Dear Doctor Jensen
April 15th 2010 00:16
Dear Doctor Jensen
( A note to international readers Jensen is the Anglican Primate of Sydney)
Apparently according to the SMH you object to Ethics classes being introduced into Sydney's schools as an alternative to Religion and Scripture.
Afraid of competition? Worried bored students might desert "scripture" classes in droves for Ethics? Why?
Well Ethics might be less boring since they can do some fighting er debating and research.
Dear Jensen you may have enjoyed scripture classes but the majority of us found them pointless since if "Christian" we were already reading or studying scripture in Sunday School and if not we were just terminably bored.
Most scripture teachers are trying so hard to witness but pretend not to be that they end up preaching instead of teaching or worse they are people who want to be ministers and teachers and don't have that gift. I'm talking the sort of people who could make the Song of Songs sound dull!
Curiously odd how Scripture Classes never covered the Song of Songs?
May I suggest as an act of Charity we turn all scripture classes into a general religion or philosophy class in which students get to hear ask questions and talk about a variety of religions from representatives of major and minor faiths.
Protestants could vie to say charitable things about Catholicism and vice versa. Could them?
As well as the Gideon Society giving out bibles or New Testaments Buddhists and Muslims could give away and discuss copies in English of the Quran and the Dhammapada. Local Wiccans could give a talk along with Aboriginal Elders. Taoists could talk about the Tao Te Ching!
Nuns and monks of many persuasions could be called upon to demonstrate the arts and practice of prayer and meditation
Why religion classes might even become diverse and interesting again!
Is that what you want?
Personally I think supporting a general religion / philosophy class would be a more charitable action than complaining that students are taught Ethics?
Where does it say in the New Testament that only Christians can teach Ethics or how to discuss discernng good from evil?
Finally may I suggest another way to make Scripture Class more important?
We could talk about exciting aspects of Anglican Church History and topics like the faction fighting between Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals in the Synod and whether or not Archbishop Laud's policies in the 17th century contributed to the causes of the English Civil War.
Yes Christendom like Islam had its terrorists and radicals.
Funny how they never mentioned the Puritans and Convenanters and Anabaptists and Wars of Religion in Scripture Class?
Can't understand why?
Government schools are secular whether you like it or not.
A general religion and philosophy class including an introduction to a variety of faiths and philosophies and basic reasoning and logic skills would be a far more charitable action than complaining about Ethics.
An even better use of your time Jensen might be a sermon attacking builders who charge the maximum amount for contracts for school works and do shoddy buildings or you could use your position to insist Anglican Private Schools either offer more scholarships or share their facilities with public schools in low income areas that can't afford theatres and gyms and swimming pools and sporting grounds?
Ethics is such an interesting topic to teach!
I do wonder why you object?
Sincerely a lapsed Anglican who nearly turned Buddhist because of Evangelicals like you!
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