Posted on 11/05/2004 4:16:10 AM PST by Ginifer
A C of E school has been told to drop the word "saint" from its name in case it offends other religious groups.
The practice of calling schools after saints or bishops alienates people from other faiths and non-believers, say officials and councillors in Islington, north London.
Head teacher John Stewart: 'There is no reason why we should change our name'
The row is over the name of the first Church of England secondary school to be built in the borough, which lost control of education five years ago after Ofsted found it was running some of the worst schools in the country.
Islington council plans to incorporate the existing St Mary Magdalene Church of England Primary School into a new City Academy for five- to 18-year-olds.
The church, which is giving £2 million towards building costs, has been told by the local authority - a partner in the scheme - that the name of the new school cannot be religious.
James Kempton, children and young people spokesman for the council's ruling Liberal Democrat party, said a consultation had been launched because of concerns over the use of the word "saint".
"We want to create a school that is open to everybody in the community, not a school that selects through the back door," he said. "We need to ensure this is a school which is appropriate for Islington in the 21st century.
"Church-going is now a much less significant part of people's lives."
Parents, governors and teachers at St Mary Magdalene, however, are determined to keep the name. John Stewart, the head teacher, said: "We have been serving the community in the area since 1710 and there is no reason why we should change our name.
"The name makes our Christian ethos clear to everyone and there are plenty of Church of England schools named after saints in Islington and elsewhere which take children from many other faiths or none who want the education and ethos we offer."
The council has suggested that the school be called the Islington Academy or the Barnsbury Academy. The London Diocesan Board says that if the new school is to have a new name, it should be "Magdalene Academy", which would still denote a Christian ethos.
Most parents want to keep the existing name, however. Kate McMurdie, 33, said dropping it would be "ludicrous" and offend parents who took their religion seriously. Karen Hicks said that it would take away the school's identity and make it like any other.
Tom Peryer, the London Diocesan Board's director for schools, said there had been a long history of hostility towards faith schools in Islington.
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said the Jewish community would have no objection to the school being named after a Christian saint. "We live in a multi-cultural country," he said.
A referendum held by the council in 2001 found 98 per cent of parents wanted a new secondary, of which 41 per cent wanted it to be a Church of England school.
Oh brother. Only a bunch of girlie men or manly girls could get offended by the name Saint.
The Brits went Godless so many decades ago. This kind of thing just codifies their unbelief.
I think it would be much more sensitive of the school to drop the 'saint' and replace it with 'iman'.
You're probably right. Bunch of weasles.
Sweeping statement.
America had idiots we have idiots.
Britain your closest ally doesn’t stop the Americans from posting articles about my country and then gleefully ripping my country apart, even while British boys are fighting and dying next to American boys.
Thanks Tony
I'm amazed the C of E is still around.
Tony
People on both sides of the pond are nuts on this issue.
This, from a second generation American - from the motherland.
LOL
Funny but sad.
as am I. Much more by the fact that the C of E believes fanatical and militant Islam will be offended by it.
However, the scourge of PC on this nation must be confronted on an individual basis. The only reason this crap works is because we let it. I know 50 years of mostly backward mobility and the war on logic by the Left will be difficult to change. But change it must in order for this nation to survive. It is not a question of of politics alone. The larger question is philosophy. As Rand says, "who needs it?" The answer is YOU do.
You don't have to have read Socrates, Aristotle, or St. Thomas Aquinas to know what your philosophy is. Your philosophy is most likely centered in logic. You know right from wrong, and most of us lead a life based on that assumption alone. For the most part we live in a black and white world. Sure there are gray areas, but they are far less a part of our lives than the black and white areas.
We all need to let it known to those who would pressure you into concessions regarding your common sense that we're not gonna take it any more. The war against PC begins on the ground and we are the foot soldiers. Here's a couple of questions to throw right back at those leftist whiners:
By what right?
Does being offensive encroach on the life or liberty of another? (The answer is an unequivocal NO by the way.)
Your churches sit dark - lovely buildings with no congregates anymore.
Thats not true, we've turned them into very busy, brightly lit nightclubs!! :)
Turned over to the chavs and clubbers, eh?
You're right. We don't see the entire British opinion, just a few headlines from a few far left British papers slamming Bush or an "ironic" article calling for presidential assassination. I know that's not the only British point of view. Like you were saying, there are plenty of idiots here and there.
My thanks, prayers and condolences to the families of the British soldiers killed in Iraq. In this world, we are family. We may bicker, but we still stand together.
And the goths, greebo's and indies!! :)
It's not the church that made this decision, it's the local council in Islington.
What you have to understand is that Islington, a district in North London, is ultra-leftie. It's a council with more than its fair share of loonies and is NOT indicative of British opinion in general. I guarantee you that 99.9 per cent of Brits, and that includes Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, will share your horror at this story.
The most damaging 'minority group' in the UK is the Hard Left, and they'll get their come-uppance in the next election.
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