Should religion be allowed in our schools?

Steiner education http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1185610176

Howard, Rudd speak to Christian audience http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1176401932/18#18

church and state, religious expression http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1176401932

Evolution v's Religion http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1167973400/16#16

PM gives extra $50m for school chaplains

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/PM-gives-extra-50m-for-school-chaplains/2007/10/11/1191696045272.html

Prime Minister John Howard has announced an extra $50 million in funding for the government's program putting chaplains in Australian schools.

The extra funding makes a total of $165 million over three years committed launched by the federal government in October last year.

In making the announcement at Moorebank High School in Sydney's south-west, Mr Howard said 1,238 schools had been successful in the first round of funding, including Moorebank.

Mr Howard said he was very committed to the program.

Chaplains could be of any religious denomination, and the program was about counselling, morals and values, he said.

Mr Howard said 27 per cent of all schools in Australia would receive funding for a chaplain under the program.

"That is an astonishing response and it shows this program is meeting a public need."

I don't believe in "religion" per se, but I do believe the words of Jesus, Muhommad,Buddha etc. I believe they were all trying to get across the same concept and religion has distorted the true teachings.
I don't think banning the teaching of religion in schools is the answer. Teaching the children that one religion is right and another wrong, will ensure the problems we face today concerning religious wars and extremist factioning will continue to plague the world that our grandchildrens kids will live in........if there is still a world for them to live in.
Teach all religions in schools if any, and let the children choose their own path to salvation.

That's what they are doing in Britain - teaching about both evolution and creationism in a separate class.

The only problem I see is that someone who is qualified to teach one will not be qualified to teach the other. They are fundamentally different branches of philosophy and trying to butt them up against each other is based on a false dichotomy.

It would still create the impression that people must choose between the two philosophies, which is not necessary, necessarily

Unless it is a religous school, let the teaching of religious education be volutary, meaning decided by the parents, with those not involved gaining library time to work on projects, homework and the like.

As to school chaplins... hmmm.... we are talking about Protestant Chaplins are we not. I mean as a Commonwealth Nation with the Queen as our head of state and church, it could only be a Protestant Chaplin in our public schools yes? I wonder then how the Jewish, Catholic, Lutherian, Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Muslims, Budists, Janists, Hindu's etc.... parents feel about their children being counselled in Protestant Values and Reason?

As a tollerant, secular, multicultural and some what enlightened society we seem to be excluding a lot of people from theological counselling services in our public schools.

In fact, we already have school counsellors, so I'm not even sure of the Protestant Chaplins need or purpose.

freediver wrote on Oct 18^th, 2007 at 11:09am:


Indeed... although most relate the Chapalin to Christianity don't they? I did at least.

I too equate chaplains to christianity.

Christianity = Chaplains
Judaism = Rebbe
Islam = Iman

Secularism = Guidance counsellors

"Chaplains could be of any religious denomination, and the program was about counselling, morals and values, he said."

I don't know why there have to be a religious denomination at all. It perfectly ok if it is a religious school.... but in secular ones guidance counsellors are quite capable of advising on morals, ethics and values.

Cheers!

they could teach them in the same way university teaches philosophy

I doubt they would be able to find enough objective people with the skills to teach it. There's only so much you can expect from high school teachers. I remember one of my biology teachers had enough difficulty with biology.