Writeback

Belfast Telegraph

Dear Sir/Madam,

We, the members of the Belfast Humanist Group, are concerned that the N. Ireland examination system favours Christian children and disadvantages all other faiths and outlooks. The GCSE examination in Religious Education sets simple questions on Christian doctrine and treats all the supernatural elements of Christian mythology (eg. angels and miracles) as established facts. Any child who has had a normal Christian upbringing should do well in this examination.

But what about children of other faiths, or of a Humanist outlook? There is no examination for them in which they can spell out the elements of their beliefs. They have no easy access to an extra GCSE certificate. There is only one examination and it is only about Christian beliefs.

People who follow religions other than Christianity are being discriminated against, and so are the non-religious. Naturally, the Belfast Humanist Group are particularly concerned about the latter, those of an atheist/agnostic/Humanist outlook.

People who do not believe in religion can have quite clear beliefs of a different kind. On the question of life after death, for example, most of them believe that all the evidence points in the opposite direction. Children from Humanist homes could write about their belief in mortality and give reasons for it. But there is no examination which will give them a GCSE for spelling out their beliefs, unlike their Christian peers.

At the last census of belief in N. Ireland 60,000 people declared their religion to be ‘None’ and another 120,000 left that part of the census form blank. Therefore it follows that somewhere between 60,000 and 180,000 people are being discriminated against by this examination, in so far as their children are suffering disadvantage for their beliefs.

The Belfast Humanist Group would like to hear from any parents who feel that their children are being disadvantaged by this examination. Please write to the Secretary, Belfast Humanist Group, 4 School Lane, Greenisland, Co. Antrim BT38 8RF. We intend to bring this matter to the attention of the Minister of Education and have this injustice rectified.

L. Reid

Secretary

Belfast Humanist Group