How was religion in school for you?

FrKurtFahrt · 08-07-2017 01:08AM

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 · 08-07-2017 01:13AM

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

08-07-2017 01:17AM

Any memories of Hymns and what ones you liked?

stimpson · 08-07-2017 01:18AM

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 · 08-07-2017 01:21AM

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

yerwanthere123 · 08-07-2017 01:32AM

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=- · 08-07-2017 01:40AM

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

Pat Mustard · 08-07-2017 02:03AM

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 · 08-07-2017 02:24AM

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 · 08-07-2017 02:30AM

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

One_Of_Shanks · 08-07-2017 02:35AM

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 · 08-07-2017 03:29AM

Virtually nonexistent, thank God

08-07-2017 07:38AM

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 · 08-07-2017 07:42AM

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 · 08-07-2017 07:49AM

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 · 08-07-2017 08:35AM

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 · 08-07-2017 11:29AM

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 · 08-07-2017 11:34AM

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 · 08-07-2017 11:34AM

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 · 08-07-2017 11:41AM

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.

SeaFields · 08-07-2017 11:45AM

To be honest we'd a great chaplin / religion teacher for the first few years of secondary. He was a priest and we all had huge respect for him. Probably because we didn't think of him as a teacher and because he treated us like young adults unlike most of the teachers that thought of us as dilenquents.

His classes wouldn't consist totally about religion. He'd be chatting about generally growing up as teenagers and not to f**k up.

He was transferred abroad and the fella who took over was an absolute pr!ck.

Zebra3 · 08-07-2017 11:48AM

We were asked in secondary school in early 90s if we wanted a religious retreat.

It basically meant a week on the doss in school, so everyone said yeah.

During the week we were visited by a well known priest who had his own radio show.

He actually told us a story that the devil appeared to him one day and he started talking to the devil in Irish so the devil disappeared because he didn't understand Irish. :rolleyes:

Said priest later got caught up in a scandal for banging his housekeeper or something like that, but at least he wasn't one of the dozens of kiddie fiddlers.

Lorelli! · 08-07-2017 11:55AM

I can only remember a few moral stories and learning songs in primary school. I can't remember ever being told about hell or anything like that.

In secondary it was more like a free class. I think in fifth or sixth year we had a young teacher who let us watch videos. I remember watching one about drug mules and another about Waco.

Samaris · 08-07-2017 12:01PM

Zebra3 wrote: »

Said priest later got caught up in a scandal for banging his housekeeper or something like that, but at least he wasn't one of the dozens of kiddie fiddlers.

That...sounds familiar. Was it in Kerry, by any chance?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 08-07-2017 12:43PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Any memories of Hymns and what ones you liked?

Peace is flowing like a riiii-ver.....

Dunno anyone who sung the real lyrics, though.

MilesMorales1 · 08-07-2017 12:52PM

I went to catholic schools (In England) from the start of my school years till I was about 13, then I moved to a hardcore protestant school where more than a few of the teachers seemed to dislike catholics for some reason, and often gave out hostile comments/remarks to me and the few other catholic kids, and treated us worse than the other kids. Being a stupid teenager I had no idea why till way later, thought they just didn't like a few of us. But the way it was taught in that kinda small time frame put me off religious classes for ages.

kylith · 08-07-2017 01:12PM

Boring and counterproductive, considering I declared myself an atheist at the earliest opportunity.

freshpopcorn wrote: »

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

30 minutes a day. It adds up.

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".

Yeesh! That's brought back memories of being forced to watch The Silent Scream.

Whatever your personal thoughts on abortion the teacher claimed she honestly believed they were showing us video of a murder. I bet they wouldn't have shown the killing of a born person though, soooo, I've wondered since how 'honest' her murder answer was.

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 was forced watch the above in 4th year, so it was happening in 1998.

kylith · 08-07-2017 01:20PM

Zebra3 wrote: »

Said priest later got caught up in a scandal for banging his housekeeper or something like that, but at least he wasn't one of the dozens of kiddie fiddlers.

Ah, the good old days... When a priest having sex with a consenting adult woman was a scandal.

Paddy Cow · 08-07-2017 01:27PM

I remember in Leaving Cert the teacher giving us a lecture about how masturbation was a sin and we should save ourselves for when we have a partner (married of course) and shouldn't be touching ourselves before that. His son was in the class. Scarlet for both of them :pac:

Delphinium · 08-07-2017 01:36PM

Gaeltacht school late sixties and religion was only subject taught through English. Book of questions and answers were learnt off by heart. Some bible reading in sixth class. Had enough sense then to go with the flow and keep my thoughts to myself, both at school and a home. Can never remember a time when I actually believed in a God or after life. I expect most of the people who crowded into church felt the same but were too afraid to be different. Hated it when the priest read out the dues paid by each family but at least that has been stopped for ages. Actually knew lots of Priests who were friendly with my family and found most of them to have been very sound and never a hint of abuse, so can't say a work against them. Often wonder did they believe.

How was religion in school for you?

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