Steve, regarding atheists telling me what to believe - I would have been more accurate if I had said atheists telling me what NOT to believe. Can you honestly say that nowhere in any of your posts is there a form of words that could be construed as meaning one should not believe in religion?

Well I don't think anyone's talking about "believing in religion". I expect there are many people who believe in God who also hate religion. I don't care what you believe in. I've said that so many times I feel like a parrot. What I do care about is that you do not force those beliefs on children. My reason for thinking that is that it is entirely inappropriate to expect children to understand what you are telling them. In addition, religions talk to children about God as if he's an absolute certainty. That automatically makes religions liars. It's no good trying to tell me that the modern way is to "get them to think and talk about it". That is not good enough. All your hymns and prayers contain explicit certainty and you make children chant them off by heart. The Lord's Prayer is full of rock-solid certainties. Every Christian child can chant it from memory. Well, that's how they brainwashed people in those horrid communist regimes we are all so glad are now consigned to history, remember?

I also feel that your description of Catholic schools in the UK is a distortion of today's reality.

So are you telling me that Catholic schools don't tell children that Catholicism is the only way, the truth and the light? That there are classrooms without crucifixes? That they don't herd children off to services on holy days at the drop of a hat? Make them sing Christmas carols? Make them bow their heads in prayer? Is that what you're telling me?