Schools under fire for 'Christian' national anthem

The head of a Christian schools group has defended the practice of having students sing an additional religious verse to the national anthem.

Instead of the official second verse of Advance Australia Fair, the alternative verse reads:

With Christ our head and cornerstone, we'll build our nation's might;

Whose way and truth and light alone, can guide our path aright;

Our lives a sacrifice of love, reflect our master's care;

With faces turned to heav'n above, Advance Australia Fair;

In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair.

It has been reported that students at at least two private schools in Perth sing the extra verse.

Christian Schools Australia chief executive Stephen O'Doherty told the ABC there is nothing wrong with singing an additional verse.

"What sort of nation is it if somebody wants to stop young kids from singing that they want to be servants of their nation; they want to build community on the strong foundations of their belief in God?"

But Warren Pearson, chief executive of the National Australia Day Council, says changing the words should not be encouraged because students are no longer singing the national anthem.

"I think it's wonderful that young people in Christian schools, in all different schools, sing the national anthem," he said.

"And in some schools they might go and sing the Christian verse, that's fine, but at that point they are singing the verse from Advance Australia Fair; technically they're no longer singing the national anthem."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-23/christian-schools-changing-the-national-an...

it is part of the ORIGINAL song. the national anthem version of it took that verse out. Singing the original second verse is optional. PLUS what possible offence could it cause in a a christian school to seing a christian verse???

it is part of the ORIGINAL song. the national anthem version of it took that verse out. Singing the original second verse is optional. PLUS what possible offence could it cause in a a christian school to seing a christian verse???

darkhall67 wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 6:27pm:


not really. it is AT WORST trivial. where were you when public schools banned christmas?

this is a CHRISTIAN school singing a CHRISTIAN verse to a song that was in the ORIGINAL.

wherther you like it or not, it is BEYOND trivial and significantly better than banning christmas entirely in public schools coz it might offend someone.

darkhall67 wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 6:27pm:


not really. it is AT WORST trivial. where were you when public schools banned christmas?

this is a CHRISTIAN school singing a CHRISTIAN verse to a song that was in the ORIGINAL.

wherther you like it or not, it is BEYOND trivial and significantly better than banning christmas entirely in public schools coz it might offend someone.

longweekend58 wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 6:35pm:




What schools banned christmas?

Dsmithy70 wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 6:43pm:


how many public schools do you attend at christmas time?

longweekend58 wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2011 at 6:35pm:





Bullshit.


There was no mention of your fictional christ in the original.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_Australia_Fair


"A Christian movement, Awakening, in the 1990s substituted an alternative second verse naming Christ and promoting Christian values[19] This was sung during the Global March for Jesus in 1998[19] and again at World Youth Day 2008 with the qualification 'This is not the official verse, but a Catholic adaptation of the Australian National Anthem'.[20]
The version was later controversially adopted by some Christian private schools for singing as a hymn at internal assemblies.[21] The substituted verse did not appear in the 1879 publication of Peter Dodds McCormick’s original work. The office of Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that, under national protocols, the anthem should not be modified and alternative words should not be used.[21]"