One aspect of education that is increasingly worrying parents is the place of Special Religious Instruction (SRI) in Victorian government schools: 42 per cent have withdrawn their children from SRI over the last 12 months, leaving fewer than one in six enrolled (The Age, 21/12/2014), after the government issued a more detailed “opt-in” form to parents that explained the distinction between “religious instruction” and “religious education” and made it clear that participation was voluntary.
– Meredith Doig
via Religious instruction has no place in the education state.
Why only give a forum to the rationalist society on this one. Surely there’s someone in favour of SRI who’d be willing to state the case on the other side. Otherwise Generation Next might look like they are cultivating one creed amongst the many available. What is more, GenNext might consider an article exploring why children who have a religious or at least some transcendental goals, aspirations or views of life are more likely to be less at risk on many measures.
Religion encourages service to others, treating them and the world respectfully and is part of our heritage. How does this not have a part in education.
The problem is that without religion we are teaching we should do the right thing arbitrarily, out of potential gain for self or to avoid punishment. Religion gives a deeper reasoning to ethical and moral living.