children being hit for not joining in with school prayers.....

When my son was little he told me that there were some children in his class who always left the room before prayers. I found out that these children were Muslim and allowed to go to another room during prayer time. I wonder if the same would have been allowed if I had pointed out that my son was from a pagan household, somehow I very much doubt it. Fortunately the school never actually went so far as to punish kids for their beliefs but there are far too many that do.

Happened to me, not in front of the whole school, but in class. And not just once, but for several days until they gave up and just starting taking away as many fun things from me as they could when they decided smacking me wouldn't work. At the time, there was no one in my family who would stand up for me. My grandmother, whom I was living with, certainly couldn't be bothered. So I spent a lot of time being assaulted, harrassed, and picked on for my religion. I didn't go to a church school either, but a public school in a small town that was almostly entirely Christian. I didn't understand what was expected of me either. It wasn't legal to hit kids in school in the U.S. at the time these things happened, but I didn't know any better and didn't have a parent to speak for me anyways. I can't imagine treating someone like this over religion. Come to think of it, I can't imagine treating a child like this for any reason. I wouldn't force anyone to pray to/bow to/worship my Gods. So I don't understand why these people treated me this way. My son won't be going to school for a long time yet, but already my husband and I think about these things. If such a thing happened to my child at school... someone would be paying. Big time.

I'm sos sorry that happened to you. We were made to say our prayers ans listen to religion in school. The Jehovas kids had someone come in specially as an alternative but that was all. Now I think they learn about lots of different faiths which helps people make their own decisions. My 7 year old still gets God thrust upon him as part of day to day schol life, but it annoys me because he is told that spirits, etc which he sees as a pyschic child do not exist but God who no-one has ever seen does. God makes things happed but magic is not real etc, they are blinkering him and closing his mind which shouldn't happen. It confuses him as I accept that no-one knows all the answers and anything is possible.

That really is disgusting. There are more than enough "Christians" who preach about how good they are. How dare they hit someone for not being a Christian, especially a child. Assuming you went to school in the UK, physical punishment was banned by the time you would have been at school because it was the same as me. Still, I know there are always differrent rules for Christians. Children shouldn't have to join in prayers at all, even now, my child goes to a state school, he is there to learn, not to have someone elses religion forced on him. If ever they hit him if he didn't join in, I would do everything I could to stop the perpetrator ever teaching again.

Omg that is absolutely insane! and this was a regular/public school not a Christian/Catholic school?? I boggles my mind, not only that a teacher or any school staff would even do but also that they got away with it!

Well this is the point where I would like to point quite a few of those people on here that say islam is ruthless and that christians never condone such acts to your discussion. I am not Islamic but raised christian, I see so much intolerance in the world I really wonder if there could ever be any sort of lasting peace. People dont realize what they are passing on when they do things like that and how it just like a rock thrown in the pool the ripples carry out from every good or bad action that you do.

OMG that is so sad. Children of all cultures go to school and all have diffrent beliefs. Like you said "I wouldent expect anyone to bow down to my Gods if they don't beleive in them." I am not Christian Iam Wiccan and I am teaching my kids Wicca and I do not expect my kids to stand for the pledge if they do not believe in the same God as the other kids do.

First, what country was this? In our country you are no longer allowed to conduct public prayer. In fact, you will be punished if you do, not the other way around. I am a Christian but I don't believe in punishing those who aren't. You are supposed to love other people and there is too little of that in the world today.

I'm sorry. Christians like that give other christians a bad name. Its how all reglions go. People give others a bad name. I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry that a christian of the same religion as me did something so bad to you. :((

This man was acting in an unchristian manner. You can not force anyone to believe in God. Anyone acting the way you said he was brings shame to the name of Christ and does more harm than anything.

That man was not a good Christian,because you can't force others who don't believe to pray and you also can't force them to bow their heads.Praying is talking with God and if i pray i don't always bow my head. Men like that make me so angry and could turn in to hate.

Wow! That's really bad, The school authorities should not force anyone to follow their prayers to another, Even though it was not a Christian school they did so, it's very shame for that school and states itself. Regardless to any religion, one should not force any of their belief or prayers to any other. Also authorities should allow others to do their prayers on their prayer times.

I have never heard of such a situation. I have heard of the opposite. Christian children getting in trouble just because they did pray. Some even silently before their lunch. With all the so called separation of church & state in this country, according to what has been happening in the last 15 years, any school offical leading in prayer can get into some trouble. If it is student led prayer at certain times it is permissible.

You know the possibility of the only real difference between an Islamic believer and a devout radical christain is the the rule of law and agood working capitalist society with restricked access to explosive devices. Both these groups can get scary.

If you're 26, and were brought up in the UK, then it was illegal in those days for a teacher to hit a child. I went to a Catholic Infant School, and even there they didn't hit children when they were naughty, unless they were persistently naughty. And not joining in with prayers (and I've always felt that worship and education should not go together - RE should teach kids about different faiths, not promote any of them, and assemblies shouldn't have any form of worship either) isn't being naughty. Hell, once I got caught playing a banned game in the dinner hall (which I hadn't known wasn't allowed), my friends all saw the dinner lady behind me and stopped in time not to be caught, but I wasn't allowed my pudding, and was sent to stand at the edge of the hall with the other mis-behavers. That was as much of a punishment as I ever got, and as I say, that was a Catholic school, which are renowned for their discipline! Unless State schools can make provisions for kids who aren't of the school's faith, they shouldn't have acts of worship - as I say, I think they should ban acts of worship in schools altogether, and completely secularise them.

when I was in school (long many years ago) we had a child in my 3rd year that was Quaker. She did not say the pledge of allegiance with the rest of the class because in 1943 they added the line about "God" - so that made it a man-made prayer in the Quaker view. while the teacher didn't do anything to 'encourage' the students to treat her differently - the teacher didn't do anything to stop open harassment either. I chose the path of a Witch at 13. I managed to avoid some but not all of the Non-Christian treatment usually passed around to the 'different' students. Even if the teachers didn't start it, they would not stop it. It was BE CHRISTIAN or be somewhere we don't have to deal with you. I'm not certain that it still is not happening. I do know that a friend homeschools for Religious Reasons and some of the Homeschool defense groups won't assist her because she is Wiccan not Christian.

When silent prayer was allowed in school, I do remember one kid not bowing her head. The teacher asked why and she said it was against her family's beliefs. Looking back I realize they were probably athiests, although she never said so, but the teacher made a huge deal of it and I could tell it made her feel very bad. I felt so sorry for her at that moment because Instinctively I knew that it was wrong for the teacher to call attention to her. Nothing like that would ever happen now, but back then teachers had a lot more leaway and not always in the best interest of the children.

Thinking on the flip side, maybe it showed you what they really are like. You seem to have turned out fine after that :)

i love u very much!!!!!