{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F59be78c0-78da-4a9d-bc3b-d02f7912d503","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"Episode 172 \u2013 Certificates for Birth and Consensual Sex","description":"A birth certificate without gender. A confirmation certificate without religion. A competency certificate for sexual consent. All will be revealed in episode 172.
\nBible Lessons are back on the agenda in Victoria
\n2:59 From The Age:
\nReligious instruction classes will be reintroduced into the Victorian state school curriculum if the Coalition wins next month’s election.
\nOpposition leader Matthew Guy made the announcement at an Australian Christian Lobby pre-election forum on the weekend.
\n“A government I lead will bring back religious instruction in schools because it’s very important,” Mr Guy told the crowd at Crossway Baptist Church in Burwood East.
\nHe also reiterated his party’s promise to abolish the contentious Safe Schools program and said he was not ashamed to say he was a Christian.
\nHere is a great article in The Age from Nicola Philp:
\nI’m all for religious education, just not Matthew Guy’s version.
\n
\nFirstly, when RE classes run, a teacher has to be in the room to supervise the volunteers who provide the instruction. This is an unreasonable time and cost impost on the school. Secondly, the rules also state that the rest of the students who are opting out are not allowed to be learning anything new, because the children in the RE classes might miss out. Meanwhile, the government then lambasts teachers for falling numeracy/literacy/science standards at the same time. And finally, and probably most importantly, many government schools feel uncomfortable with the singling out of one religion over another and giving it precedence.
\n
\nThe Blot Report reported :
\nOn Twitter, Milly Majich made a very astute observation: \u201cWhy is it that the people who calmly misrepresent \u2018Religious Instruction\u2019 as being \u2018Religious Education\u2019 are the same ones who hysterically misrepresent \u2018Sex Education\u2019 as being \u2018Sex Instruction\u2019?\u201d This observation says much about the way the religious think, about how disingenuous they are, and also about their obsession with sex.
\nSecular Confirmation Ceremonies
\n8:56\u00a0Civil confirmation is a secular alternative to religious confirmation.
\nThe Icelandic civil confirmation program consists of an\u00a011-week educational program and ceremony for teenagers aged 13-14.
\nCivil confirmation is a secular alternative to religious confirmation. The Icelandic civil confirmation program consists of an\u00a011-week educational program and ceremony for teenagers aged 13-14.
\nAt the end of the course, there is a festive cultural and musical ceremony where some of the kids perform by giving speeches, reading poetry, playing instruments, singing, dancing, doing stand-up or a sketch. In addition, a prominent member of Icelandic society gives a speech about what makes life meaningful, the importance of being honest and true to one\u2019s values, and the right to be different. At the end of the one-hour ceremony, each teenager receives a diploma rolled up like a scroll and tied with a colourful ribbon. The English translation of the text on the diplomas is:
\n
\nCivil confirmation (year)\u00a0
\nIt is hereby confirmed that\u00a0(name of individual)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
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