The following is a great example of the sophistry and dishonesty of the militant secularists. The Scottish Secular Society responded to my New Years Message with the following letter in the Dundee Courier.
Sir, – In his New Year message, Free Kirk moderator David Robertson refers to “Scotland’s Christian state education system” and claims that “a monolithic, one-size-fits-all state education system is failing”. Does this mean that it is a Christian system that’s failing, or is it the state itself that Mr Robertson sees as Christian?
He claims that “a more militant secularism seeks to remove all traces of Christianity” from the education system. The Scottish Secular Society, however, wish to do no such thing. We believe Christianity should be studied in schools as an important cultural influence, as should other major religions, but we think it inappropriate that supernatural beliefs, lacking evidence, are presented as fact in publicly-funded places of education.
Making all state schools secular would not prevent Christians raising their children as Christians, just as Hindus are not prevented from raising their children as Hindus by a total absence of Hindu state schools.To Hindu parents, Scottish state education is monolithically non-Hindu, but not anti-Hindu. If that is not a problem, why should a monolithically non-Christian system be problematic, especially when churches are widely available and free.
A secular school, which does not promote religion, is not an atheist school, which would actively promote disbelief in gods. The Scottish Secular Society do not want atheist schools.
Robert Canning.
Vice-chair,
The Scottish Secular Society,
My response is published today:
Dear Editor,
Robert Canning of the Scottish Secular Society claims that his group do not want to remove Christianity from Scotland’s Christian state education system (letters 4th January) whilst going on to explain that he also does not want Christianity to be presented as fact in publicly funded places of education. In other words he only wants Christianity taught as myth, by secularist atheists! Which in effect is the removal of real Christianity from Scottish education. He goes on to claim that the SSS do not want atheist schools, they just want schools which do not promote belief in God. Given that atheism is just the absense of belief in God then in fact he really is asking for atheist schools. Perhaps our education system needs to start teaching lessons in logic?
We have numerous examples of schools where Christian pupils have had their faith mocked and denigrated by the so called ‘neutral’ secularists.
The European Charter on Human Rights states that ‘in the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation to education and teaching, the state shall respect the rights of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions”. It is clear that the SSS are opposed to that basic human right. Instead they insist that all pupils must be taught according to their religious and philosophical convictions. Is this the secularist version of equality, diversity and tolerance?
Yours etc
David Robertson
St Peters Free Church
4 St Peter St
Dundee
DD1 4JJ
Can you see the sophistry? The SSS say that they do not want atheist schools. They also define atheism as ‘the lack of belief in God’. They want schools which operate on the principle of the lack of belief in God. Therefore they want atheist schools. Its not exactly rocket science but it appears that logic is not the strong point of atheistic secularism!