#school chaplaincy program

[cheeseandvegemite]

goodbye, commonwealth funded school chaplaincy programs. on the other hand, this case has pretty much sealed the deal on dodgy funding legislation needing a high court challenge every single time, because the high court are refusing to draw any definitive lines. you know how open access to justice is a fundamental underpinning of our system of law? this constant fucking about with narrow decisions is why people don't trust the legal system when it comes to the government.

[poisondeviny-blog]

Classic Miranda, 2011: "Garrett is considering rewriting the guidelines to stop proselytising chaplains. A maths teacher is quoted saying he was “shocked” when the chaplain invited children to pray. Even before this concocted scandal, the school chaplaincy program has been under sustained attack from aggressive religion-hating secularists who are testing its right to exist in the High Court and in an Ombudsman’s investigation. But aren’t there more pressing problems in education than a peaceful girl and a boy who believes in Jesus?"

Like why can't these kids get their spiritual fulfillment at a church and stop wasting the time of non-Christian children? God forbid they go to school and actually learn something.

[poisondeviny-blog]

Classic Miranda, 2010: "AT last the NSW Opposition has showed some backbone in rejecting social engineering “ethics” classes in NSW primary schools. There has been a whiff of subterfuge about the classes ever since Nathan Rees proposed them in the dying days of his woeful premiership. For one thing, there is the enthusiastic support of the Atheist Foundation and the Greens, who see the classes as a backdoor way to impose their own unrepresentative beliefs on children. For another, do we know enough about the motivations and funding of the St James Ethics Centre, which ran a trial of the classes, and would provide course material and volunteer teachers, paid for by anonymous donors?"

"A High Court challenge, which contends the chaplaincy program contravenes the separation of church and state will be heard next month. It has been mounted by a Queensland father, Ron Williams, who was concerned chaplains had delivered religious counsel rather than impartial advice. Despite the definition on the federal government's website, Dr Cowling said that ''there are thousands of [chaplains] around the country and they're each defining it as they see it or their schools are defining it as they see it''. The term might also mislead the religious community ''into thinking that these people are promoting religion when in fact they're not supposed to''. The lack of any minimum welfare qualifications demanded by the federal program was also a concern, he said. ''In this particular area, we're pretty much saying, 'This is a pretty serious issue you're dealing with but you don't need to have any particular credentials'.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/anglican-church-queries-school-chaplain-program-20110701-1gv6l.html#ixzz1la7WUTFJ