Tim Tim ? Are you reading this Tim ?

There are a whole lot of questions being asked about what you have written

How about doing the decent thing and answering a few of them ?

or do you only listen to people who have the same opinions as you do ?

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=12461#215257

McReal, since when is 17% of the population so significant it should dominate 83% of the population.

There are many lapsed christians out there who do not attend church every sunday, but still came from that cultural heritage, were perhaps taken to "sunday school" by their parents, are happy to see there own children at a school with a non denominational christian chaplain, tick the christian box, on their census form.

What is wrong with that? Do you want to see riots like those in Britain in all our capital cities as our society DE generates.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2024690/UK-riots-2011-Britains-liberal-intelligentsia-smashed-virtually-social-value.html

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8630135369495797236#

Our own society in the land of OZ was way more cohesive, happy, harmomious in the 1950's than it is now. Moral & ethical vacuums or DE generation is hardly a good thing.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=12461#215263

RObert, our nation, its founding fathers & our constitution are way more christian than anybody knows or wants to admit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JihQw39hyG0 invetigate it for yourself.

While christian myself i am not too keen on "evangelicals" but i fail to see how they can "turn" your children at school into anything negative.

Are you seriously suggesting that 1 single chaplain out of the entire school workforce is going to succeed in raming a bible down every child's throut, or even just one. if you don't want your children to run the risk of learning morals & ethics then don't pay to send them on a "christian" school camp where heaven forbid some of them might shock horror, sing some hymns instead of "gangsta rap".

Get a grip.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=12461#215278

Philo, great comment.

Seriously you ANTI christian types have been brain washed by closet communists doing far worse to your children than any christian ever did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JarRIC4rS1M looking back on the sexual revolution with 20/20 hindsight do you really believe "sex, drugs & rockNroll" is better for your children than some good old fashioned christianity?

If I understand you correctly, Formersnag, you are asserting morals and ethics can only be imbued in a child within a Christian framework. This is incorrect.

As you seem to be fond of links, may I suggest one for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbef07aQtB8

Formspring,
I presume your reference to 17% and 83% is a reference to non-Christians and Christians, respectively, in the 2006 census.

The correct figures were 36% and 64%. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Australia. Of that 36% non-Christian, 18.7% were No religion, 11.2% Not Defined, and 6% Other religion. The world has changed a lot since 2006, so it will be interesting to see what the 2011 census figures will be, due for release in about 12 months.

Regardless, more than 1/3 of Australia are non-Christian, and it is the lack of empathy by the Christians for them that is increasingly significant.

Conflating the UK riots with Australian school chaplaincy seems a very dubious relationship - if you are to claim the UK riots, or any other civil-disorder, is related to lack of Christianity, then perhaps direct reference to morality, and societal rules and norms, might be a better course of action than reference to an as dubious relationship with an unsubstantiated supernatural character, and it's equally unsubstantiated purported representive on earth.

McReal,

it's also worth pointing out to Formersnag that of the 74%, a great many identify as Christian merely because they were baptised as such (I once did so myself) and not because they follow it, either in faith or practice. The true percentage of devout or practicing Christians in this country is undoubtedly a minority. Institutions generally outlive their minions.

Louella,
You said "Chaplains are human and they’ll naturally proselytize, even if they don’t mean to".

I say, If a person is passionatly atheist their passion will naturally rub off on unsuspecting children. I knew who were the atheist and who were the Christian teachers in my school years.

When it comes to practical care there is no atheist organisation that can coordinate better than the Christian community. The role is part time ($20,000 p/a)and persons are also supported by the Church community.

You said, "All the roles performed by a chaplain can be performed (better) by a secular counsellor".

Please supply the evidense of this.