Comments on: Religious Instruction has no place in New Zealand public schools.

By: Jack

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 23:18:53 +0000

Could you perhaps send those to me?
I really enjoy annoying religious instructors at my school with Richard Dawkins quotes, Bible verses that show extreme prejudice, etc. this would help a lot.
(year 9)

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By: Serenity

Sun, 26 Jul 2015 23:57:50 +0000

I fully agree. I’m 16 now, but last year, at 15, I noticed the translation on the Karakia -an opening one and a closing one- that we are REQUIRED to do each Monday during what we call “Huiata” (which is basically a short whole-school assembly in which notices are read out) has religious terms such as “God” and “Amen” etc. etc. and as an atheist, I was pissed off. I then refused to attend any longer -which I got in trouble for on multiple occasions- until my parents had to declare that I didn’t have to associate with this, although believe that I should’ve definitely been allowed my own beliefs, regardless of what my parents think. Freedom of Religion? Luckily, my parents have similar ideals to me and refused to bow down when the school tried telling them to “talk to me” to make me “see reason” and I was no longer required to attend. But they weren’t done. Instead of remaining upstairs in the classroom that my year group sits in regularly while totally unsupervised, I was now required to walk down the stairs and sit in the adjoining room (where I could hear every word) and walk back up with the rest of the school when they went back to their classes. Not really a big deal, but frustrating all the same, and a measure that I’m sure was meant to be some sort of ‘punishment’, because I wouldn’t just do what they said and sit through their religious crap. The entire process was just frustrating and made all the more difficult by the teachers and staff that just didn’t understand that *gasp* people might believe differently to them.

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By: Karen Roche

Sun, 28 Jun 2015 16:54:01 +0000

It is the assumption that god exists in these sessions. And even prayers.
The big problem I have is that these sessions are given by relgious unqualified members of the public.

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By: Glen Eastlake

Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:14:38 +0000

Great to see the SEN set up. I am from Australia, moved to NZ beginning of this year and saw similar things happening in Australian schools where evangelicals and fundamentalists had infiltrated the public school system with the help of several millions of dollars in assistance from the Australian federal government. The first thing I knew about these classes was when my (then) 7 year old son came home from school and told me I ‘was going to burn in hell’ for not being a believer in god. When I asked who told him this his response was ‘my religion teacher’. I had him removed from the classes forthwith. I penned a letter of protest to the school principle and did not even get a reply.

I also found out that the Noah’s Ark myth is being taught as fact and that evolution (and any science that disagrees with the bible) is discredited at every opportunity.

Do not let these evangelicals get a toe-hold in your schools here.
If parents want their children to have religious instruction then send them to Sunday School. If religion is to be discussed in school it should be balanced, unbiased and cover many religious viewpoints – not be used as a trojan horse for narrow minded christian fundamentalists.

Keep up the good work SEN.

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By: Alan Phillips

Sun, 28 Jun 2015 07:29:25 +0000

I support your work. My children have all finished school but all four suffered from covert Christian evangelicalism masquerading as “normal” behaviour. None suffered at all from any religion other than Christian. The key problem as I saw it was teacher’s pushing their own Christian beliefs before all others or none.

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By: Dr Jarrod Gilbert

Sun, 28 Jun 2015 07:24:43 +0000

Reason and science inevitably become victims of religious instruction. If religion is to be taught in schools, which I personally don’t favour, then it must incorporate all faiths and beliefs. Best of luck. I fully support your cause.
Kind regards,
Jarrod

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By: Annette

Tue, 26 May 2015 14:59:38 +0000

I have opted out of “cool bananas” for my child. After allowing him to go into the classes to start (as they felt it was near christmas so it didn’t matter) I had to actually write a letter, after I had already stated 2 months earlier on his enrollment form that I wished for him to be opted out. As far as I know they just send the kids to the library for that period of time. Recently all the kids were told there was going to be a Tom and Jerry thing, so all the children thought this. But it was only for the “cool banana” kids and so the other kids were made to feel very left out. Why was this told to all the children in school time when it was only for that period. Thank you for this website and making me realize I am not alone.

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By: David Richards

Sat, 23 May 2015 02:51:14 +0000

This might have read:
“There is already scope to teach about religions within the school curriculum, and “Occultist brainwashing” is an added activity outside the school curriculum, where outside volunteers are allowed to “instruct” children so as to inculcate belief in the Occult.”

And I would be no less shocked.

This wording horrifies me. ALLOWED to instruct. INCULCATE BELIEF.
Well while we’re at it, I guess John might think that non-curricular volunteers ought to come in and “instruct” children by corporal punishment in the ‘good old days’ where it was socially acceptable to beat kids as the best way to get them to respond. Would you let the school close so people not part of the school could come in and hit the children just because it was thought that that was the best method of drumming something into them. I really hope not. Well, that sorta leads on to the next part, inculcate. The dictionary definition of inculcate is “to fix something firmly in somebodies mind through frequent and forceful repetition” from the Latin inculcate-, from inculcare, literally ‘to stamp in’.
It sickens me to see such bald faced ideological bigotry.
No, we shouldn’t be dividing the next generation in this manner, we want to bring the barriers between people down not put them up.

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By: Ray

Thu, 21 May 2015 02:21:47 +0000

I have 12 A4 pages of atrocities that are found in the bible. This does not include absurdities eg. talking mule, snake, or contradictions etc. I wonder if I would be able to distribute these to the schools that have religious brainwashing. Yes brainwashing. These people know only too well that it is best to get them when they are young and trusting in what the grown ups say. Indoctrination is offering up their beliefs. Brainwashing is instilling their beliefs with the threat of hell fire if they don’t follow what they are taught.

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By: Davy

Thu, 21 May 2015 00:35:55 +0000

I support completely the challenge to the Ed Act, and repudiate the absurd “closing” of the school for an hour, allowing teachers to gossip in the staff room while children submit to Bible stuff unsupervised. I wish those parents well who are challenging the practice in their children’s schools.
NZ is multicultural, like the UK, where I’ve seen religious studies and Diwali and the like feature in the school calendar. This has the potential to promote tolerance and harmony. The presence of god-botherers in primary schools here is a disgrace. Since all religion is essentially fictitious, though, I would prefer to see it completely removed from the syllabus. Secular education implies post-Enlightenment learning.

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