It was in the 19th century that time was set aside in NSW public schools each week for scripture lessons, and that was done to make peace with churches horrified that the ungodly were going to offer what we know today as public education. Much has changed since then, and among the biggest changes has been the churches' loss of power. But, it seems, this change has not been big enough.
The mainstream churches are fighting desperately to protect what is, to my astonishment, a government-backed monopoly over the teaching of ethics in schools. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from the weekly scripture class but they do not have the right to have the children undertake any other structured activity during that hour. And specifically not if it involves the teaching of ethics!
This has come to light because parents at seven Sydney primary schools want their children to take part in a trial 10-part ethics course in lieu of the weekly hour of scripture lessons. The ethics course has been put together by the non-religious St James Ethics Centre and an internationally recognised specialist in philosophical and ethical inquiry for children, Professor Philip Cam of NSW University.
The first problem is that in 1980 the NSW Government bowed to the demands of churches and gave them, or continued to give them, exclusive rights in matters of morality and ethics in schools: "Schools are to support special religious education by ensuring that no formal lessons or scheduled school activities occur during time set aside for special religious education. Such activities may create conflict of choice for some parents and for
some students attending special religious education."
Later this current schools policy adds: "Schools
are to provide appropriate care and supervision at school for students not attending special religious education. This may involve students in other activities such as completing homework, reading and private study. These activities should neither compete with special religious education nor be alternative lessons in the subjects within the curriculum or other areas, such as ethics, values, civics or general religious education.''
The second problem is that the mainstream churches appear to have a hold over the NSW Labor Government, which is considering now the proposal for ethics classes but which has twice rejected a similar plan.
How do the churches explain their opposition to children learning about ethics when they could be learning about religion?
"The Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools would like the Department of Education to engage more energetically with the need for students to
have greater access to learning from and about religious practices and beliefs in Australia today. Religious knowledge needs to increase rather than decrease."
So, if you don't want your child soaking up their religion, the churches won't have your child doing anything constructive for that hour, and especially not learning about ethics.
Given the mainstream churches' evil tolerance of pedophilia and protection of pedophiles, I say they should take their clergy out of scripture lessons and send them to the ethics classes.
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