BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 88, 11 October 1932, Page 6

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

THE BILL OPPOSED

NATIONAL DEFENCE LEAGUE

A meeting of the executive of the National Schools Defence League was held yesterday, Mr. A. R. Atkinson presiding, in order to consider the Religious Instruction in Public Schools Enabling Bill now before Parliament, and, on the motion of Professor Hunter, seconded by Mr. John Hutcheson, the following resolution was passed:— ■

"Whereas the religious neutrality Hitherto observed by the State in its educational system ia violated by the proposal of the Religious Instruction in Public Schools Enabling Bill to introduce a Protestant text-book and religious exercises into the curriculum of the State schools, and whereas the proposed conscience clause will introduce invidious distinctions between the teachers, and will expose those who take advantage of it to annoyance, friction, and loss, and whereas there is no conscience clause to exempt a taxpayer from contributing to the cost of a kind of teaching to which he objects, and whereas the principle of denominational preference is carried further in a clausei intended to conciliate the _ Roman Catholics by giving them special' facilitiesjin regard to the-exemp-tion of both teachers and children, and whereas the effect of granting the proposed preferences to the Protestant Churches in the State schools must be to strengthen the demand of the Roman Catholics for. the subsidising of their schools by the State, and-will probably! make it irresistible, and whereas the reading of scraps of the Bible, whether with or without comment, by secular teachers in a secular atmosphere is not to teach religion, and will often have the opposite effect, and the real cure for the alleged 'godlessness of the schools' is to increase the facilities for voluntary religious instruction by Christian ministers and other competent religious teachers with their hearts in the work under what is known as the Nelson system:—Resolved that, the Religious Instruction in:"Public Schools Enabling Bill is just as antagonistic to sound principle and: public policy as any of the Bills previously introduced by the same party-wjtb a vsimilar object, and that a petition be presented to Parliament praying that the-Bill be not passed, and that no change be made in the law except for the -purpose'• of .removing the. present .obstacles ■ to'the extension of the.Nelson eystem." -.-

The action of the secretary. Professor MacKenzie, in arranging -with, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education for the reception of a deputation in opposition to the Bill on Thursday, 20th October, at 10.45 a.m. wa&/confirmed. "-■■ - ..'•''.