How was religion in school for you?

freshpopcorn · 07-07-2017 11:59PM #1

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 · 08-07-2017 12:00AM

It was chillout time, like an extended lunchbreak.

osarusan · 08-07-2017 12:05AM

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

paudgenator · 08-07-2017 12:09AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:13AM

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

LeinsterDub · 08-07-2017 12:13AM

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

Noveight · 08-07-2017 12:15AM

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

freshpopcorn · 08-07-2017 12:16AM

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.

08-07-2017 12:16AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:17AM

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!

08-07-2017 12:20AM

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".

08-07-2017 12:21AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:21AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:21AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:23AM

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!

08-07-2017 12:25AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:26AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:27AM

Boring. Learn't about other religions.

One_Of_Shanks · 08-07-2017 12:28AM

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.

08-07-2017 12:29AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:30AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:31AM

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...)

08-07-2017 12:35AM

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.

08-07-2017 12:37AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:46AM

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.

08-07-2017 12:47AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:55AM

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 · 08-07-2017 12:57AM

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.

08-07-2017 12:57AM

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

lawred2 · 08-07-2017 01:00AM

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 · 08-07-2017 01:02AM

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.

How was religion in school for you?

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