As reported in The Age today, plans for humanist philosophy classes to be available as an alternative to Christian, Muslim, Judaism, Buddhism and Baha’i religions.
Religion in schools to go God-free
Victorian Humanist Society president Stephen Stuart said: “Atheistical parents will be pleased to hear that humanistic courses of ethics will soon be available in some state schools.”
However, Access Ministries and Salt Shakers don’t seem to appreciate the intrusion on their turf:
Fundamentalist Christian group the Salt Shakers panned the idea of humanists being given religious education class time. Research director Jenny Stokes said: “If you go there, where do you stop? What about witchcraft or Satanism? If you accredit humanism, then those things would have an equal claim to be taught in schools.”
So humanism equals satanism and witchcraft? Yeah right.
Ms Stokes said humanists could not expect to have it both ways. “It doesn’t make sense because they proclaim themselves not to be a religion,” she said. Religious instruction in state schools should be Christian because “basically we are a Christian nation”, she said.
Perhaps Ms Stokes should be informed that humanism is not a religion by definition, not by proclamation. But, the real point of their opposition is maintaining the illusion of a Christian monopoly on matters ethical and moral.
At best that amounts to willfull ignorance. At worst it represents repression of the non-religous.
Follow up in the Letters to The Age:
The anti-God crusade
THE humanist/atheist brigade will soon have the right to present its anti-God/anti-Christian doctrine in the religious education time slot in state schools.
I thought it already had its allotted sessions in the school science curriculum, where its evolutionist dogma is so forcefully entrenched that it prevents any other viewpoint from even being considered, let alone discussed.
DAVID G. WESTAWAY, Navigators
Sigh.
Nigel Stewart Australia, Commentary Australia, education, humanism, religion, religous instruction
