The one where schools drop Bible class as interest falls

This is a story that isn’t quite like what it seems like Schools drop Bible as interest falls – National – NZ Herald News.

In the article it says

“Browns Bay principal Roger Harnett said parents had been withdrawing their children from the Churches Education Commission programme.

Last year, about 50 students dropped out from a roll of 500, but Mr Harnett said complaints increased when students saw their friends choosing to opt out and persuaded their own parents to let them drop the class too.

This year, the board of trustees decided to cancel the programme because they were having a problem catering for the increasing number of students withdrawing. It made the decision after a review of all non-curriculum activities.”

Which says that the school can’t resource correctly for children not being taught from the book of the sky god, not that teaching from the book of the sky god is wrong, inappropriate or outdated thinking, but that having to find a teacher or activities to replace indoctrination means that they have to come up with some alternative thing. They’d still be doing the indoctrination if less parents were exercising their choice, this is a decision forced on the school by the parents and not some brave decision by the school to change their thinking and delivery of education.

There’s nothing wrong with fables and lessons on doing the right thing, but you don’t have to have specific religiosity to do that, you don’t need a book of a mystical being to be able to instill a moral compass, and to affirm that things like, say, killing someone, is wrong, or that theft isn’t really what you do in a civilised society.

Couple of amusing things in the story

“Robin Palmer, of Browns Bay Presbyterian Church, was concerned that children whose schools did not use the Bible in Schools programme would be at a disadvantage. “We regard the programme as adding value to the school, and it’s been around for many years.”

So that makes it o.k., appropriate, correct, and relevant? no!, and  I fail to see how it disadvantages people. I’d hate to think what would happen if the school expanded the religious lessons to include the Koran, or teaching from Buddhism. Actually you know what, I was just being an egg.

The other quote I like is this one

“Parents have ample opportunity to teach children about the Bible outside school time”

And I agree.  Bible isn’t for school. Science is for school, Maths and English are for school. Instilling the values of society, the right and wrong, that’s for parents, and in my house the Bible wasn’t part of that.

Related articles

• The antidote for public-school indoctrination (wnd.com)
• Teach children the Bible is not about them (thebereanway.wordpress.com)
• Christians target schools in ‘mission’ (stuff.co.nz)