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Posted on 01/06/2008 8:29:12 PM PST by Murtyo
Catholic bishops in the UK are to appear in front of a powerful committee of MPs amid fears that they are pushing a fundamentalist brand of their religion in schools.
Bishops have called on parents, teachers and priests to strengthen the role of religion in education. In one case, the Bishop of Lancaster, Patrick O'Donoghue, instructed Catholic schools across much of north-west England to stop "safe sex" education and place crucifixes in all classrooms.
He also wrote: "Schools and colleges must not support charities or groups that promote or fund anti-life policies, such as Red Nose Day and Amnesty, which now advocates abortion."
In a 66-page document, O'Donoghue called on teachers to use science to teach about the "truths of the faith", only mention sex within the "sacrament of marriage", insist that contraception was wrong and emphasise natural family planning.
The Bishop of Leeds, Arthur Roche, sent a letter to parishes warning them that Catholic education was under threat following attempts by the local council to set up an inter-faith academy.
Barry Sheerman, chairman of the UK's parliamentary cross-party committee on children, schools and families, said he had heard of other cases and felt that behind the scenes there was "intense turmoil" about the future of Catholic education. "A group of bishops appear to be taking a much firmer line and I think it would be useful to call representatives of the Catholic Church in front of the committee to find out what is going on," he said.
"It seems to me that faith education works all right as long as people are not that serious about their faith. But as soon as there is a more doctrinaire attitude questions have to be asked. It does become worrying when you get a new push from more fundamentalist bishops. This is taxpayers' money after all."
Sheerman, MP for Huddersfield in northern England, asked to meet Roche about the possibility of setting up an inter-faith school in the area. "The bishop took a long time to agree to meet and eventually we set a date in May," said Sheerman. "But just before we were due to meet -- during the May elections -- he had a letter read out in every parish church in Kirklees and Calderdale, a really big area, accusing politicians of trying to dilute Catholic education. He said Roman Catholic education was under threat."
In Fit for Mission, the document written for schools in the Lancaster diocese, O'Donoghue wrote: "The secular view on sex outside of marriage, artificial contraception, sexually transmitted disease, including HIV and Aids, and abortion, may not be presented as neutral information . . . parents, schools and colleges must also reject the promotion of so-called "safe sex" or "safer sex", a dangerous and immoral policy based on the deluded theory that the condom can provide adequate protection against Aids.'
The bishop also called for any books containing polemics against the Catholic faith to be removed from school libraries. "Under no circumstances should any outside authority or agency that is not fully qualified to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church ever be allowed to speak to pupils or individuals on sexual or any other matters involving faith and morals," he said.
The report has outraged non-religious groups, who accused the bishop of trying to "indoctrinate" pupils. In a letter to British Secretary of State Ed Balls, the UK's National Secular Society wrote: "What happened to a well-rounded education -- which is what British state schools are supposed to provide?" Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the society, said: "I do not think the state should be funding Catholic indoctrination."
He highlighted a poll released by the US group Catholics for a Free Choice showing that most Catholics across the world believed using condoms was pro-life because it prevented the spread of HIV and Aids.
Teachers expressed concern that the bishop's instructions could damage the health of teenagers who chose to become sexually active despite the church's teaching. "Irrespective of the strongly held views of those in the Catholic faith, it is absolutely vital for the future of children's wellbeing, health and safety that they receive proper sex education," said Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the UK's National Union of Teachers.
O'Donoghue said it was "absolute rubbish" that what he was advocating was indoctrination. © Observer
Yep, what a bunch of crazie fundies!!!!
"It seems to me that faith education works all right as long as people are not that serious about their faith.
ROTFLMAO
Hilarious. That's why it's called religious instruction.
Accept the doctrine of the Church
or do not call yourself Catholic
Pick one
I am not going to ask Jessie Jackson to not be Racist
Any more than I would have asked Billy Graham to be Hindu
To force a Catholic to stand away from the Church
Especially a Bishop when he is acting as an agent of the Church
Who is oath bound to instruct and direct the Priests and Laity,
in their walk in Christ is ludicrous
The Pope has spoken
That should be enough for the Bishop and the Laity
BTW - I am not Catholic, mrely Christion...
I can see somebody writing a play about this, along the lines of “A Man For All Seasons,” as these Labour ministers persecute the Bishops for doing their job—dumping sex ed, and putting crucifixes in the classrooms.
To the Tower with them!
A good title for the play and the clash of cultures might be “The Cross and the Condom.”
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England is being over run by adherents of the Muslim Death Cult and Parliament is worried about what Catholics are doing?
Insanity.
“It seems to me that faith education works all right as long as people are not that serious about their faith. “
No sentence has ever summed up the left wing approach to religion as well as this one. This is why there are no left wing Christians, just churches where left wingers can go to pretend to be Christians.
Why do names like this always appear in articles about sex education?
This will make Rush's show.
BUMP
Insanity.
Truer words, brother...truer words.
Somebody will have to correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m under the impressiion that it’s not legally possible to run entirely “privated” schools in Britain, free of both government funding and government curriculum interference.
In any case, with the confiscatory level of taxation it would scarcely be possible. Even in the USA, it can be pretty tough to both pay twice for schools (taxes and private tuitions.)
I suggest they have a look in the mosques and moslem schools in the UK. I think they will learn the real meaning of indoctrination.
He'll say that about Catholics, but would MP Barry Sheerman ever dare say that about Muslims?
donno about schools that are completely outside govt control in the UK. I agree that it’s very hard to have to pay for “public” schools then spend money on non-government schools.
Advocates of vouchers, beware.
I tend to agree. Maybe using the tax code to reduce the cost would be a good idea?
“Maybe using the tax code to reduce the cost would be a good idea?”
Very much so. I would strongly prefer a generous tax deduction for parents with children under 18 instead of vouchers. Government money always comes with strings attached. Always.
Unfortunately, the current crop of politicians would not be willing to consider so radical an approach as simply returning the tax money that working parents pay to them so that they could afford the educational methodology that best suits their needs.
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