The Humanist Society of Queensland (HSQ) is an association dedicated to the non-religious and rational approach to all human affairs. They have been trying for years to change the Queensland Education Act to provide Humanist studies as an alternative to ‘religious instruction’ for primary school students, and to replace the current ‘opt out’ system to an ‘opt in’ approach. This means parents would have to formally request that their children receive religious instruction. Federal Education Minister, Julie Bishop, called the HSQ’s most recent (unsuccessful) proposal “an underhanded method of trying to reduce the number of students attending religious education in government schools.” My response would have been, well, whatever method works.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The proposal was supported by the Queensland Government and a Bill was introduced to Queensland Parliament, before being rejected. Bishop, with the support of the Christian Lobby, threatened to withhold funding from the Queensland school system if the changes were made. She falsely claimed the proposed changes would open the door to cultish groups to start preaching ‘unacceptable views’, such as witchcraft and paganism. The reality is that these groups do, and have always had, potential access to schools under the Education Act. This is because they are based on a belief in the supernatural, and therefore count as religious belief. Humanist studies remain excluded precisely because they do not subscribe to supernatural belief. Bishop would have been better off arguing that algebra shouldn’t be taught, as it opens the door to weird letters posing as hypothetical numbers. Or maybe evolution shouldn’t be taught, as children may get eaten by dinosaurs.
The sad thing about religious instruction is that it doesn’t value a fundamental component of the learning process—reason. Reason is awesome. It’s what prevents us from punching our computer screens in the wake of hostile error message attacks. It’s what prevents us from stepping on sharp things, and jumping off high things, and buying useless things. We use it in virtually every part of our lives—but when it comes to religious belief, we are taught to abandon our critical faculties in favour of faith. If children are trained to do this at an early age it can be hard to shake off later in life, which can lead to… well, it can lead to certain leaders using certain fear tactics to block certain changes to certain Education Acts. Zelda Bailey, the President of the HSQ said: “It is hard to believe that leaders of the (Christian) lobby did not know that the real goal of the (federal government’s) campaign was to keep out Humanists, rather than witches, pagans or cultists, from the schools: for it is certain that Humanism is the system of thought that appeals strongest to intelligent inquiring young minds as well as the minds of their astute parents.”
“Queensland schoolchildren shouldn’t be taught in a moral vacuum imposed by political correctness gone mad” said Bishop. One can only assume she is implying that our morals are derived uniquely from His Word. Obviously not every Word of His though, as we aren’t in the business of stoning to death those who work on a Sunday anymore.
As if indoctrination during primary school years wasn’t enough, late last year the Howard Government announced a $90 million national chaplaincy program to provide greater ‘spiritual guidance’ to high school students. Under the plan, schools are eligible for a $20,000 grant to employ a chaplain to provide religious and personal advice to students and teachers. This clear bias towards one particular religion, and by extension the value of one belief system over any other, is precisely the close-minded attitude that religious instruction encourages. What about atheist students looking for support? Doomed I imagine.
A child’s half-formed mind is positioned to believe what adults tell it. We are genetically pre-disposed to be that way; it is the most efficient way for us to learn in our formative years. That’s why it is crucial that children are taught to question, critique and analyse the world around them. To teach a child that faith—belief without evidence—is ok and actually a good quality to possess, is appalling and destructive in the most profound way.
How do I know this?
ABC Radio 2006, ‘Religion in schools’, The Religion Report
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/religionreport/
stories/2006/1634844.htm
Bailey, Z 2007, ‘Religious bias and discrimination’, Online Opinion, 22 June,
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/
view.asp?article=6007
Bishop, J 2006, ‘Religion in Queensland State Schools’, Press Release, 22 May
http://www.dest.gov.au/Ministers/
Media/Bishop/2006/05/b001220506.asp
Humanist Society of Queensland,
http://www.hsq.org.au/
The Official Richard Dawkins Homepage,
http://www.richarddawkins.net/
Queensland Education (General Provisions) Act 2006,
http://education.qld.gov.au/review/resources.html
Silmalis, L & Weaver, C 2006, ‘PM’S plan for school chaplains’, The Sunday Telegraph, 29 October,
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20660946-2,00.html
