Comments on: Time to decouple school and religion http://blog.cjwriting.com/2009/06/23/time-to-decouple-school-and-religion/ A freelance writer's online musings Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:57:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Calvin http://blog.cjwriting.com/2009/06/23/time-to-decouple-school-and-religion/comment-page-1/#comment-4765 Calvin Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:27:27 +0000 http://blog.cjwriting.com/2009/06/23/time-to-decouple-school-and-religion/#comment-4765 Hi Tom, Thanks for commenting... and apologies for my tardiness in replying. I appreciate all of the points you make, but for my money, and my perception is that it's a view shared by lots of people out there, particularly parents, it's time to change things. The fact that things have been done a certain way for a long time, regardless of the historical merit of the original decision, isn't a valid reason for continuing with what is ultimately a flawed model. Again, I reiterate that I'm not anti-Church, or any religion. But I do vehemently believe that any organisation, religious or no, that has failed to protect children from the predatory monsters within its ranks -- worse, has harboured and protected those monsters, compounding and spreading the horror of abuse -- should be absolutely disqualified from any involvement in our children's education. Yes there are difficulties surrounding the ownership of property, and the cost of school management, but there are solutions. The truth is that the Church has been shielded by its status. Had the horrors exposed and the subsequent cover-up been perpetrated in any private or public sector organisation you can bet your life that the authorities would have stepped in long ago. Yes there are other dangers out there... as you point out... but I don't subscribe to the notion that "better the devil you know" applies when it comes to our children's safety. I don't have any hidden agenda here... no raging campaign against Church or religion, no desire for social engineering. I'm just a parent, concerned for the safety of my children... and I'm not alone. Hi Tom,

Thanks for commenting… and apologies for my tardiness in replying.

I appreciate all of the points you make, but for my money, and my perception is that it’s a view shared by lots of people out there, particularly parents, it’s time to change things.

The fact that things have been done a certain way for a long time, regardless of the historical merit of the original decision, isn’t a valid reason for continuing with what is ultimately a flawed model.

Again, I reiterate that I’m not anti-Church, or any religion. But I do vehemently believe that any organisation, religious or no, that has failed to protect children from the predatory monsters within its ranks — worse, has harboured and protected those monsters, compounding and spreading the horror of abuse — should be absolutely disqualified from any involvement in our children’s education.

Yes there are difficulties surrounding the ownership of property, and the cost of school management, but there are solutions. The truth is that the Church has been shielded by its status. Had the horrors exposed and the subsequent cover-up been perpetrated in any private or public sector organisation you can bet your life that the authorities would have stepped in long ago.

Yes there are other dangers out there… as you point out… but I don’t subscribe to the notion that “better the devil you know” applies when it comes to our children’s safety. I don’t have any hidden agenda here… no raging campaign against Church or religion, no desire for social engineering. I’m just a parent, concerned for the safety of my children… and I’m not alone.

]]> By: Br. Tom Forde OFM Cap http://blog.cjwriting.com/2009/06/23/time-to-decouple-school-and-religion/comment-page-1/#comment-4639 Br. Tom Forde OFM Cap Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:12:22 +0000 http://blog.cjwriting.com/2009/06/23/time-to-decouple-school-and-religion/#comment-4639 As a priest, a religious and someone involved in education I too share horror at what has happened to people in Catholic institutional care in Ireland and the emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children by clergy, religious and laity. It is sickening and there's more to come with the Dublin Diocesan report. The safety of children must be a priority but taking the schools off the Church (if its even possible) is not a solution. Firstly the system goes back to the 19th Century and the British Gov's plan to educate all the children of the UK and Ireland. The cheapest and easiest way was using the established parish systems. The cost was and is shared by the local Church and the State. The Irish Gov inherited and maintained the system because it works very well. Today the people have rights to representation on Boards of Management and have more hands on say in the education of their children than many people do around the world. While most Parish priests would be only too glad to be rid of the onerous job of School Manager the State cannot afford to both compensate the Parishes for the loss of their property (usually the land the school stands belongs to the Parish) and then pay a School Manager. The State would also have to come up with the full cost of running every school. There'd be some cutbacks to meet that bill. If the State were to take total control then the control of the schools would move away from the local area to faceless bureaucrats in the Dept. Take it from someone who works in education we don't want that. As regards your remarks about priests. I too get angry at the abusers. But most priests, the vast majority are not abusers. The majority of abusers are not priests, nor are they religious. They may use religion as a screen but that is less effective today. Child protection must apply everywhere and there have been more than enough scandals involving child abuse in state run, secular institutions. There are those who are using these scandals to push their own agendas, those who want to engage in social engineering or want to get rid of religion or Christianity or just Catholicism. We must not allow our hurt and anger at what has been done and how it has been mishandled to blind us to the other dangers out there. It would be tragic if we were to try to protect children from one evil or groups of evil-doers only to expose them to another. As a priest, a religious and someone involved in education I too share horror at what has happened to people in Catholic institutional care in Ireland and the emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children by clergy, religious and laity. It is sickening and there’s more to come with the Dublin Diocesan report. The safety of children must be a priority but taking the schools off the Church (if its even possible) is not a solution. Firstly the system goes back to the 19th Century and the British Gov’s plan to educate all the children of the UK and Ireland. The cheapest and easiest way was using the established parish systems. The cost was and is shared by the local Church and the State. The Irish Gov inherited and maintained the system because it works very well. Today the people have rights to representation on Boards of Management and have more hands on say in the education of their children than many people do around the world. While most Parish priests would be only too glad to be rid of the onerous job of School Manager the State cannot afford to both compensate the Parishes for the loss of their property (usually the land the school stands belongs to the Parish) and then pay a School Manager. The State would also have to come up with the full cost of running every school. There’d be some cutbacks to meet that bill. If the State were to take total control then the control of the schools would move away from the local area to faceless bureaucrats in the Dept. Take it from someone who works in education we don’t want that.
As regards your remarks about priests. I too get angry at the abusers. But most priests, the vast majority are not abusers. The majority of abusers are not priests, nor are they religious. They may use religion as a screen but that is less effective today. Child protection must apply everywhere and there have been more than enough scandals involving child abuse in state run, secular institutions.
There are those who are using these scandals to push their own agendas, those who want to engage in social engineering or want to get rid of religion or Christianity or just Catholicism. We must not allow our hurt and anger at what has been done and how it has been mishandled to blind us to the other dangers out there. It would be tragic if we were to try to protect children from one evil or groups of evil-doers only to expose them to another.

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