school chaplain (2 Viewers)

[ihavenothing]

It leaves people who choose not to be religious out in the cold.

 

[dagwoman]

Disgusting. Waste of money. I condemn the ALP and its influence from the Religious Right for not opposing it. I don't care what religion gets promoted it only strengthens Howard's conservative agenda where its minds are most malleable. It should be as simple as this that public education should not promote religion at all in its best interests of equality.

ALL Religion is mind control.

EXACTLY. Schools are not a place where religious influences should be, unless you have chosen specifically to go to a religious school. I agree with other views that the money should be put towards other uses e.g. employing a counsellor. The priorities are f*cked.

 

[hazaar]

stupid idea, yet again money down the drain.
Why don't they spend the money on school counsellors like alot of other people here have been saying.
i agree with agentprovocater

 

[ihavenothing]

If the federal Government were smart enough they would see the state of NSW public schools not divert funding into this pure cockteasing for the Happy Clappers.

 

[hazaar]

anti gay marraige, anti muslim, advocating religion in normal govt schools, lying to aussie public,...howard needs to take himself and his mon brow out of office.

this latest move just shows how conservative the govt is. come on guys, when u vote DON'T vote for him..

100% agreed again!!!

 

[ihavenothing]

personally.. i find this useless...
the money can be used for better things...
at my skool 4 sure.. its a shit hole!!

So was my school, this is where money should be thrown at

 

[yy]

Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad policy. $90m to promote religious values in what's supposed to be a secular society is stupid.

i don't get it, aren't you part of the Liberal Right or something?

 

[afdgargio]

i don't get it, aren't you part of the Liberal Right or something?

You're a fucking idiot.

 

[withoutaface]

i don't get it, aren't you part of the Liberal Right or something?

Yes, I am, and I'm also an agnostic. Most of the right aren't what the ABC would have you to believe we are.

 

[mishka]

I think the idea has good merits, but definitely unnecessary. There is no place for a chaplain-figure in the state system. Counsellors of course, but I agree, if parents want spiritual guidance for their children, they should be sending them to religious schools where that stuff is taken care of, or taking them to a church/mosque/temple.

 

[xeuyrawp]

It isn't actually promoting Christianity at the expense of other religions, there's no evidence that it is, the government person repeatedly said that it isn't. I think the SMH gave Nettle just a little too much space in the article.

Well considering there are far more counsellors with a background in Christian studies, as well as Australians generally identifying with Christianity, Christianity is what's being promoted here.

 

[afdgargio]

Yeah but if 70% of the population were Zoroastrian then you'd expect roughly 70% of the chaplains (if every school got one) to be Zoroastrian, etc. which isn't really promoting Zoroastianism it just so happens to be the religion that already has the most people.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Yeah but if 70% of the population were Zoroastrian then you'd expect roughly 70% of the chaplains (if every school got one) to be Zoroastrian, etc. which isn't really promoting Zoroastianism it just so happens to be the religion that already has the most people.

I'm really not good with hypotheticals - you could go on all day with various scenarios.

In this specific case, I think that putting chaplains into schools (namely, Christians) is securing long term conservativism and steering people towards the more conservative political party in the two-party system.

 

[dieburndie]

This situation is a little too simple.
If you want to talk to a christian than go to church,which costs nothing.

 

[HotShot]

I think it's unnecessary and it'd just be a waste of money. They've got counsellors and year advisors and that sort of thing, and most schools have ISCF or similar organisations.

And, yeah, it's also promoting Christianity at the expense of other religions.

But as long as they don't enforce anything on us I'd be happy. If they did, I'd be pissed off.

The chaplain doesnt have to be a Christian. Howard want to promote faith - rather than christanity.

SO basically you can have chaplain of any religion.

Imo, its a waste. Schools already have scripture at least most of them. that 20k can be spent elsewhere. Like a new arcade room or a Xbox LAN room etc. Something useful.

 

[HotShot]

Faith being promoted is all very well(i vehemently disagree with it), but its a state school right? seperation of church and state..etc..

PLUS, the govt will get a SAY in who's elected. What. The. Fuck.

more bullshit. go away howard.

There is a separation of church and state - its not like its compulsory or anything. FIrstly getting a chaplain is not compulsory - but there is an incentive? to get one u get 20k for it.

Chaplain can be of any religion.

The govt doesnt say who gets selected. the community and the school, but the government can kick out chaplains at their will - in a way they sort of control.

 

[ihavenothing]

If it does get implemented, we could piss off the establishment for asking for Flying Spaghetti Monster or atheist chaplains, otherwise they would be discriminating.

 

[KFunk]

There is a separation of church and state - its not like its compulsory or anything. FIrstly getting a chaplain is not compulsory - but there is an incentive? to get one u get 20k for it.

Chaplain can be of any religion.

The govt doesnt say who gets selected. the community and the school, but the government can kick out chaplains at their will - in a way they sort of control.

I reckon it definately flies in the face of the 'separation of church and state' ideal. Compulsory or not it's $90 million that the government is spending to fund religious advisors - they are funding religion... and in a way where young minds can be influenced no less! It's embarassing that they could get away with this, especially when you consider other options like school counsellors. Another point which may have been made already, and which was made to me yesterday, is that if private schools are eligible as well then they essentially make a free 20 grand from the deal, which is tres dodgy (i.e. if they are already hiring a chaplain for $X then then funding means they only spend $(X-20,000) giving them a decent wad of extra cash to play around with).

 

[banco55]

I reckon it definately flies in the face of the 'separation of church and state' ideal. Compulsory or not it's $90 million that the government is spending to fund religious advisors - they are funding religion... and in a way where young minds can be influenced no less! It's embarassing that they could get away with this, especially when you consider other options like school counsellors. Another point which may have been made already, and which was made to me yesterday, is that if private schools are eligible as well then they essentially make a free 20 grand from the deal, which is tres dodgy (i.e. if they are already hiring a chaplain for $X then then funding means they only spend $(X-20,000) giving them a decent wad of extra cash to play around with).

The parents of private school kids already heavily subsidize the state system so it's just balancing things out a bit. Although I do agree that this scheme is 80% political symbolism and 20% a way to transfer more money to private schools. It will be interesting to see the rate of take up a year from now. I suspect it will be very low among state schools as it wouldn't be worth the fights with the P and C councils in most cases and a lot of state principals/teachrs are ideologically opposed to this sort of thing anyway.

 

[ihavenothing]

I had compulsary religious education during lunchtime and before schools in my PUBLIC education and this makes me mad further. I was in a scripture for Catholics (even though I'm not) and we were taught stuff about "the carnage of abortion", "the immorality of homosexuality", etc. It was a one-sided view and was easy to influence younger minds who did not understand all the viewpoints to these issues.

So this legislation makes me sick hearing about it, becasue my goal is to have a less religious society in the future as Christianity and Islam and various other religions have laid atrocities that I may never forgive for their hyprocracy and bloodthirst.