Posted on 10/03/2006 6:10:15 PM PDT by blam
Faith schools 'may reject Christians'
By Liz Lightfoot, Education Editor
(Filed: 03/10/2006)
Children from Christian families may be turned away from popular Church of England schools to make way for non-believers and those of other faiths under a new quota system.
At least a quarter of places at all new Church of England schools will be set aside for other pupils, according to guidelines outlined by the Church yesterday. The reform of school admissions will also affect Roman Catholic schools which will in future need to prove that their intakes reflect the social nature of the areas from which they recruit.
The changes have been prompted by the Government's admission code going through Parliament.
It imposes a ban on the interviewing of pupils and requires faith schools to be more open about the criteria they use to measure religious commitment.
Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, praised the new arrangement, announced in a joint statement from the two churches, as a step forward for cohesion.
"A good education is one of the best ways of building understanding of the many issues that unite us as opposed to the views that divide," he said. "We want to preserve the special contribution faith schools make to raising educational standards and offering choice.
"Church of England schools have an excellent record of providing high quality education and serving disadvantaged communities and Catholic schools are among the most ethnically and socially diverse in the country."
About a third of all mainstream state schools have a religious character. Most of these are from the major Christian denominations, with 4,600 Church of England and 2,000 Catholic schools. The change will not apply to existing schools.
The agreement follows a speech earlier this year by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in which he said there was need for a "clear public commitment" to integrate children of all faiths and guarantee places for local children. He said that in some areas, Muslim children were as likely as others to be educated in church schools because such institutions were trusted by minority religious communities.
The Government is encouraging faith groups to get more involved in state schools by sponsoring semi-independent academies and the new generation of trust schools. The Church has said some 200 new Anglican secondary school may be opened under the plans.
Now that's WEIRD.
I laughed out loud on reading this story. I don't necessarily find it funny that the Church of England is plotting its own death; it's just that it is so obvious that it it facilitating that demise.
I guess we're all stuck on stupid (thanks General.)
Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is why separation of church and state / a prohibition on the establishment of religion / a guarantee of the free exercise of religion is a good thing. Without those, churches can be overrun by leftist ideologies whenever a "progressive" government gets elected.
Soon they'll not even bother calling them "Church of England schools". Butterfly farm might be a more honest title.
How many quotas for the High Wican Priest of the Mad Mullah IED Mosque?
so does this apply to madrasses (sp?) as well?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1713153/posts
Outcry as clergy say calling God 'He' or 'Lord' encourages wife-beating
Daily Mail ^ | October 3, 2006
Posted on 10/03/2006 7:36:56 PM CDT by LiteKeeper
Church of England leaders warned yesterday that calling God 'He' encourages men to beat their wives.
They told churchgoers they must think twice before they refer to God as 'He' or 'Lord' because of the dangers that it will lead to domestic abuse.
See also... Church leader accuses BBC of bias against Catholic church
In new guidelines for bishops and priests on such abuse, they blamed "uncritical use of masculine imagery" for encouraging men to behave violently towards women.
They also warned that clergy must reconsider the language they use in sermons and check the hymns they sing to remove signs of male oppression.
The recommendation - fully endorsed by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams - puts a question mark over huge swathes of Christian teaching and practice.
excerpt
I believe this should be an infringement on freedom of religion and association.
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