Ethics Classes vs Christian Education

[Joe Bloe]

In New South Wales the Government is trialling a new ethics class which "would let children who did not take scripture class examine ethical issues, but without an overarching theology" - and the Christians are fuming:

THE Bishop of North Sydney has urged Anglican priests to collect information from principals of public schools to stop the spread of the secular ethics classes the Sydney Anglicans believe may threaten religious education.

Dr Jensen, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, said ethics should not be offered as an alternative to the Bible. He said the trial had been "rushed through" and complained that it was not easy to be heard in the debate about the trial, because of "countervailing forces that may be less scrupulous in putting their case".

http://www.smh.com.au/national/educatio ... -s7pp.html


The Christians are trying to stop the spread of ethics because it is a threat to religious education, The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney says "ethics should not be offered as an alternative to the Bible" and implies than anyone who disagrees with him is "unscrupulous". Does this attitude tell us anything about whether or not Christianity promotes ethical behavior?

[beige]

The Christians are trying to stop the spread of ethics because it is a threat to religious education, The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney says "ethics should not be offered as an alternative to the Bible" and implies than anyone who disagrees with him is "unscrupulous". Does this attitude tell us anything about whether or not Christianity promotes ethical behavior?

That's because we all know ethics can't be taught. They come straight from the absent magical sky daddy who loves you very much.

[maiforpeace]

Woo hoo, good for them - I hope the classes are successful and flourish!

[Trolldor]

About fucking time, even more surprising given that our premier is a right-wing conservative.

[Mung Bean]

Nice little editorial about it here: http://www.tweedecho.com.au/index.php?o ... Itemid=543

The Uriah Heep of Anglicanism, Peter Jensen, is the archbishop of Sydney, and famous for running the diocese as a medieval walled city. Women, homosexuals and people who think for themselves are not allowed into its tiny precinct, but Jensen deems it his business to mount raids on the rest of society in an effort to reduce freedom, equality and intelligence wherever those loathsome fruits of the Enlightenment appear.


In Jensen’s latest foray from the Citadel of Invincible Ignor­ance he has persuaded the premier to give him interference rights over an educational program currently in preparation. Premier Keneally is a catholic of the gormless kind – when she met the Pope she had an out-of-body epiphany (and if she’d been younger and male, out of the body would probably have been the safest place to be) – and so she has promised that the archbishop will be able to review the pilot program of ethics teaching being organised for public schools by the Parents and Citizens Federation and the St James Ethics Centre.


Now you might think that the objection to Jensen’s interference is along the lines of the objection to creationist nonsense being taught in science classes, and indeed the parallel is striking. Or that the objection is based purely on the matter of technical proficiency; after all, Peter Jensen is to ethics as Barnaby Joyce is to economics.
But no, the utterly unacceptable aspect of letting Jensen put his inquisitorial paws on this program now is that he was invited, along with the leaders of other superstitions, to take part in it at the very outset, and huffily refused. He told the lie then, and has repeated the lie since, that the pilot program is designed to supplant scripture lessons in public schools.


The reality is that in some schools up to 80 per cent of children are removed by their parents from exposure to biblical prop­aganda. Schools will continue teaching scripture to dwindling classes – Jensen and Keneally will make sure of that – but what should the majority of children do while the religious indoctrination is going on?
Well, you could ask them to get to grips with the ethical issues and principles which are considered in various scriptures, but without the bronze age theological trappings. The pilot scheme, to be tried out in ten Sydney public schools, sounds like an excellent idea, and even the testy archbishop might like to consider that such a course would be better for his brand of sky-pie than the alternative, which is to teach the children that all religious scriptures have an equal truth value. It wouldn’t take them long to work that one out.


Of course the real reason for the opposition to teaching ethics to children outside of scripture classes is the church’s proprietorial stance that ethics can only be based on religion. That belief was disproved in the eighteenth century, but the Sydney hierarchy enjoys defending the indefensible. Unfortunately this religious psychopathology will adversely affect our children if it succeeds in sabotaging the alternative classes.

[Trolldor]

I'm pretty sure that's a breach of the constitution, given that they're imposing a religious agenda on to what is a secular class.

[Joe Bloe]

Theists win

Complaints put brakes on ethics class trial

VERITY FIRTH is refusing to guarantee a 10-week trial for secular ethics classes will start next week in state primary schools as expected, after a flurry of complaints from religious leaders.

A spokeswoman for the NSW Minister for Education yesterday said getting the curriculum right was ''more important than the timing of the trial''.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/educatio ... -skfy.html

[beige]

Theists win

Well that sucks more than just a little bit.

[floppit]

If I had been taught ethics at school, more than any other subject that would have hooked me into academia - not for 'moral' reasons but interest and the way it utilises critical thought. I find it gutting that it isn't a universal subject along with the structure of science (peer review and debate) and the common fallacies.

My child will talk and hear about them regardless of what the schools do.