I am 100% in favour of a trial of the ethics course carefully developed by the St James Ethics centre.

I would suggest that it replace the ad-hoc religious indoctrination that currently exists.

A discussion based ethics course driven by the children and lightly directed by a supervisor would be of far more use to children. It certainly fills a much needed gap of proper moral framework development and exploration (something which a local “Churchie” waving a bible and presenting fairy-tales as fact does not do).

If you are wondering why you might have received a large number of emails: the website “www.makeastand.org.au” appears to be a Christian campaign spam engine. I am making use of this service kindly provided by a Christian lobby group to express distaste at the misinformation and ridiculous double standards these religious types are demanding on the site and in the press.

Christian religious groups appear to have no problem with other religious groups gaining access to schools, nor do they demand those groups find their own timeslot (lest it compete with their session), nor do they ask for (or give) those other religious groups right of refusal/censorship etc. in the material they present. All of these are demanded of the secular ethics course.

Our nation is a secular one with a clear separation of church and state, our government schools are no exception.

It is high time we had a secular option (which should be the default) in our government schools. All parents should be offered the course and no one religion should be the default “opt in” with the general course the default “opt in”.

As my representative I urge you to please support the trial as it is probably the first useful thing anyone has done in scripture in the history of NSW.

There are private religious schools (which for some reason receive the majority of federal funds) for those wishing their kids to be indoctrinated: they by all means have that choice (although the children do not unfortunately).

The supposed “morals” put forward in scripture are damaging concepts for children. e.g. Christianity for instance puts forward the concept of thought crime (blasphemy) constantly judged by universal dictator (Orwellian big brother) punished via eternal torture. This does not teach any morals other than fear and runs contrary to the Australian democratic political and non torture based legal structure.
So please, support the trial and do not bow to the unfair double standard demands of religious lobby groups.

regards,
Nathan Lee