How was religion in school for you?

freshpopcorn

I went to school from the mid 1990's into the late 2000's. I really enjoyed religion in school. It was just full of colouring, nice stories, singing and lighting candles. I went all out on it and did alter serving and everything. I really enjoyed all the masses/preparation for Communion/Conformation.

How was religion in school for you?

Atlantic Dawn

It was chillout time, like an extended lunchbreak.

osarusan

I remember who the teacher was, but cannot remember even one thing that happened in any class...so, unmemorable.

paudgenator

I finished school in 1985. I always was intimidated by religion in Primary - it was taught by scary nuns and we were visited by creepy priests & bishops.

In Secondary, I questioned the nuns frequently and was always in trouble for that - I just didn't believe their dogma.

So my kids are lovely people with very strong morals - but have no religion - they can choose that for themselves if they want. It is of no interest to them at 20 & 22.

eoinzy2000

Head down chill out time. Blank out all and meditate. In hindsight it was very useful.

LeinsterDub

A complete waste of time. Do people realise in infants 2.5 hours a week is required to be spend on religion?

Noveight

Colouring in pictures and the odd sing-song. Alive-O was all about the happy dayz.

freshpopcorn

paudgenator wrote: »

So my kids are lovely people with very strong morals - but have no religion - they can choose that for themselves if they want. It is of no interest to them at 20 & 22.

I actually heard a very funny story about these kids and their parents kept them out of religion in school and always said they'd let them choose later on in life. When they were in their late teens/early twenties they got really into religion and their accepting/open parents weren't that accepting after all.

Frustrating and pointless.

I remember once being told to write down what we thought god was like and then we all had to read ours out.
Everyone else seemed to say things like 'holy' and 'all knowing'.

I said if he existed I hoped he was black with a good sense of humour. Teacher went ballistic. Apparently it was disrespectful to imagine him as a black man who enjoyed a laugh.

freshpopcorn

LeinsterDub wrote: »

A complete waste of time. Do people realise in infants 2.5 hours a week is required to be spend on religion?

Teachers don't really spend this amount of time tough in generally!

Lia_lia

In religion class in secondary school we watched videos (from religious organisations in America, even though we were in Kerry!) that tried to brainwash us into being completely against abortions.

They involved dramatised scenes of babies crying when being aborted and women being interviewed who had "become infertile" after their abortions. Was ridiculous! I remember the religion teacher started crying in the class because of the "poor babies".

Lia_lia

Noveight wrote: »

Colouring in pictures and the odd sing-song. Alive-O was all about the happy dayz.

Our school was in one of the Alive-O videos. I have a dodgy English accent in it. :pac: It was great, we just spent most of the term recording the video! I still remember all the songs.. Would love to get it on DVD as we lost the video (that we had to pay like £15 for!).

I wonder do they still show it in schools..

paudgenator

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I actually heard a very funny story about these kids and their parents kept them out of religion in school and always said they'd let them choose later on in life. When they were in their late teens/early twenties they got really into religion and their accepting/open parents weren't that accepting after all.

Seriously wouldn't bother us in the slightest what our children decide to do. That may well be influenced by their friends and partners etc.

Good luck to them, it's their life...we're having our own fun now as they've moved out of home

LeinsterDub

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Teachers don't really spend this amount of time tough in generally!

And they are not following the curriculum by doing so.

freshpopcorn

Lia_lia wrote: »

In religion class in secondary school we watched videos (from religious organisations in America, even though we were in Kerry!) that tried to brainwash us into being completely against abortions.

They involved dramatised scenes of babies crying when being aborted and women being interviewed who had "become infertile" after their abortions. Was ridiculous! I remember the religion teacher started crying in the class because of the "poor babies".

Just out of interest can you give me the approx year of this? I'm in my mid twenties and siblings are in their mid thirties and none of us experienced anything like this!

Lia_lia

Lia_lia wrote: »

In religion class in secondary school we watched videos (from religious organisations in America, even though we were in Kerry!) that tried to brainwash us into being completely against abortions.

They involved dramatised scenes of babies crying when being aborted and women being interviewed who had "become infertile" after their abortions. Was ridiculous! I remember the religion teacher started crying in the class because of the "poor babies".

We had a group of them in for a speech. I had to leave. They shouldn't have been allowed outside their houses on their own, nevermind giving talks to teenagers.

freshpopcorn

paudgenator wrote: »

Seriously wouldn't bother us in the slightest what our children decide to do. That may well be influenced by their friends and partners etc.

Good luck to them, it's their life...we're having our own fun now as they've moved out of home

I think it was just the way they rebelled on their parents. It's really funny. When the parents saying we didn't indoctrinate them and they ended up like this!

Irishweather

Boring. Learn't about other religions.

