Yes, I remember upsetting the assembled family with this whilst still a child. I was told that I really must believe in God - the Christian one, but no good reasoning came, I had no faith to lose, just fear. I stopped checking my teddy for hooves to make sure I wasn’t hugging the devil by mistake!

@girlwithsmiles When I was little, we had to sit in silence while teacher read passages from the Bible, this was law in Pennsylvania at the time. When I went to third grade that stopped that. Years later I learned Supreme Court shot that down in state supported schools.

@barjoe yes, we had compulsory daily assembly too; which included a hymn and reading. I still cried at Easter, even though I didn’t believe, it’s such a horrible story.

@girlwithsmiles not allowed in US since 1965

@barjoe lucky! That would have just left Sunday school, which was quite social and taught me a lot about the bible. Theology is fine, it’s indoctrination that I have the issues with.

@girlwithsmiles hmm, what do you mean by "theology?" ty

@barjoe "I don't fear a vindictive deity who demands us mere mortals to be believers or else be sentenced to eternal damnation. How fucked up is that?"
well fwiw the only personal judgement in the Bible is for works, not beliefs; and it is invariably those deemed pagans or atheists that are the more praised for their works in the Bible, the Good Samaritan (atheist, go and do likewise), the Roman Centurion (pagan, I have not seen such faith in anyone of Israel), etc

eternal from aion, "a space of time, an age" so believers also get that part wrong i guess

@girlwithsmiles Your parents chose to send you to Sunday school. That's not a decision for the state. SCOTUS ruled that 1965 (I think)

@barjoe yes, I’m quite aware of that. But we still had assembly at school
Every morning as previously discussed. I went to school in England.

@bbyrd009 I mean the study of god/s, religion/s and religious texts.

@girlwithsmiles Here every school is direct. Public schools are what you'd call private school. We only had assembly for special event. Bible reading was done by the teacher in class. At the end we had to say amen. Then we had to pledge allegiance to the flag. This was State supported public school. The Supreme Court struck that down when I was a kid.