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Is IB anti-christian?


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I am in grade 9 right now and considering the IB program. I was doing some research about IB vs homeschooling and I had come across several articles that were saying that IB is anti-christian. I really want to go into it but I don't think that I could handle it attacking my religion without ending up WAY more stressed than IB already sounds like it will make me.

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I'm not Christian, so perhaps I can't see the view point of others in this circumstance, but I don't see how IB could possibly be anti-Christian? I mean, unless you stretch really far, in TOK we discuss Religious Knowledge Systems and perhaps maybe a teacher who's not Christian may be snide, but, I don't see how IB itself is anti-Christian? It doesn't take any religious beliefs into account - it's all about learning more about knowledge, becoming more knowledgable, and becoming a more 'international' person by seeing things from different perspectives.

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well, IB is not anti-christian, but you have to be open minded and accept that in TOK you are going to discuss your religious beliefs. If a question like "how do we know that the God exist" sound to you anti-christian, so then the IB may be Christian for you. 

I am not christian, but I could have said that IB is anti-muslim , since in TOK we discussed Islam, and if it is true and if the ISIS is representing Islam or not, and and many other things which are against my beliefs. But just take it easy, the IB is not anti any religion, the IB just want you to think about everything in your life and how to gain knowledge. 

At the same time, it will depends on your teachers and the students in your class, we had some students in the class who kept making fun of others belief and kept telling jokes about the christian and muslims belief. But it is not the IB, it all depends on to what extent the students in your class will respect each other beliefs. 

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I am in grade 9 right now and considering the IB program. I was doing some research about IB vs homeschooling and I had come across several articles that were saying that IB is anti-christian. I really want to go into it but I don't think that I could handle it attacking my religion without ending up WAY more stressed than IB already sounds like it will make me.

 

As other IBS members have clearly stated above, IB is not anti-Christian. In fact, IB has never been a belief system. It just teaches you how to gain knowledge, or how to build your own belief system as well as how to question it.

 

Another thing that I'd like to add is that it's very worrying and dangerous that you are afraid of challenging your own belief. After all, that's what schools are for. Teaching students how to challenge their own beliefs isn't something unique about IB, but it is an important part of every single democratic education system. Taking that part away, and we'll end up with a dictatorial education system, like the one in Nazi Germany, because over there, students were not allowed to question the general Nazi belief that "Jews are evil", for example.

So I seriously think that you should try to be a bit more courageous and not to be afraid when your faith is being challenged by other people. It's exactly what schools and learning are for. Also, plenty of students from all kinds of religious backgrounds have joined the IB, and many of them end up loving it :)

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I am in grade 9 right now and considering the IB program. I was doing some research about IB vs homeschooling and I had come across several articles that were saying that IB is anti-christian. I really want to go into it but I don't think that I could handle it attacking my religion without ending up WAY more stressed than IB already sounds like it will make me.

 

I am a christian and have recently completed the Ib (final exams right now). It is not anti-christian at all... I mean actually the IB accepts pretty much everyone, it is an international programme so they cannot exclude certain groups.

The thing about the IB is that you have to be open minded and ready to listen and accept the fact that others have different points of view thats all. You also should be VERY clear about why you believe so that others can understand and accept your points of view. I mean what you can't do is say for example I am against abortion because im christian and thats it. You should really understand why christians are against this.

As for TOK and religion, no one is going to say you are wrong or right, at the end of the day it is based in what you think and your capacity on making arguments. I wrote my final essay from my religious experience and no one said anything about it.

So the IB isn't anti anything... If anything, it is anti free time!!

If you have any questions don't hesitate to send me a message or whatever, I will be happy to help :)

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IB doesn't have any political or religional ideas attached to their ideology. If you can handle that evolution is taught as part of IB Bio HL you're good to go IB. And you simply don't take Bio or Physics if it's so terrifying. Chemistry is way to go if you don't want to hear about science that conflicts with religion.

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my school was established as part of a cathedral and we do ib so i don't know how much closer you can get to god than literally next to a cathedral

 

actually all of the schools i can think of in my city that teach ib are of some branch of christianity

 

but that being said, my ib cohort is like the least christian group of people i know at a christian school. not that we go around burning bibles or summoning satan or whatever but its just no one in my cohort believes in christianity (or any other religion for that matter). we learnt about religious knowledge systems in TOK and we have a compulsory christian development class which is the biggest joke in the world but other than that there is no evidence of ib having any interest or disinterest in religion.

 

but yes evolution is taught in biology and psychology, the principles relating to the big bang are taught in physics, some books you read in literature will likely not be about christianity, in your language b course you will probably learn about the religion of the culture you're studying and that religion may not be christian etc. ib was not created to praise christianity or any other religion, but it was also not created to attack any religion because it is an education system that doesn't care about what god you believe in. as people above said, do not be afraid to question your religion and other sources of knowledge because ib wants you to think about and scrutinise your knowledge 

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Okay thanks for these, they really helped. I am now very glad that I don't believe every random article I read or I would probably not go into IB. And Vioh, I actually wasn't afraid to question my religion, it's just that I didn't want to feel like I was being attacked (there was probably a better way to say that but I couldn't think of it). In fact I think that absolutely everything should be questioned or there will be no advancement in anything. Again thanks for the help!

