Non-Religious secondary schools

Fionn MacCool

I wouldn't have thought you'd have to be religious to attend a religious school, in fact I'm sure they'd be delighted with the opportunity to indoctrinate/brain-wash a young mind.

Greaney

JustMary wrote: »

+ 1 million.
The religious orders did some dreadful things, and I don't for one minute forgive the unforgivable.

But for all that, they did educate people when no one else did.

I think that for the vast majority of Irish people, Catholicism isn't actually a religious belief. It's just a shared set of cultural norms. They're happy enough for the holy-joes to blather on about the god-stuff, just so long as mass doesn't take any more than 35 minutes, and they're not asked to bother their minds thinking about the morality of alcohol abuse, racism or economic misdeeds, and provided there's a priest around to act as MC at baptisms, weddings and funerals (all the big family drinking occasions).

They're going to get a mightly shock as the number of priests drops: it's not going to be long before that convenient MC just isn't there. But are ye doing anything about it? Are there courses in Celebrant Studies in any of the IT's? Are funeral directors building places where non-religious funerals can be held? Not likely.

I totally agree with you Just Mary. I have often said that Catholicism is cultural as opposed to Spiritual to most Irish folk. Other examples of this would be...

The bride who insists on a church wedding but doesn't attend so the couple jump through hoops to 'prove' their Catholic to a sceptical priest.

The oul wans on the Joe Duffy show going on about the Holy Communion being 'about the kids' when the Priests express concern regarding the money spent on dresses etc. Personally, I thought it was about God... but that's just me

Social welfare paying holy communion and confermation grants.

Sorry for getting off the point. I still know a few genuine, moral, earnest, practicing Catholics who decided to send their kids to an Educate together school to teach their children tolerance. One family were very involved in the commitees etc. They drifted away though when they thought that Christianity was getting knocked a lot (contraversy over having a nativity play but still being expected to celebrate the festival of light, which they were fine about). It's all about balance and we have to share this planet with folk we dont' agree with..... now there's the challange.

tiny_d

Can someone please explain to me what a Catholic 'ethos' actually is? To me, it seems like the usual wishy-washy fudge because if the Catholic schools just plain excluded all non-baptised Catholics, there would be uproar, possible legal challenges and presumably the government would have to actually do something about the mess that is the management of our school system. But by using the wooly notion of 'ethos' the Church can remain in control despite the ever dwindling numbers of real Catholics.

I'm interested because, for example, can an atheist teacher get a job in a Catholic school? Or can the 'ethos clause' allow the school to reject them out of hand? Or can an atheist still sign up to the Catholic ethos without actually being a Catholic? Answers in no more than 50 words please ....

tiny_d

tiny_d wrote: »

I'm interested because, for example, can an atheist teacher get a job in a Catholic school? Or can the 'ethos clause' allow the school to reject them out of hand? Or can an atheist still sign up to the Catholic ethos without actually being a Catholic? Answers in no more than 50 words please ....

Yes - I think religion can be a factor in recruitment.

Ethos: I was shown pictures of aborted babies in religion class when I was about 16 or 17.

gaeilgegrinds1

Yes, many people I know lied about religion to get their chosen jobs. I know my first job would have found a, 'reason,' there would not have been hours for me when I had my baby out of wedlock. Happened another lady there when I was there.
Ethos:The teachings of the school.