I agree with the writer about the Constantinian aspects of religious education in some schools both past Catholic and present so called Christian schools. Surely the gospel is always proposed not enforced. It is expected to win its own way in the argument. However the liberal ideal that students make up their own minds when they have no minds to make up is also unfortunate. The faith should be presented in schools in a similar way that other subjects are, as an attempt at truth, not as an optional extra that one may choose if one is “religious”.

Secular humanism has now been unmasked for what it is; the ideal that only the absence of a story may be permitted. But we all adopt stories as ways of interpreting the world, the absence is just a vacuum into which inadequate stories may lodge. Thus are students are at the mercy of the thin stories of capitalism or personal fulfilment or the necessity for intense experience etc. My past article may be of interest:

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=655

Peter Sellick

Sells,

Humanism is not a vacuum, Nihlism is a vacuum, they are two different concepts. What it might be showing is a tendency for some parents to expect the schools to become surrogate parents, teaching the values and mores that the parents themselves should be teaching their children.

If you want to teach religion in public schools, how about running comparative religion studies. In this area as with no other, the "Truth" has as many definitions as participants, and as such the state has no place presenting one "Truth" as the "Truth.

If your not of that particular religious persuasion it's none of your business and get back to your public school where you belong. Worry about the minds of the children in public institutions if you will but, leave off with the persecution of religions and their education centres. Children studying at religious schools will never be helped in any fashion by the God haters and the 'social designers' who think everyone ought to think just like them. Mindless autotoms spreading belief in nothing as an option to having faith in the divinity of life. No responsibility for their society and no consequences for their decisions or lack there of.

James Purser said: "The job of a school is not to force students down one idealogical path or another."

James,

I generally agree with you, however the State education departments and individual State school are not immune from that. Worse, there is no accountability, the attitude is that you either take it or leave it.

A bit away from the central point but it is our experience and that of many of our friend that where a child is experiencing problems s/he will not get ongoing coordinated counselling and support through the State school system and it is almost certain that he/she will eventually 'fall through the cracks'.

Our experience and that of our friends is that such problems are better monitored and followed up at the independent schools. Maybe that is because of their ethics, maybe it is because the staff are more accountable and maybe independent schools attract people who want to teach and not waste their days dealing with the Education Department busywork, who knows?

There are good State schools, but lets not try to bluff anyone that they offer intellectual independence because they don't. There is significantly less independence of thought for the teachers and students at State schools than at private schools and they know it. State schooling, especially at preparatory level is always the first target of social engineers and for good reason.

Have you considered that the opponents of private schools and especially religious schools just might have a secondary agenda in mind?

To teach children the usual fairy stories about "jesus" is to do them a dis-service.

If they have half a wit of real intelligence left over by the time they see through the associated stories of the tooth fairy, the easter rabbit and santa claus they should also understand that they have been sold a lie about the parental diety---a very consoling lie yes, but still a lie. And also a dis-empowering lie which cripples their capacity to be truly responsible for their presence and actions in the world.

This essay addresses the nieve mommy-daddy "creator" god idea

http://www.aboutadidam.org/readings/parental_deity/index.html

For a unique understanding of Conscious Childrearing please check out:

http://dabase.org/children.htm

'To teach children the usual fairy stories about "jesus" is to do them a dis-service.'

To teach children the hopelessly scientifically flawed theory of evolution is to do them a dis-service. The text books continue to publish the greatest hoax of our modern times. Santa surely has more chance of being true than evolution. Fail to teach the truth results in these kind of lies being swallowed.