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As mentioned above, you will have to discuss religion in TOK, if you are not up for that this may not be the program for you. If you take biology you will also have a small unit on evolution, no need to believe it but it is a mandatory unit. 

 

Before I started IB I was Christian. I was very close-minded (sorry to anyone who talked to me during that phase) and IB really taught me to be open minded and question things around me. I soon started questioning religion itself and found that my perspective had changed and it was no longer something I believed in. I'm not saying this is going to happen to you but I did some reevaluating and religion just wasn't doing it for me anymore. However there were still classmates who believed throughout the program. 

 

Hope this helps! 

Edited by bethiedrama101
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I assume you're talking about TOK. I'm religious myself and TOK is just about questioning what you know. It's not secular, nor is it religious. One of my TOK teachers is actually also a christian education teacher, just goes to show that it's all about how you interpret things. Dont worry!

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I am in grade 9 right now and considering the IB program. I was doing some research about IB vs homeschooling and I had come across several articles that were saying that IB is anti-christian. I really want to go into it but I don't think that I could handle it attacking my religion without ending up WAY more stressed than IB already sounds like it will make me.

 

I am a christian and have recently completed the Ib (final exams right now). It is not anti-christian at all... I mean actually the IB accepts pretty much everyone, it is an international programme so they cannot exclude certain groups.

The thing about the IB is that you have to be open minded and ready to listen and accept the fact that others have different points of view thats all. You also should be VERY clear about why you believe so that others can understand and accept your points of view. I mean what you can't do is say for example I am against abortion because im christian and thats it. You should really understand why christians are against this.

As for TOK and religion, no one is going to say you are wrong or right, at the end of the day it is based in what you think and your capacity on making arguments. I wrote my final essay from my religious experience and no one said anything about it.

So the IB isn't anti anything... If anything, it is anti free time!!

If you have any questions don't hesitate to send me a message or whatever, I will be happy to help :)

 

Anti-free time! haha lol

Sooo true though!

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IB doesn't have any political or religional ideas attached to their ideology. If you can handle that evolution is taught as part of IB Bio HL you're good to go IB. And you simply don't take Bio or Physics if it's so terrifying. Chemistry is way to go if you don't want to hear about science that conflicts with religion.

I actually would never avoid sciences. Just because there are many many facts in sciences that if you reject them because of religion, it would be quite foolish. You don't have to "pick a side", religion or science. I mean i chose a very scientific IB and university career and this hasn't changed my religious beliefs. I realised that religion is a way of life, not so much an area of knowledge like the IB wants to make it. So for me, science is a way to grow in knowledge and religion is the way I choose to live my life and make certain choices

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IB doesn't have any political or religional ideas attached to their ideology. If you can handle that evolution is taught as part of IB Bio HL you're good to go IB. And you simply don't take Bio or Physics if it's so terrifying. Chemistry is way to go if you don't want to hear about science that conflicts with religion.

I actually would never avoid sciences. Just because there are many many facts in sciences that if you reject them because of religion, it would be quite foolish. You don't have to "pick a side", religion or science. I mean i chose a very scientific IB and university career and this hasn't changed my religious beliefs. I realised that religion is a way of life, not so much an area of knowledge like the IB wants to make it. So for me, science is a way to grow in knowledge and religion is the way I choose to live my life and make certain choices
I absolutely agree as an atheist, but I know folks who refused to take Bio or physics for "anti-Christian" things. I find it stupid indeed, because physics is one of the greatest things on IB but just wanted to point out in case OP was someone this would be a problem, personally I would like to challege just everyone to rethink religious beliefs because its good to have some criticism.
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IB doesn't have any political or religional ideas attached to their ideology. If you can handle that evolution is taught as part of IB Bio HL you're good to go IB. And you simply don't take Bio or Physics if it's so terrifying. Chemistry is way to go if you don't want to hear about science that conflicts with religion.

I actually would never avoid sciences. Just because there are many many facts in sciences that if you reject them because of religion, it would be quite foolish. You don't have to "pick a side", religion or science. I mean i chose a very scientific IB and university career and this hasn't changed my religious beliefs. I realised that religion is a way of life, not so much an area of knowledge like the IB wants to make it. So for me, science is a way to grow in knowledge and religion is the way I choose to live my life and make certain choices
I absolutely agree as an atheist, but I know folks who refused to take Bio or physics for "anti-Christian" things. I find it stupid indeed, because physics is one of the greatest things on IB but just wanted to point out in case OP was someone this would be a problem, personally I would like to challege just everyone to rethink religious beliefs because its good to have some criticism.

 

Yeah like there are some things you cannot deny like no matter what. You can't deny for example the evolution of species over time i mean the evidence is there!! And I think challenging people is so good in the IB, like it makes you grow as a person because if people challenge you, it kinda forces you to know more about yourself. I mean whether you're atheist or religious you can be challenged

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I'm catholic and I am doing the IB.

I have never felt stressed or insulted throughout this school year nor during the MYP due to religious matters.

We did discuss Religion and Religious knowledge systems in TOK a few months ago. A group of people in my class are catholic too and most people who are atheists are pretty okay with it, however, we did get into a small debate with two or three people who started insulting religion.

Nevertheless, that was a 50 minute class. We're all very good friends anyways and religion was never an issue.

The IB teaches you to be open minded and going to an international school means you will have christian friends, muslim friends, jewish friends, atheist friends and so on. 

The IB isn't anti-christian, don't worry :)

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