The government is facing criticism from the National Secular Society over claims that it allows faith schools to refuse jobs or promotion to staff with different, or no, spiritual beliefs.
No big surprise to see the National Secular Society attacking faith schools again. Their attack is based on alleged selective recruitment and promotion policies, but underlying this is their desire to eradicate what they would term as ‘religious indictrination’ of children.
Yesterday news broke that Lithuania had incurred EU wrath, for a law the Lithuanian government passed, which stands against the propagation of homosexuality to children in schools. Upon discussing this issue on another blog, one commentator observed:-
It is a sign of the times that we can apparently leave matters of religion so that “let them decide for themselves at 18″ is ok , but the same does not apply to sex.
This is the heart of the contradiction of humanist and secular attacks on faith schools. Indoctrination is OK, as long as it the right sort of humanist, secular, morally relativistic indoctrination.
The government is facing criticism over claims that it allows faith schools to refuse jobs or promotion to staff with different, or no, spiritual beliefs.
The National Secular Society will argue at a conference later that current legislation discriminates against well qualified, non-religious teachers,
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has said it has not received any complaints.
It said beliefs are only taken into account in a small number of cases.
Currently, the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 allows faith schools in England and Wales to take into account an applicant’s religious beliefs, or lack of them, when considering them for a teaching post.
This is intended to ensure that staff fully support the school’s particular religious ethos, such as Christianity or Judaism.
The Act was later amended to include school support staff.
In Scotland, Catholic faith schools are allowed to request that applicants provide a suitable referee who can testify to their personal religious beliefs and character.
Catholic teachers are asked to provide a testament from their parish priest.
The NSS has told the BBC that such requirements are discriminatory, and have no bearing on whether a person can teach a particular subject well.
If you have stumbled onto this blog please do take a few moments to read the following piece:- Echoes of God
Tags: Christianity, Education