FAQ’s
Q. Is FIRIS against religion?
A. Absolutely not, FIRIS wants there to be an objective and inclusive program of religious education in Victoria’s Schools. No child should be ignorant of an area of cultural heritage as important as religion. We believe however that religion should not be taught by volunteers selected by church organizations, and that the policy of “opt out” is totally unfair. What we want is a curriculum that teaches about religion, not one that instructs children in religion. We believe that religious instruction is best dealt with in a family and church community, but that knowing about religion is part of a good education.
Q. Isn’t Religious Instruction part of our heritage?
A. Quite the opposite, Australia’s system of public education, was founded in 1872, with 3 cardinal principles: Secular, Compulsory and Free. After attempting to run a system based on religious denomination, the founders of Victoria, created a new system, with a “secular principle”. This system was the only way to get Australia beyond the divisions of the “old world”. The Secular Principle had 5 parts:
1. The schools would be run by the state, not by the church, and would be “neutral” and open to children of any religion.
2. No state teacher could instruct the children in religion.
3. That only secular instruction would be given.
4. That the state would cease the practice of funding denominational schools.
5. That religious groups could use the school facility outside of school hours (including weekends)
Q. If the schools were created as a secular system, why do we now have a system of “opt out” religious instruction taught by volunteers organized by ACCESS Ministry.
A. Because during the cold war, a conservative Education Minister (Kent Hughes) thought Victoria’s schools should be Christian. Working with a group called The Council for Christian Education in State Schools “CCESS” (now ACCESS Ministry) the law was amended and an exception to the formerly secular system was created. This is what is now called “Special Religious Instruction”. You can read about this history here
http://statereligionvic.posterous.com/fascism-and-access-ministry-a-proud-heritage
Q. I’d like to help, what can I do?
• Please write a letter of asking for reform of the practice of SRI law in Victoria to our Premier, the Minister for Education, Hon Martin Dixon, and your own local member
o martin.dixon@parliament.vic.gov.au
o ted.baillieu@parliament.vic.gov.au
o Go to http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members and type in your postcode for information about your local member and how to contact them
• Please write to your local School Principal and School Council President to voice your support changing the unfair policy of SRI and ask that religion be taught in an way that educates children about all religions, not single faith instruction.
Q. Anyone can write a letter, what if I’d like to do more, what can I really do?
We have a team of people who are doing the lifting on this issue. We welcome people who share our values and support our aims. Changing this unfair law requires more than twitter. Contact us and let us know what skills you have that we can harness to make this change.
Q. Isn’t Religious Instruction really an introduction to the values that underpin our society, the world, themselves and others?
A: The purpose of Special Religious Instruction is not to educate children in values. The law clearly states that SRI is supposed to instruct children in the distinctive beliefs and tenets of a religion. There are many different religions with many distinct tenets. Our values as a society do not depend on any one religion, additionally one of the core beliefs of Australia’s society, is that anyone, regardless of their religion can be Australian.
Q. ACCESS don’t prosthelytize or anything like that, don’t they just don’t they just teach values?
A: Take a look at this specific module straight from Access’ website. It unequivocally shows how Access is specifically preaching to children, encouraging them to follow the religion (not to learn about it, but to follow it). ACCESS repeats the line over and over, “we only tell children what Christians believe not what they should believe”. One of the problems is that everyone assumes that proselytism requires some form of force or threats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proselytism the plain reading of ACCESS’s curriculum shows that it IS proselytizing. This is specifically targeted evangelism, and has no place in Australian public schools.
If FIRIS is not against religion then I’m a monkey’s uncle! There is so much inaccurate information about CRE on this site. Victoria’s education system was founded by the churches.
If you don’t want your children attending the extra curricular activities at the school, you ‘opt’ out!
@Debra
Debra, I can see you are very angry. I’m sorry you feel this way. If you will put aside your biases and passions you will see that FIRIS is not anti religious we just think that our schools are not a “mission field” and that no church bodies should be allowed to “make disciples” in our schools. You are welcome here to leave comments, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
Public education was not founded by “churches” it was in fact founded over the objection of churches we have placed a historic timeline of Victoria in the section marked “additional reading”.
Please learn the facts.
Debra – CRE is not an “extra curricula activity” in schools, it’s part of the weekly curriculum. If it were, we wouldn’t be needing a group such as FIRIS working for the rights of children to be educated ABOUT religion (as opposed to indoctrinated in A religion) and not to be discriminated against because of their own beliefs.
@Debra
You may well be a Monkeys Uncle if evolution is anything to go by but FIRIS is objective and wants a fair system for all.
I think however to prove you are human you might want to be a little more objective yourself and admit to the facts as presented. There is actually no need to continue to be another apologist for the actions of the current provider of CRE by putting up a false pretense of indignation and injustice as the debate has moved on and the place for that sort of posturing is, as has been stated elsewhere, in the past.
Looking towards a future balance in the system I know we can all agree that change will take place soon and everyone will come out of this in a better and stronger position. For those that want CRE there will be a place and a time with a bright fresh approach that is inclusive, examine the values and lets children explore and determine for themselves a combination of truth and faith that may or indeed may not be the same as their parents.
For those that have other convictions or world views their time will be correctly assigned to meaningful tasks and activities that match their own age levels, school expectations and outcomes.
Imagine for a moment a school where the need for division is removed, there is no need for parents to engage in this sort of action and we can all spend our time productively.
