Do religious schools still have a place in modern society?

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Dear Editor,
In regard to the Queensland government’s decision to not remove exemptions to anti-discrimination laws in religious schools (RSA Weekly, 14 June 2024), the issue should not be just whether gay teachers have a right to a job in a "religious" school. The question should be: "What are religious schools still doing in Australia or any modern society?" This is especially so given that taxpayers' money is used to support them.
Society seems to accept that Catholic and other religious schools have some inherent right to exist alongside secular schools. We accept them because they are already there. We allow people to take our vulnerable, malleable, beautiful children and give them 30 hours a week of "follow these arbitrary rules and don't even think of being naughty or you will burn in hell for eternity".
So should gay teachers apply for jobs at these institutions? That’s not for me to say. I can only assume there are no jobs going at schools where they would be welcomed for who they are. In which case, fair enough.
But when we accept the continued existence of these god-fearing, hell-fearing establishments of learning, can we really be surprised when they only want to employ people that conform to their medieval view of how the world is?
Tom Garrish
 
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