Kate, you did well as Editor of Online Catholics, and once again your contribution to online debate has authority.
Thanks for your critical awareness of freedom - and the essential precondition of thoughtfulness before right action can be commenced.
No 'good work' qualifies a lack of prophesy, when people are seeking answers to the existential question 'Why?'.

I have left a site of teaching work in Catholic education, primarily because as a thinking, reflective if somewhat critical intellect, I was not welcome there. I only assented to work in the system in the first place because I was disappointed with (one of the top government comprehensive school)'s completely secularised project. In the absence of time or freedom to meet and converse about God, young adults clung to favourite teachers as icons of teacherly affection.
As a teacher favouring a measure of sophistication and equality, this status quo was unacceptable. School graduation became a tribute to the personality of one man, given overseas holidays and other presents as signs of his power.

The Marist, and Doctoral graduate Fr Michael Whelan, of the Aquinas Academy in Sydney has noted that one of the sins which beset contemporary living is a stagnated (or suppressed) sense of transcendence. I have experienced this in secondary education generally: of the intellect in Catholic schools; of the heart in State schools.

I believe that we do not earn God's favour or win divine grace by good deeds. Faith is rather a gift. (It is my most treasured way into perceiving reality.)

Let our loving lives be the source of proclamation of truth: God lives, in and amongst and through our human body, the body of Christ!

Renee it is sad you put your superstition and prejudices before the welfare of children. God does not speak because god is myth it is people who speak. Those who speak for god or in support of god are claiming themselves to be god. God is not truth as everything about god is dishonest for the purpose to manipulate to control people to serve a personal agenda. You yourself admit this as you left a secular school in order to follow the agenda of exploiting children to reinforce your superstitious beliefs. It is for this reason that teaching children about god is child abuse. It is this reason why religious based schools churn out disfunctional people. Sadly this immoral practice has survived the darkage and still exists in the 21st century. When will the superstitious exploitation of children stop?

It sounds like West has a problem with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Pertinent sections of this 1948 Declaration are quoted below, from http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

No one is forced to attend a Catholic School, nor are Catholic school students subjected to 'brainwashing'. Their general syllabi are State mandated; religious curricula are characterised by pluralism. This actually means that so-called Catholic school graduates may leave school knowing little about their faith, except the ability to mouth debates between religions on social issues.

Therefore, I see that the risk is a dillution of cultural character, through the lack of grounding in history and philosophy of Western Thought, which characterises our culture. As an astute commentator on this very point, I applaud Paul Gray's article today in The Australian. [Paul Gray: Aunty's anti-Western bias is a dangerous political tool http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20979039-7583,00.html]
From reading this I say: how may students learn to think freely when our national broadcaster, the ABC, is unable to contextualise current affairs within religious language, of metaphysical and historical significance?

Renee are you saying that children in Catholic schools are told that catholic beliefs are not based on truth but on superstition? Are you saying lying to children is benificial to them? Are you also saying Children have a choice as to what they are taught? Are you seriously saying that brainwashing children for the purpose of reinforcing the teachers superstitious beliefs is free speech? Are you seriously suggesting human rights are to protect child abusers from criticism? Are you saying a power crazed misogynous organisation such as the Catholic church which actively persecutes minorities, that has committed ethnic cleansing, torture, raped a couple of continents of their wealth and actively protects child sex abusers within the church should be the beneficiaries of human rights at the expense of their victims?
If not then what are you saying?

'West' quotes 'West'.

Please do not project your own conspiracy theories onto a stranger.

Happy New Year!

Renee by conspiracy theory are you referring to " Therefore, I see that the risk is a dillution of cultural character, through the lack of grounding in history and philosophy of Western Thought, which characterises our culture. As an astute commentator on this very point, I applaud Paul Gray's article today in The Australian. [Paul Gray: Aunty's anti-Western bias is a dangerous political tool "?