Faith schools.

I think faith schools are a terrible, terrible idea.

Lets back-track a bit though, I'll get to that point in a minute. First lets establish so context:

I hate racism.

But how do you define race?

The colour of someone's skin?

The country they are from?

The nature of their ancestry (e.g. dark haired people in Britain more likely to be descended from Romans, fair haired people more likely to be descended from Vikings)?

What counts as someone's race?

Is a white English person who says "I hate Scottish people", as bad as a white English person who says "I hate black people"?

I cannot see a justification for either of these comments.

The same applies to ageism, or sexism, or homophobia, or in fact any type of driscimination. As soon as we try to define someone for one aspect of their personality, we are negating the fact that they are are a human being. We have become obsessed with defining people by a simple personality trait. A goth? A skater? I bet there are skaters who watch X-Factor, and I bet there are some that would rather surrender themselves sexually to a pack of hyenas than do so.

So now we reach the point. Faith schools. What you are immediately doing is defining someone on the fact that they are a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Hindu etc.

Now perhaps there is an argument that you could define people on their religous beliefs. Christians will, in general at least, live by a set of core values that may be different to those values of Muslism, Jews or Atheists. However, I know some Christians who believe in Evolution and others who cant see past Creationism. I know some Christians who dont know what they believe, but try to lead their lives on the values of Christainity (at least to some degree).

I go to university in Wolverhampton. There is a much richer diversity of people here. Many international students from Poland, Germany, China (the list goes on). There are many different religons too. However, what you tend to find is that in general, people with hang around with individuals similar to them. Hindu's tend to stick with Hindu's, and Muslim's with Muslims. To a certain extent, blacks with blacks, and whites with whites.
This doesn't necessarily have to be an issue, people can choose to be friends with whoever they like, and of course there is going to be a level of comfort surrounding hanging around with people who you feel most familiar with.

However, I think we have to start drawing the line when it comes to schools. Young children should not be forced to go to a school of their parents nominated religion. Schools should all be kept secular, thus leading to real diversity where instead of different cultures banding together and creating large groups amongst themselves, you see people of different religions and beliefs coming together.

Faith schools, in my opinion, promote difference instead of unity. They bring together children who will have grown up with the same beliefs and backgrounds, and compound them into thinking that this is the only sensible way of living. In my opinion this can only lead to racial and religous tension.