Christian schools worried about anti-discrimination laws
The Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS) has spoken out against the Labor Party鈥檚 promise to outlaw discrimination towards LGBTI students and staff in religious schools.
Among Labor鈥檚 election promises to the LGBTI community, the party has vowed to 鈥渢o remove the exemptions that permit religious schools to discriminate against students and staff on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity鈥�.
The AACS has expressed 鈥渄eep concern鈥� that such a change could 鈥渟et Christian education schools up for breaches of the law through mere disagreement with Labor LGBTIQ orthodoxy鈥�.
Executive officer Alithea Westerman compared the proposed changes to anti-discrimination law to the practices of authoritarian states.
鈥淐hristian education in Australia has been free from State-imposed religious restrictions for its entire history, yet threatening the teaching and expression of mainstream Christian beliefs in their schools with sanctions should they cause 鈥榦ffence鈥� or vaguely defined 鈥榟arassment鈥� is more akin to countries that demand obedience to the power and dogma of their ruling class,鈥� she said.
states that it intends to maintain religious freedom as well as freedom from discrimination.
鈥淲e do not believe that the removal of these exemptions will hamper a religious school鈥檚 capacity to teach its religion and operate according to its traditions and beliefs,鈥� it reads.
LGBTI advocates have called on Labor to , with just.equal spokesperson Rodney Croome last week saying the party appears to be 鈥渂acking two horses鈥�.
鈥淟GBTI teachers in faith-based schools need certainty that they will be protected from discrimination under a Labor Government,鈥� Croome said.
A made headlines in 2017 when he lost his job at a Baptist school after coming out as gay.
A recent survey shows support legal protection for LGBTI students and teachers.
Westerman said allowing Christian schools the right to discriminate is a matter of religious diversity.
鈥淭o be fearful of causing 鈥榦ffence鈥� or 鈥榟arassment鈥� merely by promoting conscientiously held beliefs that have grounded the institutions of our civilisation, or face sanction, is no way to maintain pluralism in Australia,鈥� she said.
鈥淪hould Labor form government and wish to promote its own doctrine to the extent that the expression of traditional Christian beliefs be subservient, or face sanction, the Australian Association of Christian Schools will protest in solidarity with all who love and prefer freedom of speech, conscience and belief.鈥�
Religious exemptions within laws have to go straight into the repeal bin or shredder, because it is not “fit for purpose” within the 21st century. So now in 2019 Christian, Catholic and other religious schools want to have their cake and eat it too is seems! They feel so oppressed those poor Christian and Catholic souls – HA HA HA spare me the bullshit excuses.
“鈥淐hristian education in Australia has been free from State-imposed religious restrictions for its entire history”
This is bullshit. Try being a fundamentalist Christian school receiving government subsidy and not teaching evolution as per the curriculum (as has occurred in the US, and as a biology teacher attempted to do at my school in the early 90’s). Try being a catholic school discriminating against divorced parents or teachers as used to occur in Australia.
Every statement from a Christian we ever seem to read in the media is based on bullshit. STOP LYING, CHRISTIANS, YOU’LL GO TO HELL!!!!