Taking God to School: The end of Australia's egalitarian education?

by Marion Maddox

Fewer Australians now practise a religion or believe in God than ever. Yet our governments increasingly push conservative Christianity on our children.Nearly forty per cent of secondary students attend a private school, which are overwhelmingly Christian. Canberra funds them heavily, and sends evangelical Christian chaplains into both public and private schools. Some states subsidise Christian volunteers to deliver religious instruction, and some make Christian ministry a matriculation subject.Some Christian schools promote Creationism, and some advertise that their first priority is training 'soldiers' to 'do battle for the Lord in a world which rejects His laws and dominion', rather than good citizens of Australia.Marion Maddox demonstrates that our governments are systematically demolishing the once proud free, compulsory and secular education system, in favour of taxpayer-funded dogma and division. The implications are unsettling for our society and for our democracy.'If you believe education is about teaching children how to think, not what to think, then this chilling book is a must read.' - Jane Caro, social commentator and co-author of What Makes a Good School?'This deeply disturbing book tells how Australia's 'noble dream' of public education in the 19th century has been undermined by a combination of selfish political vote-buying, judicial abdication and public indifference.' - The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Education

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2014

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marion Maddox's examination of the role of state funding of religion in Australian schools is scrupulously researched and passionately argued and is essential reading for all Australians. Maddox is a theologian and is mystified by the ignorance and indifference shown by the majority of Australians to the steady erosion of secular education in Australia. She outlines the history of secular education reforms back to the nineteenth century, when Christians were concerned about sectarian divisions and realised that the only way to achieve a unified education system was to leave religion out of schools.

Maddox outlines how, particularly with the advance of neoliberal economic theories and under the banner of a spurious notion of 'choice', state funding has steadily increased for private religious schools, divisive rather than inclusive programs of religious 'education' have entered state primary schools and the chaplaincy program has provided further inroads into schools for churches keen to make more disciples.

In many ways Australians are indeed largely indifferent to religion but that indifference plays host to an apathy that has masked awareness of what exactly goes on in schools when it comes to religion. This book should be compulsory reading for all politicians and all parents, but really it's for everyone as we're all taxpayers and we should be aware of exactly how that money is being spent.

[Avril · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure whether the Uniting Church comes out of this book as sane and sensible or hypocritical. We're the church that supports public education and recognises the very poor pedagogy of the Access Ministries curriculum (sane and sensible) but we're also the church that gives Access Ministries $60,000 per annum and is connected to Haileybury, a school whose students are so privileged that they can't be imprisoned (hypocritical).

I'm in the same philosophical place as Maddox (church-going Christian who believes that education should be compulsory, free and secular) so obviously I found this a worthwhile read. I learned the most in Maddox' discussion of the new 'themelic' Christian schools. As a UCA minister I know all about the privileged 'schools with pools' that the Uniting Church inherited from the uniting denominations, but I knew very little about the new, low-fee, 'bible- based', 'Christ-centred' schools. Having read this book I am aghast that these schools receive public funding and are recognised by the government. I don't believe 'schools with pools' should receive public money because after years of bequests and with the fees paid by parents they are immensely privileged, but I've never questioned that they are 'good' schools that teach children well. But the new themelic schools just sound like bad schools. Teaching creationism in science isn't a matter of 'religious freedom'! And schools that receive public funding have absolutely no reason for not following public laws in matters like anti-discrimination.

One argument consistently made for giving public money to private schools is that the parents of private school children pay their taxes too. Well, I pay taxes and have no children at all, and I am horrified and appalled that any of my money might be going to support homophobic, creationist, bible-based schools. If Maddox is right in everything she writes the educational system in Australia is in a lot of trouble.