason is church owned and church controlled and church influenced schools, be they catholic, protestant, islamic or jedi.

    Outside an academic study or exam situation, it has no place in a school, imo.

    Spurious:

    I went to a Christian brothers school. In religion class, there was a equal/greater coverage of non-catholic topics. Free debate was encouraged and I don't remember the teacher advocating Christian ideals. It was similar to how a secular, non-partisan class about religion should be. Maybe your experience was different.

    I believe that it is important to learn about religion because it is one of the most powerful socio-economical-political influences in the world. You can learn about religion without having to believe in any of it.

    The idea that education should merely be for productive ends is great for making students into producers, but there are other aspects of being human that don't have readily quantifiable results. History is another example of a subject that seems unproductive.


  • Site Banned Posts: 148 ✭✭franciebellew


    What is jc?


  • Registered Users Posts: 171 ✭✭conorcan2


    Jesus Clones.





    or Junior Cert...take your pick.


  • Site Banned Posts: 148 ✭✭franciebellew


    Who the fu-ck is Jesus clone?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,232 ✭✭✭Bazinga_N


    I hate religion its a f****** joke, learning about God when I could be doing something practical. Why are we forced into Religion? I don't even believe in God but I still have to do the exam!

    And our class is a joke, nobody takes him seriously, I could really be doing something better with my time, like a study period.
    So why is my school forcing this bullsh*t on me? :mad:

    Firstly, I too am atheist, in matter of fact three out of the nineteen in our religion class is atheist, there is two Protestants, one Muslim and the other thirteen are Catholic. So, if our class was all about God, there would be some serious issues :/ !! So, in our class so far anyways, we studied Communities, Christianity, Islam and Morality? I'm guessing your teacher doesn't move on too quickly! :P Have you done anything else but Christianity?? Maybe your teacher's a nun or something :P Anyways, most likely its probably your class's fault. If there messing and not listening our taking there serious then its very hard for your teacher to move on and TEACH ye :O!! Religion is a lovely subject and many people get A's in it! (Me included :) )
    Who the fu-ck is Jesus clone?

    Oh lord :rolleyes:
    spurious wrote: »
    Outside an academic study or exam situation, it has no place in a school, imo.

    Agreed, if a school should be multicultural, than it most certainly should not be focusing on a religion!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 881 ✭✭✭AtomicKoala


    I think that two hours a week is ridiculous, that time could be used far better. I'd say put the relgious stuff in with CSPE, and make it mandatory to have two CSPE classes a week, and an extra Computer class. Just my opinion.

    Also the religious education system is very much biased towards Catholicism - over half of any R.E. book is Catholic ethos Christianity in my experience. Our school never did exams mind, given we wasted two hours a week on Religion, I'd nearly prefer we had done it for the JC.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 user43210


    You do not HAVE to do religion for the junior cert.
    I didn't and was the only one in my school at the time. See this website for advice on getting out of it http://www.teachdontpreach.ie/


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 459 ✭✭Julius Seizure


    spurious wrote: »
    Most Irish schools are owned by reigious orders or churches. Even VEC schools, which are not owned by them are obliged by law to give two hours of religion per week. It shows you how disgracefully under the heel of the church Irish governments have been and still are.

    Im in a co-ed VEC school and we get 40 mins religion a week. Not that we actually take it for the Junior Cert. We just get study time instead :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 60 ✭✭graeme157


    I'd go mental if my school made us sit the religion exam. We do all world religions and morality that were mentioned above but we don't have to actual learn anything.

    We just spend religion class staring at our fit teacher! :D


  • Posts: 0 ✭✭✭ Coleman Scary Paperboy


    Usually a discussion between a parent and the principal will get you out of religion.

    Anyway the subject is a doddle. I did absolutely did nothing last year religion and still got a C in higher. Did a good journal which boosted the mark.
    I know some holy holy who studied his @ss of for religion and only got a B in higher. You should have seen him writing in the JC. :) Every line was filled and his hand was falling off at the end of the exam :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,194 ✭✭✭saa


    On one hand I think its good to education about relgious cultures as ignorance spawns hatred.

    I remember my religion teacher telling us not to take it too seriously, this was jc 2003-5 we were studying other religions as well it wasn't about believing, maybe because of our teacher (she was just out of college it was great craic).

    But then again I remember on some test there was questions about what jesus did in this parable or where he went, why did the good samaritin do this, I refused to memorise facts from the stories I thought it was so irrelevant.


  • Registered Users Posts: 647 ✭✭✭Terri26


    Usually a discussion between a parent and the principal will get you out of religion.

    Anyway the subject is a doddle. I did absolutely did nothing last year religion and still got a C in higher. Did a good journal which boosted the mark.
    I know some holy holy who studied his @ss of for religion and only got a B in higher. You should have seen him writing in the JC. :) Every line was filled and his hand was falling off at the end of the exam :D

    surely if it was a "doodle" you would have gotten higher than a C and that student you mentioned would have gotten an A.

