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Special Ethics Education should be allowed for children not attending scripture classes

Illustration of a schoolboy with an empty thought bubble sitting outside a closed door with 'SRE' written on it.

Illustration by Marc van de Griendt

17 November 2010

It is eight years since a group of NSW parents first asked if it would be possible for those of their children not attending scripture to participate in ethics classes.

In recent months, a trial of this option has been held in ten schools – causing a storm of controversy to break over the heads of all concerned.

Some people have condemned the trial as a lightly veiled attack on God and religion; the ‘thin edge of a wedge’ that will undermine the foundations of Australian society.

Others want to know why the Sydney Anglican and Catholic Churches should insist that a conscientious decision not to attend scripture should see children denied an opportunity to explore ethical questions, free from religion.

Must the choice be between religion or nothing of depth and meaning?

Learn more about the Special Ethics Education project.

Discuss this topic

Speakers

For:

  • Stephen Crittenden is one of Australia’s leading religion journalists. He joined the ABC Radio Current Affairs in 1989 after working as a policy officer in the NSW Cabinet Office. At various times he has been national arts correspondent for the 7.30 Report, a presenter of the ABC-TV arts show Express, head of the ABC Radio Religion department, and from 2002 to 2008 was presenter of The Religion Report. At present he is a reporter with ABC Radio National’s investigative current affairs program Background Briefing.

  • Lisa Forrest is many things to many people: actor, author, emcee, TV and radio presenter, interviewer, mother, Olympian.

  • Dr Simon Longstaff has been Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre since shortly after it was founded more than twenty years ago. St James Ethics Centre has been working for eight years to offer an ethics option to children not attending scripture classes.  

Against:

  • Robert Haddad is currently the Director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and lectures in Scripture and Church at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney.

  • Brigadier (ret) Jim Wallace AM is the Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, which aims to see Christian principles and ethics accepted and influencing the way we are governed, do business and relate as a community.

  • Rt Rev Dr Glenn Davies is Anglican Bishop of North Sydney. He first served as assistant Minister at St Stephen’s Willoughby, and was then invited to join the faculty of Moore College as a lecturer in Old Testament. He gained his PhD from Sheffield University in 1985. He then returned to Moore College as a lecturer in the New Testament. He was rector of St Luke’s Miranda before becoming Canon Theologian at the Diocese of Ballarat 2000. He was consecrated as Bishop in 2002. Glenn has published studies on Faith and Obedience and Job¨, and his research interests include baptism. Glenn is married to Di and they have two adult children who are both studying Primary Education at Wollongong University.

Chair:

Jonathan Holmes is a British-born Australian television journalist and producer, who is currently the presenter of Media Watch on ABC1.