Bibles in schools

Stuff reports:

Jewish, Buddhist and Christian leaders have joined a movement against Bible classes in schools.

This comes as Bible teachers, feeling persecuted over the movement to ban Bible classes, have planned a prayer vigil at the Churches Education Commission headquarters in Auckland on Monday.

Commission chief executive Simon Greening said they have faced pockets of criticism in the past, but this was the first time a concerted campaign had been set up against them. …

Central Auckland’s St Matthew-in-the-City welcomed a debate on the Bible in Schools programmes. 

Reverend Glynn Cardy said the church would support the replacement of the programme with a religious lesson.

St Matthew’s associate priest Clay Nelson has already voiced concerns the Bible lessons breached the separation of church from state.

Nelson said Christian education in public schools should be “swept into the ash can of history”. 

“It’s un-Christian to force our faith on other people,” Nelson said.

Public schools are secular, but a loophole in the rules allow schools to “close” during class time for religious volunteers to teach Bible-based values. 

I think this is getting a bit precious. I recall religious studies at intermediate school, and as the saying goes it never did me any harm. In fact if I recall I annoyed the Anglican minister by stating that our church was only founded as Henry VIII wanted a new wife. He tried to convince us that the Church of England had existed for 900 years, and that the Catholics were the schism 🙂

Anyway I don’t think a bit of bible study (which is voluntary) is a bad thing. Regardless of your religious belief, the 10 commandments are a fairly good guide to things.

Children are taught a range of values, including humility, honesty and respect.

Parents can opt out if they do not want their children to attend. 

However, parents in the Secular Education Network are concerned children who opt out are singled out by their peers for not participating. 

Oh kids get singled out by their peers for everything. If it is not missing bible studies, it is having red hair. Are we going to ban red hair also, to stop people being singled out?

So long as it is optional, I see no need to ban it. Let each school decide for themselves what they want to do.