I would not assume for a minute that you would project a view that says change is not good as you seem far too smart for that and I also don’t think you would actively force, through peer pressure or via fears of rejection, children to partake in CRE when their parents or themselves don’t feel its for them.
So with this established lets take the excellent FIRIS concept to its logical conclusion and build a better Victoria.
Yours Faithfully.
Samantha G
@ Parent. I don’t know where you get angry from? Churches and church people pioneered education in the early days of Australia’s colonisation. When a responsible Government of Victoria was set up, that is when the calling of religion to be separate from education began. But, Christianity was in the schools at the beginning. History cannot be changed.
@Bek. I’m not sure whose rights you are fighting for. I am also a parent of children in school. The many schools I visit, the majority of families have their children in CRE.
@Samantha. Not all changes are for the benefit of human kind. Only children who parent’s want their children in CRE are in. You have taken upon yourselves to speak for all of Victoria, but all of Victoria doesn’t agree with you. As a parent, i am disturbed with the attack on a organisation which has been running in Primary schools for many years and which continues because the parents welcome it. I abide by the rules, I follow the Act. The Principles at all the schools I visit, value CRE.
@Debra
I am so sorry to have offended you and hope that you will one day understand the frustration we face with a system that forces parents to opt out and take on the stigma of that. Once step at a time then.
1) Make it opt in with a valid and equal alternative
This simple, effective and professional approach to the issue will solve 80% of the problems.
Tell us all.
Are you happy to make it Opt In and if not , where are you genuine concerns placed?.
We all all like to hear what drives you and others to continue the unworkable status quo.
Yours Faithfully.
Samantha G
@Debra
1) As I said, children have a right to learn ABOUT religion. All children should learn about all religions. This is how we get a harmonious, tolerant society and how children are empowered to make up their own minds. Not allowing this is unfair to children, including yours. It’s also how cults form.
2) Don’t assume because people are attending CRE that they approve of the system or that they wouldn’t prefer their children to be having a multi-faith education. Parents allow their children to attend for a plethora of reasons, including not wanting their child ostracised or not even realising they have an opt-out choice.
@Debra
1) Please read my comment again, I am talking about the rights of all children. All children should learn about all religions. This is how we get a harmonious, tolerant society and how children are empowered to make up their own minds. Not allowing this is unfair to children, including yours. It’s also how cults form.
2) Don’t assume because people are attending CRE that they approve of the system or that they wouldn’t prefer their children to be having a multi-faith education. Parents allow their children to attend for a plethora of reasons, including not wanting their child ostracised or not even realising they have an opt-out choice.
@Debra
Debra, your quote of : Victoria’s education system was founded by the churches. Is absolute rubbish. Maybe you should educate yourself about history.
Debra, your entire initial comment is inaccurate. The major argument FIRIS uses is that CRE is currently part of the school curriculum, not extracurricular as you mentioned. If it was extracurricular, no one would be arguing the case for removing CRE from secular schools. Regarding other previous comments, I’m sure many parents don’t realise they can opt their children out of CRE classes or at the very least don’t wish to have them ostracized for doing so.
Finally, if you are going to make comments please check your facts before posting them!!!
Wow, living in WA, I did not know this was going on in australian schools……. I would have no opposition to religious studies if they were teaching what different religions, christian, muslim, jewish, wiccan etc believe…… but it is obviously concentrating purely on a christian viewpoint, with the aim of teaching “only jesus leads to salvation” rather than “as a christian, we believe….. as a muslim, they believe…… as a hinduist, they believe”
”Fairness?”
Isn’t it about time atheists funded their own schools? For some reason they hold the erroneous belief that a “worldview neutral” education is possible. Your worldview is anything but neutral. It’s becoming more and more apparent that it’s a death cult.
Do you not understand that your predecessors, who were a great deal more intelligent and motivated, once saw our culture’s institutions, including schools and universities, as a mission field and took them over? FIRIS is either hypocritical or ignorant. Neutrality is impossible.
But Christians are in it for the long haul, and modern secularism in the not-too-long term is being exposed as demographically and culturally impotent. It’s a temporary wart growing on a Christian culture and it’s killing the host. Check out Europe, which will be unrecognisable in 2-3 decades. Guys, it’s Christianity or Islam. They are the only long term choices. It’s time to get real.
The people behind FIRIS obviously mean well, but they are unwittingly help to destroy the greatest culture that ever was. They are not promoting fairness. They are opening a vacuum that will be filled — demographically and then legally — by Islam.
Wake up. Your vision of fairness is only ever going to be a dream because your worldview is bankrupt.
“Fairness?” It’s not about fairness. It’s about the future. And it’s time you lot did some homework.
Mike,
The position of endorsement of no religious belief is one of neutrality, your argument that this is not so is biased by your own particular beliefs.
Yes, many of our of our predecessors were very intelligent and have demonstrated this by endorsing the separation of church and state when constituting our governmental branches, and assuring that the public services are essentially secular. Secularism in the exercise of governmental functions is the reason why Western nations have been successful, it is not something that has just emerged in the ‘post-modern’ world, if you care to research historical facts OUTSIDE of that which is taught within your religious milieu (i.e. ‘greatest culture there ever was’). In regard to Islam, promoting secular values in the areas of public life is the tried and true way to check religious encroachments on our culture, rather that it being a choice between two theocracies! So who worldview is ‘bankrupt’? I suggest you do some ‘homework’ outside the organisation that you are currently getting your ideas from. Your comments are a case in point why the public should take a stand to this type of world view indoctrination in our public education system.