I must admit, I am having a hard time fathoming the decision made by the Victorian government to allow Victorian churches to :
discriminate on grounds including sexuality or marital status if it is in accordance with their beliefs
In a bill to be presented to parliament next year churches won’t be able to discriminate on
- race,
- disability,
- age,
- physical features,
- political belief or
- breastfeeding.
Really it seems quite a half arsed decision. We have publically funded institutions (through school funding and huge tax concessions) being allowed to do what no other sector of the community can do.
How do you determine whether hatred of homosexuals is a core belief – because a bigoted organisation says it is? Dependant on the denomination and even congregations within denominations there are huge disparities in belief on the subject of homosexuality amongst Christians. I can’t see this as anything more than supporting small minded bigotry.
I mean, surely if Christian churches were going by the letter of the law they would be stoning homosexuals to death. So really this is not a core belief is it, its just small minded, ultra conservative bigotry being supported by the state? No?
I wonder what will happen to the wonderful gay teachers working in Christian schools( is this a another tool that could be used in intra school politics to get teachers to tow the line?)or to the many gay ministers.
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission chief executive Helen Szoke indicated that the new legislation would require schools to show how employing someone of a particular religion was relevant to a job.
I just wonder why this has not been extended to sexuality? Political pressure from the ACL? Whinging and whining from churches being dragged into the modern era?
Don’t get me started on the single parent thing…
Shame Victoria shame.
Related posts:
- Not bigoted, just cheap? Following on from today’s earlier post – A Victorian...
- Parents shouldn’t be forced to choose between ethics and religious education. Or so cries the ACL in its attempt to rally...
- Focus on the Family banned from ACT schools It is alleged that Focus on the Family Australia,...
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[...] Looks like the fluffy bunny and kitty will have the legally-sanctioned hatred of the church to deal with in Victoria. (Let Sean the Blogonaut tell you about it.) [...]
The outcome I’d like to see from this is a boycott of religious schools by teachers.
Once the pool of teachers willing to work for these places is restricted, and their much-treasured academic results start stuffering, then we’ll see how much they really value their rules!
I think the big name schools won't be a problem on this issue outside of inter office politics – teaching is has had the nastiest inter office politics I have ever come across. I don't know if a boycott would work.
Matt, do you think there are huge numbers of irreligious teachers working in religious schools now? Such that a boycott would be a threat?
I honestly don't have any idea how many non religious teachers work in private religious schools in Australia. My experience is limited to the one school I taught at in Alice Springs. A catholic school they did employ an openly gay and quite camp man but then teachers have been in very short supply (along with every other professional) for years.