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secularism in France


mint

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So, do you have a crib (nativity scene) on public display in your village or town?

I saw a news item about what laicité (sorry, can't be bothered to get the programme with all the accents today) means in France.  Amongst the forbidden things specifically mentioned are creches with biblical scenes.

Now in practically every village round us, creches are proudly displayed.  In fact, in our village we had a new baby this year and someone has actually knitted it some clothes!  In previous years, the old baby only had a nappy and I used to feel very sorry for it when the nappy got all wet from the rain.

I learnt that since Charlie Hebdo, teachers have been issued with new teaching materials and received training for talking to their students about what republican values and citizenship mean in France.

As we are talking about France, you will not be surprised that the mayors differ greatly in their interpretation of what the concept of secularism means with one mayor saying that if he were conducting a marriage ceremony, he would stop immediately if someone wants to say a prayer and another mayor that he provides 3 types of meals in his schools so that no one would be forced to eat foodstuffs that would be contrary to their religious beliefs.

Perhaps those of you who have or have had children in schools could tell us their experience.  I find this subject most topical and interesting in the present climate.    

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ALL Maires in France know what laicité means, they do, it is 'fundamental' to the Republic of France.

The paradox being that most jour feriés are based around religion. But life is always full of paradoxes anyway and those exceptions do not defer from the division of State and religion.

Problem is that we now have a the start of a religious war on our hands, and I believe that fundamental christians are now wanting to show their hand by displaying aspects of their religion and it's stories to the world.

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My local town displays a bizarre nativity scene where the characters are represented by stuffed wildlife (eg Joseph is a fox in a robe and headdress, Mary is a stoat I think)  All the animals are moth eaten and have seen better days.

Since the whole scene in a barn with a manger and and the rest was dreamt up by St Fracis of Assisi some 1200 years after the event it  all seems a bit irrelevant anyway.

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