Schools 'failing to
teach pupils basic message
of Christianity' Almost
half of Britain's
12-year-olds are so ignorant
of basic Christian teaching
that they are unaware that
Easter celebrates the
Resurrection, according to a
new study. Many of
those questioned thought
that The Boy Who Cried Wolf
was a story from the New
Testament. Others knew
little or nothing about
Christ's miracles, while
some wondered why Jesus
could not "fly like
Superman". The survey
of more than 500 school
pupils aged 12 found that
only 54 per cent knew that
Christians celebrated the
Resurrection at Easter. Some of
those polled believed that
Jesus was the son of Joseph,
not God. Six per cent did
not believe that he had ever
existed. The
research, by academics at
Exeter University, will
compound fears that many
schools are failing to
ensure that pupils get a
basic religious education.
It will also increase
pressure on Charles Clarke,
the Education Secretary, to
include religious education
in the national curriculum. Although
the subject is compulsory,
local authorities are left
to determine what is taught,
resulting in huge variations
in style and content. Terence
Copley, a professor of
religious education and the
author of the study, said
that it had exposed
widespread confusion over
events in the Bible.
Children found it hard to
distinguish between the Old
and the New Testaments, or
between miracles and the
parables. Only 30 per cent
of those who identified a
parable could suggest what
it meant. Two thirds
of the pupils familiar with
the parable of the Good
Samaritan failed to grasp
the central message of
"love thine
enemy", believing that
it meant "help people
in need". The report
says that most pupils
answered questions about the
Nativity correctly, although
there was considerable
scepticism about the notion
of the virgin birth. Prof
Copley said the findings
illustrated the need for
schools to be given clear
instructions on how to teach
Christianity. Without this,
there would be even more
ignorance in an increasingly
secular society. The study
also highlights the
diminishing role of the
Church in children's lives,
with a steep decline in
Sunday school attendance
over recent years. It says
that children rarely receive
teaching about Jesus outside
school. More
positively, the survey found
general agreement that Jesus
was a good person, with most
children saying He was a
special man who thought of
others before himself. One
12-year-old, Regan Strutton,
from Denham,
Buckinghamshire, admitted
that many children,
including herself, had only
limited knowledge of
Christianity. "I'm not
sure what the Resurrection
is. I think we've been
taught about some miracles
and parables, but it was a
long time ago and I can't
really remember what they
are." The Rev Dr
John Gay, a Church of
England spokesman, said the
study "clearly shows
that current religious
education is not
working". John
Roberts, the general
secretary of the Lord's Day
Observance Society, said he
was angered by the failure
of schools to provide
"basic spiritual
standards". He said:
"It is detrimental to
our society as a whole. We
must get back to teaching
the Bible, and especially
the 10 Commandments, if we
want to escape living in a
society full of crime and
fear." Terry
Sanderson, the
vice-president of the
National Secular Society,
said: "This is not the
least bit surprising.
There's no doubt that
children at school are not
interested in this topic and
we think it is scandalous
that it is forced on them. "If
they are old enough at 11 to
confirm they are Christians,
they are old enough to say
they are not religious. It
is part of their human
rights that they should be
able to absent themselves
from it." Ann
Widdecombe, the Conservative
MP for Maidstone and the
Weald, was saddened but not
surprised by the findings.
She said: "The law does
say that there must be
religious teaching in
schools, but it is not taken
seriously. Religious
education should be in the
national curriculum and
should be founded on
Christian teaching." A
Department for Education
spokesman insisted that
children received adequate
RE, saying it provided a
"solid grounding"
in religion, but added:
"We accept that there
is room for
improvement." Information
appearing on Electronic
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of Telegraph Group Limited
and must not be reproduced
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By
Fiona Govan
(Filed: 15/12/2002)