Letters

Victoria stops class-time religious instruction

Arnold Jago

Contents - Sep 2015 Refugees: Give priority to Syria’s persecuted Christians: Archbishop Fisher The Americas: Pope Francis’ challenge to American Catholics - AD2000 Report The Americas: Cuba: new centre for evangelisation - AD2000 Report Preview: Mercy and compassion: focus of Synod of Bishops - Peter Westmore Apostolic Letter: Pope Francis proclaims Year of Mercy - AD2000 Report Concordat: Catholic Church signs concordat with East Timor - Peter Westmore Hebrew: The Sign of the Cross - Andrew Sholl Letters: Victoria stops class-time religious instruction - Arnold Jago Letters: The nature of Heaven - Frank Mobbs Letters: Media bias on “same-sex marriage” - Robert Bom Books: YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOUR: A Homiliary for the Roman Liturgy, Aidan Nichols OP - Paul Simmons (reviewer) Reflection: The proper celebration of the Mass - Cardinal Robert Sarah

Victoria’s government schools will cancel class-time religious instruction from 2016.

To be replaced, they say, by new content on world cultures, faiths and ethics – plus compulsory classes about domestic violence and “respectful relationships”.

Children will hear how respect for others is desirable, not because the others are our brothers and sisters, children of the same Father (God) … No, that’s out of fashion.

The reason to be nice, they’ll be told, is because then others will be nice to us.

But that idea has had no credibility since the human race started being selfish – a long time ago.

People won’t stop being careless of the needs of others without a logical motive to do so.

Leave God out and you’re left with an ethical vacuum.

ARNOLD JAGO,
Nichols Point, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 28 No 8 (September 2015), p. 8