Comments on: Legal Challenges https://religioninschools.co.nz Religious Indoctrination Is Dividing Our Children Tue, 17 Nov 2015 23:18:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.1 By: Tim Robertson https://religioninschools.co.nz/current-legal-challenges-to-bible-in-schools/#comment-5097 Fri, 11 Sep 2015 01:53:14 +0000 https://religioninschools.co.nz/?page_id=686#comment-5097 The covert smuggling of religious indoctrination in to schools is despicable. A child should not have to opt out but opt in. What nonsense. If all religions are not being taught fairly by an impartial educator then none should. Do what you want in your own time at your expense but keep my family and my money out of it.

I cannot believe NZ is so backwards on this subject. I remember the fight I had trying to opt myself out at 7 years old and being told by my principal if I am not one of the short list of alternative religions she could think of on the spot “then I am a Christian”! Even at 7 I heard the crazy in her words. Not all kids have that presence of mind though. Imagine a person in a position of authority making such a statement to your child about any other subject, you too would be livid.

We are told a belief in religion makes its adherents happy. Just not until everyone else believes the same religion apparently.

Time to move forward on this NZ. All religion taught equally or none at all!

]]> By: Fiona Coughlan https://religioninschools.co.nz/current-legal-challenges-to-bible-in-schools/#comment-5078 Sun, 28 Jun 2015 07:53:03 +0000 https://religioninschools.co.nz/?page_id=686#comment-5078 Dear Jeff & Lisa
I saw the TVNZ Sunday progamme and wanted to say well done you for taking your case. Strangely, I support your stance. Strange, because I am a christian, take my 3 kids to church and sunday school (althought my husband does not), and was educated at a private Anglican high school.
What I don’t like about the “bible/christain teaching in schools” programme is:
- it is forced onto kids and it appears very hard to opt out;
- no transparency as to who/what etc is teaching/being taught, what;
- using valuable school time to teach this appears to be outside of the curriculum;
- our society is more or less secular, it seems to be a evangelical attempt of getting this sort of teaching into schools by steath, without informing parents.
My view is:
- if you want religion for your kids in a school – enrol in a church school eg Catholic, Anglican, Prestbyterian etc;
- if you want sunday school teaching, go to any church on a Sunday (ie in your own time and on your own terms);
- here is a questions for the supporters, why stop with the bible, why not include the koran, the torah etc?.
Good luck with your case and I look forward to seeing the outcome.

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