One_Of_Shanks

This a genuine song we were thought in primary school.

Jesus sat down in the shade of a tree,
and said to the children please all sit with me
They sat at his feet and he touched them and smiled
and told them how much he loved each little child
he told them of god the father above
who cared for them with his own special love
so come little children lets all sing a song
coz jesus loves you all day long

Was later proven to be spot on about the touched them and smiled bit.

circadian

Waste of time. Discussions weren't discussions at all, if you questioned the doctrine you were reprimanded.

Should only be mandatory in denomination specific schools. The majority of national schools should be strictly secular, with religion being a subject a student can chose to do.

Vojera

Loved all the singing in national school (All you ends of the earth! All you creatures of the seaaaaaaaaa!), plus drawing and stuff.

In secondary school I used to torment the teacher I had up until Junior Cert by asking her needling questions. The teacher we had for the Leaving was sound and let us watch The Matrix while pointing out religious symbolism.

So even though I'm no longer a practicing Catholic, I have positive memories of it.

That said, I'm still in favour of state-funded schools being secular.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Was it interesting? No.
Was it useful? No.
Were their exams? No.

Ultimate doss class.

(I did enjoy trolling some of the more conservative nuns in the later years though...)

Lia_lia

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Just out of interest can you give me the approx year of this? I'm in my mid twenties and siblings are in their mid thirties and none of us experienced anything like this!

I'm 28. We were in 5th year so it would be have around 2005 or 2006. Convent school. The teacher was only in her 30's. Nothing much was said at the time but we were all a bit "wtf" of course. Thinking back on it I can't believe we were shown those videos.

riffmongous

It was one of the classes I looked forward to because it was a break from having to work and you'd never get homework, same with computer class and CSPE

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Just out of interest can you give me the approx year of this? I'm in my mid twenties and siblings are in their mid thirties and none of us experienced anything like this!

Had something similar in fifth/sixth year (late 80s). They were fuzzy grey ultrasound/xray type videos. They were a bit pointless because unless someone told you what it was you were looking at, you'd ahve no idea.

Lia_lia

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

That would make you about 19/20...

Sorry 5th year! Haha if we got shown those videos in primary school there would be war.

Agent Smith

Zacchaeus was a greedy little man,
He cheated all the people in the land.
When the rent they did not pay,
He would take their lands away
And their furniture and everything they had.

Chorus
Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus, nobody liked Zacchaeus,
Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus, nobody liked Zacchaeus.

One day he heard that Jesus was in town
The man who loved just ev'ryone around
So he climbed the highest tree,
For his luck he couldn't see
Such a little wee man was he.

Then Jesus came along that very way,
And full of love the people heard him say,
To Zacchaeus in the tree,
"Won’t you please come down to me,
For I’d love to come to you house for tea."


Thats Pretty much all i remember....

wotzgoingon

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I went to school from the mid 1990's into the late 2000's. I really enjoyed religion in school. It was just full of colouring, nice stories, singing and lighting candles. I went all out on it and did alter serving and everything. I really enjoyed all the masses/preparation for Communion/Conformation.

How was religion in school for you?

I'm like you I have fond memories of walking to the church with the class as the church was only a 5 minute walk from the school. We used to go over for confessions and practice out first confession or communion and conformation. We also used to go over to practice singing songs if we were going to sing during mass. And also practice speeches is we were going to speak during mass also. I was always one of those picked to speak. I have fond memories of religion in school.

Ecumenism was the hot topic of the day. doesn't look like it's progressed much in 20+ years

lawred2

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I went to school from the mid 1990's into the late 2000's. I really enjoyed religion in school. It was just full of colouring, nice stories, singing and lighting candles. I went all out on it and did alter serving and everything. I really enjoyed all the masses/preparation for Communion/Conformation.

How was religion in school for you?

Mid 90s and not joking.. it was 5 classes a week with a double on Friday where a nun went through scriptures.

For 6 years.

What a monumental waste.

Can't remember religion in primary school. So presume it was fine.

wotzgoingon

Just to note after reading through this thread I do not have fond memories though of secondary school. I hated secondary school and the teachers hated me. I always knew I was going to leave school early which I did after the junior cert and became an electrician and then I also went to college as a mature student. But yeah they didn't teach me anything in secondary school and afair we done nothing in religion class.

