The decision of Auckland’s St Heliers Bay Primary School to take Christian religious instruction out of school time is a victory for parents who faced the awful choice of either having their children attend classes they were strongly opposed to or having them feel ostracised if they withdrew them from the classes.
It will mean Christian lessons are still provided at the school but students will have to “opt-in” to the classes after school rather than other students having to “opt out” during school time. The “opt-out” option effectively meant most children were a captive audience to Christian religious instruction during school time at a secular state school.
This is unacceptable.
Education regulations for state schools allow a school to declare itself to be “closed” while this Christian religious instruction takes place. This has always been an awkward piece of subterfuge to get around the legal requirement that state schools are required to be secular (non-religious)
It was pleasing to see one of the parents who supported the Christian instruction at the school say also she supported children learning about other religions as well and this is where the debate should be headed.
It should be an important part of education for children to learn about the major religions of the world; compare and contrast their main ideas; identify the historical and contemporary religious figures associated with them and have an understanding of the religious books – the Bible and the Koran for example – which underpin them.
The bible is the major historical document for Christianity and as well as its religious significance for Christians it has heavily influenced the development of art, literature and cultural practices across a significant part of the world for the past two thousand years. The Koran can make the same claim and similarly so the other major religions.
This is all human knowledge that should be part of our school curriculum. It is education about religion and its human context rather than religious instruction designed to convert children.
It would also have the positive effect of encouraging religious and cultural tolerance in the diverse country which New Zealand has become.
Our kids would soon discover that religions have much more in common than the theological shades of grey which divide them. They would learn for example that what most New Zealanders would call “Christian values” are common to all religions as well as to the lives of atheists and agnostics.
They would find that the “golden rule” – to treat others as you would like to be treated yourself – can be found in one form or other in all human societies.
And while we are talking about Christianity they might also learn that when former Labour Prime Minister Micky Savage talked about “applied Christianity” he was referring to socialism.
This would help give our kids another view of the world aside from the “applied greed” of capitalism which they are exposed to every day.
If not for its blood drenched anti science history alone Religion in state schools should be disallowed for two other good reasons:
• Most Religions relentlessly oppress women
• Most Religions attempt to brain wash children before they have developed the experience and skills to form and articulate a mature world view of their own.
Plus it is plainly opportunistic for the shrinking numbers of serious religious adherents (according to last census) to use resources paid for by taxpayers to push their own corner.
Indeed, John.
By all means, have religion in our curriculum. But it must be education about religions (note plural), and not religious instruction. One teaches and promotes critical thought – the other indoctrinates, and no critical thought required.
What stunned me was that this was still going on in the 21st Century? Naive me, I had believed that religion had not been a part of state schools since the 1960s/70s.
Tautoko John. While we’re at it, we should add civics too.
As far as I am aware this blog is misinformed and there is only religious instruction in religious (i.e. Catholic) schools. ‘Bible in Schools’ is religious education, not instruction. I’m not saying I agree with it (mostly because of the singularity highlighted by Frank above) but we need to get our facts straight.
To whomever disliked my comment I’d love to know why and have a discussion rather than just receive a judgement. <3
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