There were two interesting decisions by State governments in the past week or so regarding religion (or at least preaching) in schools.
In the southern State of Victoria, the still relatively new Labor government moved to effectively end a century or more of religious education in state schools by insisting that the long tradition of occasional religious instruction sessions in class now take place outside of the curriculum and outside of school hours (i.e. at lunch time or after school). Everyone reading this encyclical knew two things at once – one, that ‘religious education’ is the current euphemism for the teaching of Christianity in state schools, mainly by Anglican clergy and assorted volunteers of other denominational brands; and two, that this would be the end of (Christian) religious education schools. The kids might have sat through a half hour lesson on the Good Samaritan during the week in class time, but they certainly weren’t going to stay back after school for it.
Around the same time a media storm erupted across the northern border in New South Wales, when the Liberal (Conservative) state government there directed that the Gaybe film, a documentary about children growing up with same sex parents, not be shown during school hours in state schools. This seemed perfectly reasonable. There were sure to be students in schoolrooms all over the state who came from families not eager to promote and normalise gay parenting – Christian and Muslim conservatives presumably them. The outrage from the perpetually offended was, nonetheless, palpable as well as predictable, accompanied, as it was, by hyperbole about potentially lethal outbreaks of ‘homophobia’ in classrooms across the state.
How instructive it was, in the light of these two incidents, that a film preaching gay marriage and normalising gay parenthood was the theme earnestly taken up for comment by the nation’s broadcaster (the ABC). Barely had the press release announcing the ministerial reservations about the Gaybe film appeared in inboxes at the national broadcaster, before the husbands of two young sons appeared on The Drum to describe it all as ‘a kick in the guts.’ The national broadcaster was not, however, concurrently lamenting the loss of God from the classroom, it was too busy eagerly advocating for an extended homily in film on the virtues of gay parenting.
Such are the priorities and obsessions of the national broadcaster, funded to the tune of $1billion a year by the Australian taxpayer. And such is the social world we now inhabit. One can only hope and pray (if that is still allowed) that this brave new world will be better than the one inflicted on this philosopher as a child – taught to sit at the foot of wicked priests, and to learn about loving one’s neighbour, and doing unto others as you would have them do to you – and never, not once, informed at all about the marvelous virtues of gay parenting. How deprived and backward we were then.
Will the new world constructed by the politically correct religion be a better one? Somehow I doubt it.
Source: Gayby furore: Burwood Girls represent Australia better than the Tele