His voice is one a many that are calling for New Zealand schools to teach their students more about religion.

John Shaver, head of religious studies at the University of Otago, agrees.

"It's ridiculous to think one shouldn't teach religion, given its importance in human society.

Every society has a religion of some sort, so to not talk about what that is would be a huge disservice to the education of children - it would be equivalent to hiding politics from education."

Peter Donovan, a former associate professor of religious studies at Massey University, said New Zealand's religious diversity should be recognised within different curriculum areas.

Rather than any "heavy loadings of beliefs and doctrine", classrooms should be places where students can learn about different beliefs, gods, texts, rituals and customs, "so schools can share in the life of their wider communities and increase awareness of religious diversity".

"The mosque shootings [highlighted] the need for accepting that we have a lot of religions and opinions about religions in New Zealand," Donovan says.

In New Zealand, primary schools are permitted to close for one hour each week to allow religious instruction to take place.

There are a number of religious instruction providers and they all have different syllabuses.

However, they do not teach about religion, they instruct in Christian religious faith.

The main provider is the Churches Education Commission, now called Launchpad.

It operates in about 600 schools around the country.

Apart from a requirement for police vetting of all presenters, the Ministry of Education takes no role in overseeing course content.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• religiouseducation.co.nz
• noted.co.nz
• Image: walterhav.com

David Hines, spokesperson for SEN, has been described in the media as a"retired Journalist and lay preacher.

An introduction to a 2012 YouTube video says Hines

• Was a Methodist minister for 10 years, from 1961.
• He resigned and became a journalist, but continued lay preaching.
• Around 1986 he became a Christian atheist, led a church youth group
• And he worked for the Catholic newspaper, Zealandia.
• About 2006 he started lay preaching again.

In a 2014 interview with Danielle Street posted on VICE Hines described himself as a Christian Atheist

"Well, my own beliefs are quite weird. I'm a Christian-Atheist and I'm a lay preacher.

So I've been a Christian all my life, but since I was 21 I've come at it from a secular angle.

I don't believe in the legendary stuff, but I still believe in the rest of it—the values and so on.

In the interview Hines said "When I was gathering comments against the Bible in Schools programme more Christians came and declared themselves against it than Atheists."

In its appeal to the Human Rights Commission SEN will be claiming that section 78 of the Education Act 1964 - which permitted the programmes - is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act.

The case also states that the Education Act 1989 permitted biased teaching about religions and non-religious beliefs in social studies and other classes, and stopped the Ministry of Education from monitoring it or taking action.

The Churches Education Commission (CEC), which runs Bible in Schools in many state schools, has also been accepted as an interested non-party with a right to present evidence.

CEC claim that their classes are suitable for non-religious students and that they support the New Zealand curriculum.

In 2015 Victoria University religious studies professor Paul Morris Morris reviewed two of the CEC courses.

Among other things he concluded that the teaching materials were "at odds with the diverse demography of our country where nationally a minority are Christian and an even smaller minority are conservative evangelical Christians".

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• youtube.com
• vice.com
• religioninschools.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• religiouseducation.co.nz
• Image: vice.com

Methodist Church director of mission Trevor Hoggard said the church wanted details about objective religious teaching in schools.

"With all the troubles we're seeing all around the world today, [we feel] New Zealand children need to have a basic grasp of all the major religions."

"We're all global citizens....That's the context in which our children are growing up in."

Victoria University professor Paul Morris' reviewed two Churches Education Commission (CEC) syllabuses obtained by the Secular Education Network called Launch 1 and Life Choices.

He found the material was unsuitable for non-Christian, non-evangelical students.

The organisation's website said volunteers who went into New Zealand classrooms to teach the CEC material were to use phrases like "Christians believe" rather than stating religious beliefs as fact.

However, Morris said the statements on the website do not honestly reflect CEC's viewpoint as it is expressed in the syllabuses.

CEC's use of prayers to God and Jesus were "inappropriate and likely objectionable" to secular, non-Christian and non-evangelical parents and students, he said.

The prominence given to Christian scriptures, heroes and practices were not suitable for non-Christian students.

Referring to the CEC's website, Morris said "I do not consider that the assurances to parents and [school] trustees are sufficient to make the content clear or honestly reflect their minority viewpoints".

He also rejected CEC's claim that the values in their lessons supported those of the New Zealand Curriculum.

Morris said "religious formation" as used by CEC was appropriate for a religious community but not for a state school.

Morris said knowledge of Christian traditions and churches in was essential to appreciate New Zealand's artistic, musical, legal, moral and political traditions.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• tainuischool.edublogs.org
• Image: teara.govt.nz

He said the inclusion of religious education in schools continues to raise debates in certain quarters within the education system.

Chong was speaking during his recent visit to a Napuka Secondary School.

"All churches want to bring their religious ethics and teachings into the schools and for us Catholics it is a challenge because we do not have the number," he said.

"The challenge for the parishes like here (Napuka) is that we have to offer it in another way and that is to offer this through parish based teachings instead of having to run this in the school.

"We have to find alternative ways and the Catholic education system is going through an important transitional period."

Source

• fijitimes.com
• Image: fijisun.com.fj

The Churches Education Commission (CEC) was granted a say in the landmark case in the High Court at Auckland today.

The spat is between Jeff McClintock, who says his daughter was segregated and humiliated after opting out of religious studies at Red Beach Primary School, and the Attorney General and Red Beach Board of Trustees. Continue reading

Labour, New Zealand First and the Green Party are indicating they would support change in the way religion is currently taught in schools.

Education Minister Hekia Parata says it's up to Boards of Trustees to determine whether to include some, all, or no classes in religious education. Continue reading

This symposium will look into the arguments for and against religious instruction in schools, including a discussion as to how it fits under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

The decision to hold the Symposium comes after the New Zealand Herald's recent articles on religion in schools programmes once again prompted public debate over the issue.

The ability for state primary and intermediate schools to close for up to an hour a week for the purposes of religious instruction given by outside voluntary instructors is preserved under s 78 of the Education Act 1964.

Approximately one in three New Zealand primary schools exercise this opportunity, with parents being able to opt their children out.

Teachings are overwhelmingly based on the Christian faith.

Source

• Religious diversity network
• Image: The New Zealand Herald