The author states <"According to the 688 principals who participated, Chaplains helped to:
-build the sense of community in the school,
-support the school ethos and
-assist with the integration of potentially “at risk” students, including recent immigrants and Aboriginal students."

I would imagine that any trained psychologist could do just as well as these chaplains?
Why does the 'qualification' of knowing more than the average about one's religion make a person more 'qualified' to do this job in public schools?

The Government no doubt pays peanuts for these chaplain's wages, when they know they would have to pay more for properly trained people who wouldn't have a religious bias.

I'm with you there, suzeonline. Our kids (who are our future) are far too important to place in the hands of ill-qualified, under-scrutinised practitioners. I had to attend uni for four years to be allowed to have a role in the formation of children's literacy. How long do these chaplains have to study (and at what level?) to be allowed a role in the formation of children's world views, moral outlooks and social capabilities?

runner: "In actual fact secular moral relativist would find it very difficult to argue that these molesters were not born that way. That is why some of your high priests like Singer condones bestiality."

Cherry pickers through and through. You do it with your bible and you do it with everything you read. Actually, "read" is a misnomer. I doubt you have actually "read" anything in an absorptive and interpretive way. More likely, you don't even do your cherry picking yourself, some helpful spook/shaman does it for you and tells you what to go out and yap yap to the world about. It's all sound bites and tapeloops and mindlessly repeated dogma. The average literacy of the average apologist here is that of a 12 year - it's all here in these pages...

This is the end result of the type of education people end up with when CRE style teaching methods get a foothold in the system. You don't want schools, you want madrassas. Sit in circles and repeat chants and praise jesus for his goodness - you just need to take a look at the gibberish in the curriculum documents scraped off the Access Ministries websites. It is horrifying. It is this atavistic yearning for a new dark age - burnt libraries, science pronounced heresy and of course, a steady feed of scapegoats for the pyre. We have an appetiser of this with the language being used to demonise and denounce all these wicked "secular humanists" that want to ruin your superstitious party.

You want to rot kids minds with nonsense? You go right ahead. Just do it in your own schools and let the rest of the civilised planet get on with their lives in peace.

I have genuine pity for you and your desperate need to cling to imaginary comfort blankets. You are disabled, dysfunctional hollow shells. If you were a dog, you'd probably be shot out of mercy. Unreal.

Otokonoko and Shagger,
Just a point about the story of Lot - God saved Lot because of the fervent prayers of his uncle - Abraham. I only learnt that last week. All the Bible stories have layers and layers of meaning and knowledge and depending on where one is in life's journey those childhood stories have lessons for adults too. (Yes, I said stories).
A challenge for you... revisit a few of those "stories", check out a few versions for meaning (the meanings will be consistent-just put differently). Read with an open mind and ask for God to give understanding of the passages. Keep asking questions.

"The Bible isn't milk and honey" -true. It is "milk and meat" for our souls both now and in the future. The meat is sometimes hard to chew.

Sandpiper

>> "The Bible isn't milk and honey" -true. It is "milk and meat" for our souls both now and in the future. The meat is sometimes hard to chew. <<

Oh well, that justifies the punishment of Lot's wife, the rape of his daughter's, in fact all the general rape, pillage and sacrifice demanded by god then.

The slaughter of innocents is a common theme in the bible, the Q'ran, the Torah - whatever it takes to make the f&ckers believe in god.

Sounding a little like a Osama bin Laden pep talk to the troops there, Sandpiper. And you want this bilge taught to our children.

The trick is, to read the Bible for yourself, then meet others in a group for discussion and question time.

Another trick is to start reading in the gospels--- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John or perhaps the Psalms.

Pray first for an open mind and heart.

May God Bless your reading of God's HOLY Bible.
Definition of HOLY -- set apart.(like no other book)
There are New International Version and NEW King James Bible versions online these days. Even Youth Bibles, Kids Life Application Bibles. Study note and commentaries.