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My son goes to a public school in Australia (which is a secular nation, btw, not many people know that). Said public school offers "Special Religious Education" classes for half an hour every week.



My partner and I are pagan. The religion they are offering at school is Christian. Obviously i wrote to them to have our son excluded from SRE.



Apparently the school are so hard up for staff that they cannot physically exclude my son from SRE. FORCING him to sit in on Scripture. Now, they are assuring me that he isn't participating but he is STILL picking up on everything that is being said.



He came home today and told me that 'Father God' made the world and it belongs to him. UGH



The Hubby and I hadn't wanted to introduce religion of any kind to our son (who has Asperger's Syndrome and takes everything very literally) because we think he is too young to understand the complexities of religion.



Because they will not remove him from the classroom while scripture is being held they are, in essence, forcing him to attend a religious teaching.



I'm so outraged but i just don't know what to do about it. I have rung the school to speak with the principal and spoken to his teacher who both waved me off. I'm sure they see me as over-reacting.



Just imagine the outrage that would ensue if the tables were turned and the school was forcing good little christian children in to hear a Pagan Priestess talk about Mother Earth. The hypocrisy is killing me.



In order to at least balance out his education I am going to by him the Pagan Kid's Activity Book and send it to school with him on Wednesday's with a note to his teacher that says he MUST work in the book I have supplied.



I don't want me little boy being confused or conflicted. I have explained to him that people believe all kinds of things, and everyone is different in what and how they believe. I have told him that Mummy and Daddy have a different view to what he is being taught in school and that it's okay to be different.



I hope it's enough.

x

COMMENTS

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TheSYSTEM
10:10 Mar 09 2011

I may not live there but I have a pen pal who's told me about this sort of stuff. Over here in America we don't allow religion in public school unless a child attends a private school and studies they religion they went to said privat school for. In a public school, if a teacher were to make an lesson religious they'd get in trouble.

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TheSYSTEM
10:12 Mar 09 2011

*the



*private



Sorry spelling errors.

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TempestStarr
10:26 Mar 09 2011

That's what makes this so damn frustrating. It's a public school - funded by the state - and is supposed to be Non-religious. The governments have just bended to the will and threats of the Christian Majority and allow this to go on in schools. I hate it.



I don't mind my son learning about religions, when he's old enough to understand them. 7 (and Aspie) is just too young.



If parents want their children taught religion they should be approaching the church.

:(

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TheSYSTEM
11:09 Mar 09 2011

Indeed. They teach some things about cultures in the schools here. But they aren't allowed to force it on anyone. I wish you luck. Hey, maybe one day it'll get better. You've had a very interesting entry. I thank you for writing it. :)

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