Religious Instruction in Australian State Schools

[DanDare]

From "FAIRNESS in RELIGIONS in SCHOOL"

Dear friends and fellow parents,

Thank you for personally communicating how unfair and intrusive the current policy of SRI is to you and your family. If you haven't already, you will be getting a formulaic response from Minister for Education Martin Dixon.

His letter is intended to make you feel helpless and to make you go away. The message contained in Martin Dixon's letter is "talk to the hand".

Even so, you are making an enormous difference but this isn't a one round match. Right now, Martin Dixon fears the group who assert that they have a right to use our schools as a "mission field" more than he fears you.

If you want to hear Martin Dixon's thoughts, listen to this 7 minute interview he gave on talk radio:

Derryn Hinch on 3AW interrogates Martin Dixon

This is in lock step with ACCESS Ministries.

ACCESS Ministries has been repeated exposed as liars, and it is clear that they are methodically exploiting our schools Listen to the evidence . Martin Dixon has chosen to ignore this, so far. He's instead decided to play semantic games, and he's counting on your acquiescence.

Instead of recognizing that the Victorian Teachers Union, leading religious educators, many religious leaders, and of course the majority of parents have all complained about his policy... Martin Dixon has gone public to defend ACCESS Ministries by saying that no one has told him "personally" that "ACCESS Ministries has forced religion down a child's throat".

Unfortunately for Martin Dixon, people are actually looking at what ACCESS Ministries do in our schools, and one leading curriculum expert described their lessons as:

''primitively anti-educational … a crude form of missionary indoctrination that went out of style in the 1950s''

Martin Dixon thinks he can be a propaganda officer for ACCESS Ministries and their activist mob who assert they have a "God given open door to reach children in our schools". He thinks he can write you a "non response" letter and dump this mess on principals and teachers. He can't. We won't let him.

We will not accept this disgraceful performance, and we will not allow our schools to be open to sectarian interests of any sort, religious or otherwise, to commandeer parts or the whole of public education.

This means that you will have to keep pounding at the door. You will have to write again, you will have to call, you will have to explain to your friends why they should care and what they should do. The Minister of Education can ignore the Union, he can ignore religious educators and he can ignore the honest and progressive clergy. The one faction he can not ignore is: YOU.

The Minister of Education does not works for ACCESS Ministries, he works for YOU. He is an elected public servant, and as a parent with children in the school, he is answerable to you, and not the board of ACCESS Ministries.

If you haven't already written to Martin Dixon about this, do so now. If you already have dig it out and resend with reference to his dismissal. Make it personal and make it clear that you are not going away.

Find your MP here

The men who are in charge of implementation of the Minister's policy are:

Dennis Torpy, Sr. officer for Student Wellbeing: torpy.dennis.v@edumail.vic.gov.au
Duncan McGauchie, Chief of Staff for Minister Dixon: duncan.mcgauchie@minstaff.vic.gov.au

Additionally, Barry McGaw, chairman, National Curriculum Authority: bmcgaw@unimelb.edu.au , should hear from you as well, because of his comments today in the Sunday AGE who ran another story reporting on the controversy over SRI today.

The website remains the best way to keep abreast of the news on this issue, so please keep encouraging your friends to register their emails with the campaign: http://religionsinschool.com/news/

Do not give up, this system will be changed and you will be the reason that it changes.


Thank you for your ongoing help,

THE FIRIS CAMPAIGN TEAM




PS: Here is a an easy cut and paste for the emails:

martin.dixon@parliament.vic.gov.au
ted.baillieu@parliament.vic.gov.au
torpy.dennis.v@edumail.vic.gov.au
duncan.mcgauchie@minstaff.vic.gov.au
bmcgaw@unimelb.edu.au
religionsinschool@gmail.com

[RealityRules]

.
It seems appropriate that General Religious Education be given to school kids as part of a Philosophy course and before electives such as SRE, ethics or other philosophical programs.

[SoapyStan]

Followed the above link to (Father) Craig D'Alton's blog, found this ...

I have been struck – perhaps even a little astonished – at the level of community anger towards Access, even from many of those who teach its programmes. I think that some in Access have been living in a bubble, believing that reform is being urged exclusively at the behest of the radical atheist lobby. This is, manifestly, not the case. Both the general community and very many members of churches are equally of the view that change is necessary.

[sosman]

Googling I found that DOGS had to say about Barry Mcgaw:

http://www.adogs.info/images/pr239.htm

And he looks like a Telly Evangelist.

[RealityRules]

It seems there are covert methods of activity, too.

This is understandable with the current squeezing of christianity and likely discomfort of some christian Teachers as that happens and continues. As long as it is not a network to evangelise through proselytising.

State teachers positive on connecting
May 29th, 2011

The Anglican Education Commission says it has been encouraged by the response to this month’s ‘Celebrating Christians in State Schools’ event. The event, held at Wyndham College in Quakers Hill, was designed as a way of supporting Christian teachers working in state schools, and to encourage them in their work.

“It is vital for Christian teachers to be working in state schools,” Archbishop Peter Jensen told the event via video message. Dr Jensen’s message was supported by a series of speakers including Bishops Glenn Davies and Ivan Lee. Bishop Lee told of how he became a Christian while at school, and spoke of the crucial role Christian teachers can play in the lives of young people.

Dr Greg Clarke, National Director of the Bible Society of Australia explained to Christian teachers that rather than seeking to convert students, their ministry lies in living out their faith in their relationships with students and teachers.

Archbishop Jensen encouraged attendees to persevere in the places that God has put them. “For some students, the only gospel contact they might ever have will be through a Christian teacher,” he said.

The event was also an opportunity to bring Christian teachers together, so they can support and encourage each other.

“Thank you for connecting us,” said one of the teachers. “This has been really helpful in thinking through the needs of Christians in state schools.”

Teachers from one Southern Sydney High School spoke about the challenges that face Christian teachers seeking to be a witness to Christ within the education system.

The response was very positive, with teachers ‘inspired’ by hearing the stories and testimonies of others.

www.sydneyanglicans.net/ state_teachers_positive_on_connecting/

[Critical Mass]

Any chance we could get the Queen to come out and address the Anglican Synod here, or even the next Atheist convention??
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/no...n-synod-virtue

[RealityRules]

Originally Posted by Critical Mass

Any chance we could get the Queen to come out and address the Anglican Synod here, or even the next Atheist convention??

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/no...n-synod-virtue

Gotta love Lizzie for that, especially this

"In our more diverse and secular society, the place of religion has come to be a matter of lively discussion. It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue and that the wellbeing and prosperity of the nation depend on the contribution of individuals and groups of all faiths and none."

ironically, only a monarch could get away with such motherhood statements - anyone wanna join the "Atheists for a constitutional monarchy" group??

[Xeno]

Originally Posted by RealityRules

Gotta love Lizzie for that, especially this



ironically, only a monarch could get away with such motherhood statements - anyone wanna join the "Atheists for a constitutional monarchy" group??

No. We have a GG who is in a position to say the same, and probably shares the views.

[RealityRules]

Originally Posted by Xeno

No. We have a GG who is in a position to say the same, and probably shares the views.

Most of the G-Gs who have "served" under Lizzie have probably been more religious than Lizzie.

[Coryate]

Originally Posted by Xeno

No. We have a GG who is in a position to say the same, and probably shares the views.

Quentin Bryce has spoken how much she supports the Chaplains in helping children "reach God" when she was opening something in a school in regional Queensland, sorry Google fail on details.

William Deane is very Catholic, and Hollingsworth..well..enough said about the direction or Governor-Generals take.