THE ongoing discussion regarding religious education in schools and in particular, Christianity (Letters, January 3 & 5), proves how difficult it is either to approach the subject as part of the curriculum or to decide what to put in its place.
I was brought up to believe in a God and Jesus and thought it quite "normal" to go with the flow of common acceptance that this was historical fact - indeed the truth. To my mind it presented no problem until I began to question the religion as a whole in my teen-age years.
Now into my 81st year and more objective about life in general, I can see how tragic it is that a child`s mind can be so distorted by dogma and doctrine which, ironically, was never intended by the founder of Christianity himself.
Jesus was called "Rabbi" by his followers (if we are to pick up any information at all from the New Testament about his life) yet his teachings have been almost overlooked by the power-base of Church Institution for 2000 years. The mistakes of its past have come to cause us problems.
The only way round this as far as I can see is to continue to present the teachings of all the major world religions, to expand on the lives of their founders and of how their beliefs were sourced.
There is a great yearning for truth, a need to re-connect with nature and to care both for it and one another: justice, fairness, equality, love, are to be discovered as a common denominator in all religions. Perhaps we can start from that premise and so enlighten our children.
Janet Cunningham,
1 Cedar Avenue,
Stirling.
SHONA Craven's primary school memories ("The Kirk should not need to indoctrinate school children", The Herald, January 2) immediately brought to mind the little boy who thought the Almighty was called "Harold":
"Our Father who art in Heaven, Harold be thy name"...
Brian D Henderson,
44 Dundrennan Road,
Battlefield, Glasgow.
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