Rob, IMHO the teaching of values to children is a parental domain, not religion. As such it should be a decision by parents to opt in or out. There are currently over 34,000 registered religions on this planet, many exhibit growing militancy and many thousands of these are of christianic origins.

If what you are saying is correct and even atheists are becoming militant, it is time that all children were removed from exposure to such conflict. If christianic religions cannot agree and have diversified so much, it’s all over rover. It’s time to remove religion from the curriculum unless opted in by parental decision.

Agreed, Ammonite. The broader the better. Someone also mentioned ethics. Great! Go get it!

I'm just sorry some would throw out the baby with the bath water.

This page is a clear and unequivocal statement of the evangelical agenda of Evonne Paddison and ACCESS Ministries:
http://www.melbourne.anglican.com.au/mission/theologicaleducation/network128/Pages/Chaplaincy-testimonials.aspx

People cannot be both "anti religion" and "secularist" since secularists are at the least religion neutral and most often are concerned with freedom of religion.

Unfortunately Rob, and others who have commented, think that freedom of religion is about the freedom to push their religion forcefully or deceptively onto everyone else. That is the opposite of freedom of religion, that is religious oppression.

The SRI taught in schools is indoctrination, and one eyed about christianity. The opt-out instead of opt-in is just a shifty old hard sell technique. If the proponents of opt-out really thought it didn't make a difference they wouldn't be so against opt-in. As it is, here in Queensland it is legally opt-in but hardly any state schools follow the law on this, and some administrations tell outright lies to parents about it. Here are the actual Qld rules for RI and chaplains: http://australiansecularlobby.com/PDFs/Education_Queensland_Religious_Instruction.pdf

Schools should teach cultural history, which would include the history of religions and a brief overview of what each major religious tradition embodies. They should also teach children to think about values and how to consider what is necessary to lead a virtuous life. This would mean teaching two fields known as ethics and philosophy respectively, not indoctrinating them in a particular religion. That is the secular way forward.

Let's see what has happened to this thread:
-A vast majority supporting religion not being part of the compulsory curriculum
-A couple of loonies who feel that forcing a religious scripture educator to get a parent's permission before being allowed to indoctrinate their kids while they are at work is jackbooted fascism
-Saltpetre actually making an interesting point, though it raises some interesting questions and problems;

In a country like Australia, how DO you define a religious representative, and what context would you put it under? The majority of each religious demographic in Australia are non-practicing- and in some cases (Catholic and Islamic) are specifically alienated by their orthodox counterparts (who are often rather extreme and outspoken).

Getting a religious representative of the first category would probably make a good integrative anti-prejudice effort- though would make an incredibly off-topic lesson with not much religious instruction at all- especially if you are aiming for a global context where large portions in some countries of the practitioners are illiterate, superstitious and rather extreme and insular in their outlook of the world- then there are the interrelations between different sects (Sufi Islam persecution) by Sunni governments).

There is also a matter of the roughly 200-400 Aboriginal religions, minority religions, pre-Christian pagan religions (and contemporary equivalents), to consider.

Then cults like Scientology, and whether you should mention the scandals around it, or for that matter, the religion's origins.

To get a religious teacher/instructor would require a person that is respectful to all religions, but very mindful of various social and political problems and is not afraid (or prevented by the school) to say them.
Anything less (more a glossy promotional class) would not be educational and I think, socially counter-productive to actually understanding different demographics.

Hilarious!

Mr Ward is in love with the word "militant" but it's obvious he doesn't know what it means!

At the very least, Mr Ward, please buy yourself a thesaurus so that you might expand your arsenal of emotive insults and slurs. Or, ask your programmers at the ACL to give you a list; "militant atheist" is so overused these days by religious activists that you give yourself away too easily, and where's the fun in that?

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Mr Ward says "militant atheists seem hell-bent on ensuring everyone else’s kids are blocked from exposure to Christianity"

Oh dear... Lying for Jeebus, Mr Ward??

Is the atheist militia...
- blockading the entrances to Sunday Schools with their tanks?
- bursting through the doors of Christians' homes, threatening at gunpoint parents who want to say grace before tea time?
- assassinating your preachers and burning your bibles?

Of course not! Mr Ward is merely invoking his hysterical hyperbole in lieu of a cogent and reasoned argument.

If you want to force your kids to be Christian, then take 'em to Sunday School. Nobody at all is preventing you!

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Finally, the suggestion that indoctrination at primary school is necessary to understand western culture/literature is purely a smokescreen.

The REAL reason the Mr Wards of this country want SRI is simply because they are insular, pathetic, narrow-minded, nasty little pieces or work, and can't stand the thought of anyone that doesn't think exactly like they do.

That they drape themselves in a cloak of self-righteousness is merely hypocrisy of the highest order, and it's a disguise that doesn't fool anyone with half a brain.

Mr Ward, if you _really_ want Australia to be a theocracy, then go pray to your God for it to happen. In the meantime, please stop wasting everyone's education on your antediluvian fairy-tales!