Sydney
31 August 2003
Home
Archive
Subscribe
Links
Contact
A
place ‘where heaven meets earth’
Teach more religion
in school, says new Gov-General
Toys
for Solomons kids
‘Good
Shepherds’ can almost hear the water
Three
generations of caring for forces
Pastoral
care of the armed forces
League
seeks new laws to protect women
Truth,
a fictional conflict and the need for Christian morality
Editorial:
Find room for God
Letters:
Liberal arts
Conversation:
Sr Renée Heraud, missionary - Vila’s diminutive media dynamo
Why
do we have faith in Jesus?
They
‘need our prayers’
‘Walk
arm in arm’ call to Vinnies
In
touch with God on the roof of the world
Teach more religion in school, says new Gov-General
Australia’s new Governor-General, Major-General Mike Jeffery, wants more religion to be taught in schools.
Teaching of religious studies in schools “helps give our children a grounding in the beliefs and values of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism”, he says.
In a reception at Government House, Canberra, the Governor-General told delegates to the Australian Religious Press Association convention that the reduction or elimination of religion in schools had had a negative impact on society, and that schools should teach the core beliefs of “faith, hope and love”.
“Today, all the major world faiths espouse the importance of leading an ethically good life,” he said.
“In Christianity, for instance, we try to live according to Jesus’s teachings, which place regard for one’s fellow human beings as a priority.
“We need look no further than ‘Love thy neighbour as thy self’.
“But if we look around our community, and indeed the world, it is clear that we are not always treating each other as we should, whether as ethical human beings or as good Christians, Muslims, Jews, and so on.
“Our young people are exposed to a popular culture which sometimes emphasises materialism, individualism and ‘what’s in it for me’, at the expense of community, and our media reflect this.
“Is it the media’s fault or is the media simply reflecting changing societal values?
“Whatever the answer, there is little doubt that many people in western society are yearning for a deeper meaning to life.
“Some might argue that the traditional Church - the establishment - has failed to ‘move with the times’ and blame this for declining congregations.
“Some might point to the host of controversies in which the Church seems to have become mired in recent years which have dented its credibility.
“Others might point out that reducing or deleting religious education in schools has impacted on spiritual awareness and church attendances.
“But at the very heart of the Church are the core beliefs of faith, hope and love. We must not forget this; indeed we should reinforce it.
“The challenge for our community is to try to live by the simple, lasting values the great religions teach, to instil in our children and our grandchildren the notion that society benefits if we live an ethically good life, including the recognition that with rights go obligations; to each other, to our communities and to our nation.
“In a practical sense, the teaching in schools of religious studies (as happens in the United Kingdom for 14-to-16-year-olds) helps give our children a grounding in the beliefs and values of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism.
“If, at the very least, this leads to greater tolerance towards and understanding of those with beliefs different from our own then it is worthwhile.”
Maj-Gen Jeffery was sworn in as Governor-General this month as successor to Dr Peter Hollingworth, former Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.