Late last year Prof. George Claassen, the Chairman of Sceptics South Africa, issued ‘an ultimatum’ for schools in South Africa to stop teaching religion in the classroom. Claassen warned that Sceptics South Africa is ‘monitoring’ schools to ensure that there is no Bible reading or prayer. Claassen maintains that it is ‘unacceptable’ that some schools describe themselves as having ‘Christian character’ or teach ‘Christian morals’.
In an article published in Rapport, some of the schools identified by Claassen were contacted for a reaction. They pointed out that government policy leaves room for religion in schools and that participation in religious activities are voluntary. Nevertheless Claassen has threatened that this organisation intends taking legal steps to ensure that religion is eradicated from public schools.
Anyone who believes that education can be neutral is mistaken. Ideas have consequences and actions flow from thought patterns. Secular humanism is a religion and if Christian values are eradicated from the classroom then the vacuum will be filled with secular humanism with its evolutionism, situation ethics and atheism.
Throughout all of history Christianity has been the greatest force for education. Most of the world’s languages were first set to writing by Christian missionaries. Christianity has been the greatest force for promoting literacy worldwide throughout history. Christianity revolutionised education by making it available to all classes and to both genders.
Children do not belong to the state; they are made in the image of God and are entrusted by Him to parents to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” Eph 6:4. Please pray for George Claassen, the team at Sceptics SA and for all teachers in our country.
Joy! Magazine, Jan 2010, Pg. 15
What do you think? Share your comments below.
Thought provoking article.
I think that people who say that if religion is removed from schools the “vacuum will be filled with secular humanism with its evolutionism, situation ethics and atheism” must consider that a child can still find a balance if he or she is religious by attending church, mosque etc, on a Friday or Sunday and learning about science and all the other subjects during the week. I think this would lead the child to not only have a spiritually balanced existence, but also a more open mind.
The moment we take Christ out of school , we are marking ourselves for disaster. Without Christ we are nothing.
I think one has to be careful wanting to eradicate religions from school. When we look back to ancient excavation sites to the rituals that early man used in burying his dead and going about his daily business, this was goverened by the religious views held at that time. It has played a key role in the formation of social behaviour. Throughtout human history, religion has played a key role in forming and influencing people’s culture. To dispel religion is the same as denying people of the value of their culture and in so doing taking away their uniqueness, humanity, feelings of belonging and a measure of their value in their society and community. Our culture and our language (also influence by religion to some degree)defines who we are. There need not be Bible reading in class, but perhaps a wider look and discussion on differenct religions and cultures will create tolerance, acceptance and respect amongst different people in our very diverse world.