Anglican view on religion in schools

Press, 4 July 1978, Page 17

Anglican view on religion in schools

“Humanistic” and “religious” education are not opposed to each other, the board of Christian Education in the Anglican diocese of Christchurch has said in a statement to the Minister of Education (Mr Gandar). The board’s statement wejcomes the recommendations of the Johnson Report on education, and says that it sees the report as providing a better foundation for the more explicit Christian education which is the task of the church, and not the school. A humanist need not be a Christian, but a Christian places a high value on human dignity and relationships, and welcomes any movement to protect and enrich these, the statement says. The Johnson Report’s affirmation that education is concerned not only with formal learning but with the whole school climate, and with all aspects of life, including moral maturity and religious beliefs, is particularly welcomed in the board’s statement. “We see in this report the vision of a society which, while at many points at variance with the direction of contemporary New Zealand life, is something worth working towards for the future well-being of our country,” the statement says.

The board agrees that while the fundamental place of the home and family in moral and spiritual values education is upheld, there is also need for the school to be involved. This is important because many families are not able to deal with these aspects of life effectively; and because the school is in fact, an important part of the child’s “extended family,” says the statement.

“The school inevitably holds a significant role in the child’s development, and cannot avoid imparting values education of some kind. To avoid discussion of morals or religion is to teach negatively something important about the value of these dimensions in life. “Education can never be

value-free, and it is better that the attitudes being held and used should be recognised. Only then are they available to scrutiny and critical appraisal. “In this sensitive area of moral and spiritual values education, a great deal depends on the educational methods adopted. The report recognises that the process of education is as important as the content. “The training of teachers is important to ensure that this process has educational integrity, for without this, teachers could indulge in indoctrination of a particular point of view. While the involvement of parents in the school curriculum can be creative, professionalism in education is a much-needed safeguard against amateur enthusiasm and intolerance,” the statement says. The Johnson Report’s comments about spiritual dimensions in education are also the subject of appreciative comment by the board. Such a programme in schools could help young people consider a dimension of life of which they might not otherwise be aware, or which they might reject as a hangover from a past age, says the statement. “We maintain that the school’s function is to recognise and explore educationally the part that religion plays in life, and that all indoctrination should be the concern of the home and the church.”

By presenting the possibility of a wider frame of reference for living than the pragmatic-materialistic viewpoint comm,onlv entrenched as the only respectable attitude and bv suggesting possible dangers in some alternative ways of seeking spiritual satisfaction such a programme would also be valuable. “Because children from all sections of the community are involved in school life, the local community norms are reflected there. However, the school also has a unique opportunity to play a leadership role in fostering a healthy, pluralistic society,” the statement says.