Nicely put article. I share your frustration. I don't think in Australia it's as bad as in America though, where the freedom of religious expression is used as a means of justifying reigious oppression. (Its like 'You're not allowed to discuss your religion in class- because we have freedom of religion').

I also agree with this quote:

"view the western tradition as instrinsically corrupt... marxist critiques call it bourgeoise, feminists call it patriarchal, post-colonialists call it imperialistic, and so on, and so forth. Instead of embracing... students are asked to explain why the system is opressive and exclusive."

I graduated high school in 2004 and after a gap year started uni this year (which is why I haven't been on OLO much lately... but I miss you guys!) and its TOTALLY like that.

Dear Donna
my heart goes out to you in your situation, because it is ours also (Christians).
We enjoy and learn from the same stories, and as you clearly underlined, at one time not so long ago "Christmas and Easter were an intrinsic part of every student’s life"

How far we have fallen. Now we have the ACT chief minister trying 'back door' tactics to legitimize unions which at one time would have resulted in a death sentence. (and still do in some places)

In spite of the severity of such punishments, when we look at the direction of society which has lost its moral anchor (I deliberately say 'direction' rather than 'condition' because it is worsening daily)
and note the OVERT (Sells) attacks on all things Judao Christian, perhaps God had a point about "severe punishments" for "abominable acts".
How long before we see horny men or 'in season' women copulating with animals in the street ? Is this intrinsically immoral/evil ? Not if you believe post modern thought.

But speaking as a Christian, the most I (we) can do is 'vote', and to share Christ with as many as God would lead us to. Christian reconstructionists may wish to return to the Law of Moses, but I prefer the Grace of Christ. (which was fulfillment of the Law anyway.. "I will write my law on their HEARTS" Jeremiah 30.31)

Social and moral conditions were similar to NOW just prior to the 2nd evangelical awakening, perhaps we will se a 3rd.. when mens hearts are wrent assunder by an awareness of eternity and the fearful prospect of facing it outside of Christ, stubbornly clinging to the "flesh".

One thing is for sure, hardened hearts and dulled spirits will not be awoken by namby pamby, softly softly, 'take it easy' Christianity.
Only Spirit filled, Christ empowered, Grace enabled, fearlessly bold and courageous proclamation of the Kingdom of God and its soon coming King will shake us our of our complacency.

Donna..time to go to the creek and gather some small smooth stones :)
Goliath awaits.

I find the story told here depressing.

The author seems to be a reasonably articulate adult. Why did she not tell the apparatchik exactly what to do with their critique?

Is the "advice" given to her by this faceless bureaucrat taken from some book of rules somewhere? If so, why is this not referred to in the article?

It is spineless reactions like this - weeping and wailing about "political correctness" - that will ensure that these moronic functionaries continue to believe that they can get away with such drivel.

Challenge them.

Take them on.

Defy them.

I'll wager my next week's salary that there is no written rule that says "no Jewish stories", or "all fables must be religion-free". This is just a sour old soul playing a solo game of "get the artist", simply because they have not got the imagination to tell colourful stories themselves.

Unless and until we take a stand and ask "show me where it says..." we will continue to experience the dead hand of pseudo-correctness, delivered by such mealy-mouthed servants of the State.

I put this in the same category as those illegal speeding fines recently uncovered in NSW. Only because “someone” stood up and said hey, this isn't right, did the whole sorry fiasco come to light. The government were not playing by their own rules, and were found out.

I suspect this is the same. The “rules” are being bent. Writing about it in drama-laden terms in order to garner sympathy for an artist's dilemma is not, however, the way to address it.

And Boaz, please put away your “making it up as you go along” mantra, just for a while. It doesn't help.

>>How long before we see horny men or 'in season' women copulating with animals in the street ? Is this intrinsically immoral/evil ? Not if you believe post modern thought. <<

Name me one person who believes that “copulating with animals in the street” is acceptable social behaviour.

You are just doing your “look-at-me” bit again, aren't you?

mangotreeone1,

What an arrogant ponce you are.

From my reading, I learn that Japan has for the years since the war, taught the Japanese school children that Japan has never done any wrong.
For the past three decades, Australians have been taught that the West and Australians have never done anything right.
Secularism is fine so long as it stays neutral but it has been used to attack us as racist,bigotted and cruel. And that God must be kept out of everything which includes our schools ,our festivals and our seasonal shops.
The politically correct have foisted their grey,matted,ugly ideology on everything they could get in their slimey hands .
We all need a little fantasy and we need the comfort of a loving God in our lives.

I started school in 1940 in England at 6 years old. I always enjoyed stories from the Old and New Testaments and they didn't do me any harm, possibly because I recognised them as "stories". I never, for example, accepted Adam and Eve and Noah's Ark as factual accounts, common sense told me otherwise. I also enjoyed Hans Christian Anderson and Aesop's Fables.

I think I must have been an unusually logical kid. I figured out for myself at the age of 3 that Father Christmas was impossible. At 8, I had consciously rejected the traditional English class system. I won a scholarship when I was 10 to a school which put great importance on Christian principles and immediately recognised the hypocrisy.

I was nominally Anglican, but at 15 had realised that much of the Apostles' Creed was, to me, incorrect or irrelevant.

But I still believe that a nice part of childhood is to hear the stories from ancient literature [and not just Biblical], told in a positive, non-judgemental, non-manipulative way. The Good Samaritan, for instance. We can relate the Red Cross, the Red Crescent, national/international aid and charity agencies and the wonderful responses to disaster appeals to an ancient man who unselfishly went to the aid of someone from another culture who he didn't even know.

My family, by birth and marriage includes [alphabetically] Balinese, French, German, Irish, Jewish, Portugese, Russian and Scottish. My lady friend is Japanese. Think I can't both tell and take a so-called racist joke? As long as it's a joke of course. But officially we're not allowed to.

But whilst political correctness has gone mad, the religious right is allowed to infiltrate society and government unchecked. Spot on, Bruce. And that's why, David, the ACT chief minister has to use "back door" tactics simply to give other Australians a fair go.

I smiled at Leigh's snappy comment. OK mangotreeone, I know I've never "walked a mile in your moccasins", but I believe that if I was a moderate Muslim, the kind that some of us have as friends, I would still have smiled.