Religion has no place in the state’s secular schools
In response to Jack Kelly (Letters to the editor, August 28) who declares that, in regard to religious education in our state schools: “Those who actively opt in for religious education should still be catered for” - I’d like to ask: Don’t the churches run Sunday school anymore?
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Surely parents who are “actively” opting their children into religious inculcation are “actively” attending church themselves? Isn’t the fact that state school education is meant to be explicitly secular a clear enough choice for parents?
Back in the 1970s and 1980s when I was a state primary and secondary school student, religion was never mentioned during class, nor at lunch times either. It was genuinely and rightly not a part of the curriculum. I did, however, attend Sunday school, within the context of a worshipping church community.
Christian Special Religious Instruction (note: “instruction” not “education”) will always be proselytising when imposed, out of context, onto a pluralist secular education system.
Proponents of SRI in state schools, who also vigorously denounce the teaching of humanist ethics and comparative religious studies, are disingenuous to argue otherwise.
Next year, when the Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the census, for the first time since the “no religion” option was available in 1991, it will be placed first on the list of answers to the “What is the person’s religion?” question.
Last census, 4.7 million Australians picked “no religion”, or wrote down atheism, humanism or rationalism, when the “no religion” option was relegated to a difficult to find “other, please specify” drop-down-box.
If a significant number of people are declaring no affinity with traditional Christianity, then this should have an impact upon government funding of SRI and chaplaincy programmes in state schools.
I guess we’ll see when the outcome of the census is available in mid-2017.
Michelle Goldsmith, Eaglehawk
Reopening Golden Square Station should be back on the agenda
“Metro Plan on Track” is the report in which our local member of parliament Maree Edwards has rejected the idea that Golden Square Station should be reopened for traffic and use by residents.
This is a disgrace from a local member who is supposed to represent her constituents without fear or favour.
What are the arguments against this reopening of the station?
If it hinges on the radio station KLFM, then surely it can be accommodated in the building with some adjustments.
If this is considering a holistic view of the metro plan for Bendigo, then it certainly has not taken into account the over-crowding and lack of parking available to commuters at Bendigo and Kangaroo Flat stations.
Nor, the demography of a growing suburb like Golden Square with all the infill and property development being carried out by council.
Golden Square was part of the 2013 rail revival feasibility study and yet our local member can make a public statement that “Reopening Golden Square Station was never a consideration”.
Perhaps the residents and voters of Golden Square may reconsider their vote at the next state election.
It may be a better idea for our local member to seek improvements to the V/Line service to and from Melbourne, such as running on time and recreating the double-line to improve traffic flows for commuters and possible freight increased traffic.
This whole campaign to increase passenger traffic is dogged by misconception and wishful thinking because of some earlier decisions and not consulting with the public.
And here we go again.
Bill Collier, Golden Square
Second bridge crossing moves a step closer
The Shire of Campaspe is pleased that VicRoads has progressed the second bridge crossing for Echuca Moama through this week's advertising of key documents.
The exhibition process allows the community to participate with two community information sessions to be held in the St Mary's Hall, Echuca on Tuesday, September 1 between midday and 5pm and Thursday, September 3 between 2pm and 7pm.