    The religion exam teaches and helps the learners to appreciate the different religious traditions in Ireland and worldwide. It also deals with secularism atheism etc.


  • Posts: 0 ✭✭✭ Coleman Scary Paperboy


    Terri26 wrote: »
    surely if it was a "doodle" you would have gotten higher than a C and that student you mentioned would have gotten an A.

    The religion exam teaches and helps the learners to appreciate the different religious traditions in Ireland and worldwide. It also deals with secularism atheism etc.

    No, the point im making is is that you can do no work outside the classroom and very little inside the classroom and still get a C in higher level with just common sense.

    Now, if you want an A, you going to have to do a load of work, learning off notes, a lot of exam papers, an excellent journal etc. etc.

    You dont need religion as exam subject for 2 hours a week to learn what you mentioned above. You would nearly learn that much by having one relaxed and laid back religion class a week without the stess (or annoyance to most people :cool:) of an exam.
    We asked our teacher one day why religion is an exam subject in our school for JC and she said the teachers decided it would be better doing and getting a mark rather than not getting a mark :confused:


  • Registered Users Posts: 184 ✭✭The House Of Wolves


    I feel your pain. We waste 3 classes on religion a week, time that could be put to better use. We have had 3 new teachers these past 3 years as well, so we've been messed about. First year, I hated it. It was focused so solely on Christianity I nearly went mental. I actually gave up on it and the teacher nearly ate my head. Then in second year we got a new teacher and suddenly, religion became fun. We studied Islam and made scrapbooks about it. We listening to the call to prayer on youtube and were meant to be going to a mosque. (Not happening now, though.) Then third year it was back to the (biased) book. We never used the book in second year and it was great. It's really a horrible book that degrades other religions as less-worthy. Our new teacher also believes it necessary to base everything from a Catholic perspective.

    For example, for Q5 on the papers, everyone wanted to Islam. We all remember it without struggle, because it was fun. Our teacher tried his damn hardest to dissuade us all from it - during our Christmas tests, I had already started writing Q5 on Islam when he announced we were only to do that question on Taize, not anything else. Ridiculous!


  • Registered Users Posts: 647 ✭✭✭Terri26


    That's a pity your teacher said that but in the actual exam they only section you have to use Christianity is Section B as it is the Christianity section. The only section you HAVE to use Islam is in Section C - the world religion question.
    Perhaps though your teacher wants you to focus on certain areas to help you. For example you could also use Taize in Section A. The reason you did so much Christianity in first year is because of the way the course is designed. Most of it is history of Christianity and not Catholic doctrine as such.

    What textbook are you using? A lot of them are top heavy in Christianity as it is easier to teach as most people have some knowledge of it.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 881 ✭✭✭AtomicKoala


    Terri26 wrote: »
    What textbook are you using? A lot of them are top heavy in Christianity as it is easier to teach as most people have some knowledge of it.

    Ha. Is that really the excuse they use?


  • Registered Users Posts: 647 ✭✭✭Terri26


    which "they" are you referring to?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 621 ✭✭✭ Marshall Numerous Meat


    Exploring Faith :mad: I'd love to shove it in the fire.


  • Registered Users Posts: 647 ✭✭✭Terri26


    I don't know much about that one but decided against it a few years ago as it is a bit "wordy" and sometimes non qualified religion teachers get the exam classes. Although we don't use the textbook the revisewise religion book is quite good. Don't lose hope I know you may feel religion is a waste of time but I think it is a very important subject even just for the tolerance it teaches towards different faiths and those of no faith.
    Did you do a good journal?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 621 ✭✭✭ Marshall Numerous Meat


    We haven't even started our journal yet! My religion teacher is such a nut job and just gives out all the time. I wouldn't waste my money on that, Id prefer to learn French verbs anyway (and I hate French)


  • Registered Users Posts: 647 ✭✭✭Terri26


    fair enough if you consider it a waste no point really in trying to convince you otherwise.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 621 ✭✭✭ Marshall Numerous Meat


    Terri26 wrote: »
    fair enough if you consider it a waste no point really in trying to convince you otherwise.

    I just don't think I old old start revising the whole syllabus now. The book is so much bull****, I couldn't start reading through it again, I'll probably get a C without studying, "God is wonderful" will suffice for most questions :rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 647 ✭✭✭Terri26


    if you are good at English you might indeed be able to scrap a C but you certainly won't just writing God is great! Good luck though


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 621 ✭✭✭ Marshall Numerous Meat


    Yes I am alright at English, I'll pass it anyway.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 881 ✭✭✭AtomicKoala


    Terri26 wrote: »
    which "they" are you referring to?

    The creators of the course, and their supporters.


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