FrKurtFahrt

Despite my nickname I'm not at all religious (in my opinion). The main reason is that I had (Catholic) religion beaten into me by Christian Brothers in the mid 60's, which meant I detested it when I was allowed to think for myself. I have three adult children now, and between the lot of us, we couldn't give a tuppenny fcuk about any religion - other than to allow anyone else believe what they will. I will go to weddings and funerals out of respect, fully aware of the hypocrisy I cloak myself in. I will be buried in the local graveyard, and my family will attend and grieve, but not a solitary prayer will be offered up - and that'll do me.

hidinginthebush

I remember thinking back then that there's no way that the priest does a spell and changes bread into flesh. Fun singing the songs though, it was always welcomed as a doss class iirc

Any memories of Hymns and what ones you liked?

stimpson

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I actually heard a very funny story about these kids and their parents kept them out of religion in school and always said they'd let them choose later on in life. When they were in their late teens/early twenties they got really into religion and their accepting/open parents weren't that accepting after all.

Like all religious stories I suspect that one was made up to make simple people feel better about themselves and their choices in life.

Jesus Wept

A non stop back and forth argument for three years between me and the teacher.

yerwanthere123

It was always once a week, a token 40 minutes or so. In secondary school we'd either do homework or watch a dvd. Also, our religion teacher was a lesbian.

-=al=-

A frantic rush to try and do the homework for the next class :pac:

Pat Mustard

Anyone else remember 'Kum-Ba-Ya' or "Bind Us Together'? From under which rock did these talentless morons emerge, who wrote these tuneless dirges? Awful stuff and a hell of a way to spend a Monday morning.

Religion - in a word: dull

r93kaey5p2izun

Primary was grand. Lots of colouring and some great songs. Zaccheus, The Flowers in the Field Don't Worry or Hurry, There was Peter and Andrew James and John James the Less and his brother Jude etc, Walk In the Light of God, Céad Míle Fáilte Romhat a Íosa.

Secondary was awful. Psycho crazy teacher making us read through the bible and losing the plot with anyone who asked difficult questions. Hilarious morality videos about a young teenage couple and some German wan saying "no touching under clothes" in a heavy accent.

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

thought by a fat guy called "Bubbles" who I think later turned out to be a...

One_Of_Shanks

Shiloh Thoughtless Optometrist wrote: »

thought by a fat guy called "Bubbles" who I think later turned out to be a...

..... skinny guy who had let himself go?

suicide_circus

Virtually nonexistent, thank God

Started national school in '78, ended secondary '92.

Catholic schools all the way, but they were very light on the religious stuff. Trying to even think did we get classes in secondary, do remember the sheer joy of hearing that the following day would be a retreat, it was almost like a school tour.

Surprised to hear people say they got the whole anti abortion shtick 20 years later. Sounds like I just got lucky and went to the most open minded rural Catholic school in the country.

Annasopra

Lia_lia wrote: »

In religion class in secondary school we watched videos (from religious organisations in America, even though we were in Kerry!) that tried to brainwash us into being completely against abortions.

They involved dramatised scenes of babies crying when being aborted and women being interviewed who had "become infertile" after their abortions. Was ridiculous! I remember the religion teacher started crying in the class because of the "poor babies".

My friend had religious classes with a Nun who was very very strongly pro choice.

Annasopra

I don't really remember much.

I remember reading a little about stories about Willie Bermingham and Oscar Romero. I vaguely remember being taught what to respond at communion and completely forgetting. In secondary school we went to Rome with the Brothers for the beatification of Edmund Rice. I enjoyed it as a holiday but the religious stuff didnt do anything for me.

whoopsadoodles

I didn't go to a religious primary school so it was an extra curricular activity that I asked my mam if I could do on a Monday afternoon after they decided that orchestra was only for 1st class up (don't think the teacher could handle 30 squeaky recorders in one go).

I had no idea what "religion" was at that point even though my grandad brought me and my sis to mass every Sunday. I loved going to mass.

Religion was a doss class taught by a poor lay woman who had no control over us at all.

In secondary it was taught by a really sound lesbian woman who was very open about our beliefs and no preaching was done.

I've no negative memories of it at all.

rainbow kirby

Primary was very happy clapping, secondary all the religion teachers were absolutely bat**** insane. Got sent to the office in TY for daring to argue a pro-choice position and got kicked out of religion in 6th year for asking a 78 year old nun one too many awkward questions.

fg1406

At national school it was pretty much fairy tales and colouring in. At secondary school it was "don't go any further than holding hands with a boy" and showing us videos from CURA demonstrating how they have "loving catholic families around the country ready to take you in if you end up as an unwed mother". They even advertised that they would happily adopt your baby into a Catholic home so you can return back to your home town safe in the knowledge that no one would know you had committed the sin of sex before marriage. Horrible horrible stuff.

Samaris

Ultimately, some of the stuff being rammed down my throat regarding religion put me off the whole thing. I never forgave the school for a culture where it was acceptable to inform a small (and deeply impressionable) child that the non-religious members of her family were going to hell.

Blackhorse Slim

Religion in secondary school was fantastic for me. Religion teacher was an atheist, we often watched a star trek episode (TOS), and discussed the moral issues posed. Great stuff.