Hmmmmm, if the fervent Christians of this post are any example of what we could get in parliament, then I pray we never go there!

RaeBee, I don't see why you are getting all hot under the collar about people who send their children to private church-run schools.

Often, like us, people send their children to these private schools not for the religious instruction, but for the other subjects offered or for the often vastly superior discipline practices at these schools.

None of the kids in my daughter's class even liked the religion instruction classes and just put up with them in order to go to that school.

The only other alternative in our town is a very overcrowded public high school with a dreadful reputation and with many disruptive students who were at school under sufferance.
Violence is common there during school hours.

What would you do in that situation?

To keep us in a State of Fear, absolutely alien to a belief in Christianity, the Australia Act 1986 was enacted to allow all nine Parliaments to make binding law, and break up the United Nation. Only a lawyer imbecile can accept such a contradictory Act as law. It continues and abolished the Constitution. Bob Hawke must have been having a Fosters day, when he allowed that to be passed.

As far as Christian Schools are concerned I would respectfully suggest that they have failed Australia. Not all Christian Schools mind you, but those which are sustained by the mainstream established Churches, from which ninety percent of students emerge without a Christian education. The Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics have students leave their systems, and 90% never again darken a Church door, because they have developed a hatred of the insincerity they feel is part of the system. The children are sent there because of the safety and discipline, but the school fails to teach them the fundamentals of Christianity.

In Lutheran and AOG Churches, where love is taught, as part of the curriculum, the retention rate for children of God, is 90%. Not my comment, that of Mike Willessee on Andrew Denton’s show. After 30 years as an agnostic, Mike discovered God actually loves him.

Probably the worst type of child abuse, is to fail to teach a child that he or she is loved. The result of that child abuse, is the belief that Almighty God does not matter. The love of Almighty God is extended to each and everyone, and incorporated into our law, by a written Constitution. That Constitution is the Holy Bible, backed up by 800 years of Parliamentary support in Statute. Our Schools, both State and Church, used to teach that fact, before the Liberal Party wanted to become the Universal State Religion, and started fiddling with the brains of our children.

The result was not what they expected, because the children became socialists and partly tribal. Christianity is anti-tribal, and when its system is adopted, tribes are subsumed into society as a whole

Yes, suzeonline, it is difficult for some parents to find decent schools in their areas. I understand what you are saying and it is not people like you that I have a real problem with. You probably have no choice and if I know anything kids that come from an open minded family tend to ignore the religious teachings as twaddle. I know I did because we still had "scripture" back then. It was so boring, watching paint dry would have been more exciting.

I am referring to schools people send their children to that are known to deliver "the word of God" in no uncertain fashion any way they can. Back where I grew up there was a catholic school for boys run by the "Christian Brothers" and a crueler bunch of b..t..ds you would go a long way to find. The number of boys that attended that school who became totally screwed up adults was incredible. It closed eventually because people started to wake up.

It is not just the Catholic schools, churches like Hill Song, sanctioned by the government with government funds (our money) are meccas for mind games, not to mention the "Church of Scientology" recognised as a church and given our taxation dollars as well. Now there are a bunch of twats if ever there were, they worship some space alien, that makes a lot of sense - not.

But people will continue to send their children off to private schools of faith, some live in, so what chance do they have of finding their own belief system? Only the smart ones who have questioning minds.

As I said I do understand where your are coming from but sorry I can't come to grips in my mind any child being made to conform to the parents' religious belief. It makes me quite angry. Children are so precious and they should be allowed to grow to their full potential, not some measure set down by family and parents.

Sometimes it is hard to determine if you read what I said, or if you maybe have trouble understanding me, sometimes I have trouble understanding myself. Sometimes what is in my heart or brain gets confussed on the way out. So I will try and explain a few points.

Richie 10:
Well by don't judge I mean not to judge. Your Bible says so, now I am saying it says you HAVE to I am saying that as a good Christian, you shouldn't.

Before you get all irritated:
The bible does of course say it is OK if you are a court ot one of its officers and against criminals.

The Bible says the church through it's officers may judge those that walk disorderly.

The Bible says that you are to judge men by their fruits (Mt 7:15-20), what it is saying that rash, uncharitable judgments are wrong.

Judgments made with a fault-finding spirit and a disposition to condemn are wrong.

Judge not - any man without full, clear, certain knowledge, without absolute necessity, without tender love

All these relate to most of you here, especialy the certain knowledge part.

So what's he going to do about it? Well Luke gives us the answer Luke:6:37

Ah but with a warning.
For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.Mt 7:2

Maybe that if all of you read the piece "with tender love" then maybe some would see sweeter fruits, instead of the bitter twisted lemons.

Then maybe, when you front up at the pearly gates He won't say, "I have heard nasty rumours about you, so I put your life story up on forum.onlineopinion.god.hv and we will see how they judge you". DJM 7:12

Next Bible study will be on Churches at a time yet to be determined.

Peter Vexatious <" Probably the worst type of child abuse, is to fail to teach a child that he or she is loved. The result of that child abuse, is the belief that Almighty God does not matter."

No Peter, I believe that telling young children they will burn in the fires of hell if they don't go to church or if they tell lies to their parents or any number of other 'sins', are far worse examples of emotional child abuse than not telling them about your God.

You believe what you like about what God you like, but don't go telling others they commit child abuse if they don't teach their children the fairy stories you believe. That is taking it just a bit too far.

That suzonline is exactly what I mean. I think you are a good and loving parent who will make sure your kids grow up with an open mind. You did not go too far, I'm with you.

I think if the public education system was better run and funded, and the teachers were given more support by the bureaucrats as far as discipline, then the public education system might be more attractive. I will give Julia Gillard her due, that's what she is trying to do, make public schools more accountable for their performance.

Parents like yourself may not have to resort to religious based schools in the future but wouldn't hold my breath.

The question: "should Christians be seen and not heard" both not seen and not heard would be good. Only joking.

I have a quite a few really dedicated Christian friends, they are not nutters, they are just nice people.