Neil McNicholas: Yet more prejudice from the critics of religion in schools

THE British Humanist Association is at it again – advocating that schools should be banned from selecting pupils on the basis of religious belief, claiming that faith-based admissions fuel segregation and damage communities by causing distrust and disharmony.

Freedom of religious belief and worship is an essential facet of a democratic society – as is freedom not to believe or worship. Why is it so difficult for an organisation like the BHA to respect freedom of worship in the same way that people of faith respect their right not to worship, indeed not to believe? Why are we who believe such a threat to them that they are calling for bans and campaigning for legal prohibitions?

One thing they never seem to recognise is that advocating that schools should be free from religious input is as discriminatory as the concern they express over faith-based schools, given that such a policy would support the humanist (no God) position.

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The vast majority of schools in this country are non-denominational, however the national curriculum requires that a general study of world religions is provided. Faith schools, or perhaps I should say church schools, exist precisely to educate pupils who belong to the particular denomination to which the school in question belongs.

This does not imply or involve discrimination or division within the community, indeed while priority is given to pupils of that denomination (because the school was established for them and is partially funded by that church community) the admission policy does not exclude others if places are available.

Applications from anyone, of any faith or none, are welcomed. How does this fuel segregation, damage communities and cause distrust and disharmony, as the BHA claims? Where is (and what is the source of) their evidence?

The Catholic Church (and I speak as a Catholic priest) makes it very clear in its teaching that parents are the primary educators of their children in the ways of the faith. That is the responsibility they accept on behalf of their children when they ask to have them baptised.

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The Church is there to assist them in fulfilling that responsibility and, historically, that has been the principle reason for establishing and operating Catholic schools. These provide a full and complete curriculum – as they are required to by law – including teaching aspects of the Catholic faith but also a general introduction to other faiths.

The creation and promotion of a faith-based ethos within the school is reflected in the discipline and respect, as well as academic achievement. That is a typical characteristic and which seems to be appreciated also by non-Catholic parents judging by the extent to which places for their children are typically sought by them. Their children are free to opt out of overtly religious activities which may be contrary to their faith. All of this is true, I’m sure, in schools of other denominations also.

As I said earlier, the faith community whose name a church school operates, picks up a considerable portion of its operating costs as well as involving itself in the governance of the school. If the BHA had its way, where does it think the Government would get the money to make up any shortfall if the local church community was no longer paying its share? And church schools do not segregate or discriminate. The only time they might appear (and I repeat “appear”) to be excluding children is if applications for admission from the church community matched or exceeded the number of available places.

Legally established and approved admissions policies give priority to such applications precisely because it is that faith community for which the school was established and which supports it. Typically, however, enrolment isn’t at such levels and pupils are welcomed from whatever communities and whatever faiths.

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As a result, children attend school with friends, and make new friends, from their own and from other religious backgrounds and from none. And that’s the thing really. Our society can only be the richer for having an open mind to the beliefs and the practices of all who make up the local community and the population of the country in general.

Our religious freedoms are enshrined in law and trying to introduce measures in contravention of those and freedoms is a downhill slide into prejudice fuelled by self-interest, nothing of which contributes to our society. It is of no concern to me if members of the BHA don’t share my belief in God – that’s up to them.

But, I ask again, why are we who do believe such a threat to them that they are constantly calling for bans and campaigning for legal prohibitions?