The Bishops' Rejoinder to the Biblein-Schools Conference

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 26, 30 June 1904, Page 3

The Bishops' Rejoinder to the Bible-in-Schools Conference

The following further pronouncement on the educa*tion question has been issued by the Catholic Bishops of New Zealand, in reply to the manifesto of the Bible-in-schools Conference :— By way of rejoinder to a recent manifesto, we submit to the consideration of our fellow-colonists of every creed the following further criticisms of proposals to introduce into the State schools, as " part of the school curriculum under the inspectors," a scheme of lessons and prayers from the Protestant Authorised Version of the Bible, " with simple explanations of a literary, historical, and ethical character," and with a conscience clause for pupils and teachers This scheme, as presented to the public by its official advocates, involves (1) a complete subversion of one of the three fundamental principles of the Education Act ; (2) an entirely changed attitude on the part of the Civil Government towards religion and religious denominations ; (3) the conversion of State school teachers into religious instructors ; (4) the compulsory payment of taxes by Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, and other recusants for the teaching of a form of religion to which, on grounds of conscience, they object ; and (5) a resort to a referendum (or rather to a plebiscite) to decide questions affecting rights of conscience. Upon the official advocates of a scheme of such farreadhing import naturally falls the burden ot justifying it, if they can, by clear and cogent reasons of public necessity or convenience. Thus far, however, they have failed to do so. Our recent criticism of their manifesto has, on the contrary, been met with the amazing contention that it devolves upon objector.s to show cause why the new project should not receive legislative effect ! The remainder of the document is made up of a series of unsupported statements and false assumptions which may be set forth in the following propositions :—: — I. That the Civil Government has the right to teach religion in the public schools. 11. That the proposed scheme of Scriptural instruction is •' unsectarian." 111. That a conscience clause is ample protection for objectors. IV. That this question of conscience may be fairly decided by a referendum.