It's interesting that the points of view on this subject are so diverse but not surprising. It has been a center of discussion in the U.S. for years. At present as I understand it, religion can be taught in the private schools in the U.S. but not in public schools. That seems to me to be "fair dinkum" (or is the appropriate expression?)

DavoP,

Even if a god(s) did exist: The various religions are different constructs to said entity. Religion arises from sharmanism and is sustained thoughout history by ignorance, subsistition, lies and power politics. Even if one admires the Sermon on the Mount, the histories of OT and the Christrian Churches stand far removed from it.

I did not realise that anyone was lobbying state Government on this matter but as I do now I will endeavour to add my voice to it through my state member. My child attends a state primary school and I did not want him recieving Christian religious education as I find it fear based and harmful. But in the state school there was no alternative exept to sit outside the class room and do revisional work. My son is quite a shy, emotional little fellow, probably a little young for his age in emotional maturity so isolating him from his peers (he was the only child in the class exempt from RI) was not a choice I was prepared to make for him, however I am concerned about things he has learnt in his short weekly RI. eg) 'Mummy did you know that if you ask God for things really hard he will get them for you' Now I'm not sure which would be more damaging the lesson that some superior being will bless some people and not others or the isolation. I think we should have a choice and the State Government is not providing that. We need to change this legislation.

APR children are very impressionable. Half an hour a week of nonsense for 12 years is enough to create another generation of people who believe in fairytales and who are willing to go out and kill for those beliefs.

I hope I live long enough to see society reject these old wives tales in their entirety so they can then choose to kill each other over things that really matter.

Fascinating that the federal govt decided to buy into this one. Julie Bishop's press release is here http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/Media/Bishop/2006/05/b001220506.asp It's a classic, managing to squeeze both "moral vacuum" and "political correctness gone mad" into the one sentence! Marvelous stuff.

The line that the Feds generally run is that public education is the responsibility of the States. Thus they can happily give greater funding to private schools (four times as much per student, private vs public), while blaming the States for any problems. Best of all, they can wield the big stick, by threatening to withhold funding over critical educational issues like flagpoles, "values education" or scripture classes for atheists. This wouldn't work quite so well if we had any Coalition state govts, who'd tell Bishop where to stick her values.

I note that Bishop's PR spin has gone down a treat with the peanut gallery here on OLO. Be interesting to see what else she might run up the flagpole (no pun intended).

BOAZ_David, I fail to see the relevance of Hizb Ut Tahrir to this thread. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to stay on topic.

Now taking the thread entirely off-topic, has anyone else noticed Julie Bishop's scarily unblinking eyes? My daughter hides whenever Bishop appears on telly. Good thing too.

Please tell me were to sign up to stop the idiotic Religious Education that happens in public schools.I wrote to the Qld education department asking how this kind of RI fits in with their 'mission statement'. I was told I could withdraw.It is outrageous that you have to withdraw. You should specifically have to give permission.

My children went to private multi denomination schools and Catholic schools. Nowhere did they ever get the ludicrous information as my daughter received at a public school.

My daughter did not get 'religious education'. She got a particular fundamental Christian viewpoint. And I quote: 'the world was created 4000 years ago.' 'if you pray hard enough, you will be answered'- on being asked by another child why God didn't answer her request re a dying relative-'you mustn't have really believed', 'There are people who believe in God and there are scientists'. And more in this style.

On withdrawal my daughter and another girl were made to move their desks and face the back wall.

Previously in the Catholic primary school she had wonderful instruction. Religious education, where they also looked at other faiths and beliefs.

It is outrageous that in a supposedly secular society children get exposed to a particular brand of Christianity. Many on this thread would be spitting chips if their child was instructed in fundamental Islamic beliefs. That's religious education too, isn't it?

Educating children on world religions and philosophies, that is expanding. It is up to parents if they want their children to be brainwashed into a particular brand of religion. Not for a public school to choose for you.