{"id":13174,"date":"2023-04-27T12:40:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T02:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/?p=13174"},"modified":"2023-04-27T12:51:54","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T02:51:54","slug":"holding-the-line-on-religious-instruction-for-the-christian-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/27\/holding-the-line-on-religious-instruction-for-the-christian-right\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Holding the line\u2019 on Religious Instruction for the Christian Right"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queensland\u2019s education minister Grace Grace faces a decision of either listening to her Labor colleagues and their call to remove Religious Instruction (RI) from school hours, or \u201cholding the line\u201d for the Christian Right in the Liberal-National opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the public backlash in response to media reporting on how Christian missionaries view public schools as <\/span>\u201cmission fields\u201d and kids ripe for \u201charvesting\u201d<\/span><\/a>, one would think that removing the RI program from class time would be \u2018low-hanging fruit\u2019 for the Palaszczuk government.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I have previously argued on ABC Radio<\/span><\/a>, the state government has, in recent years, introduced laws to decriminalise and improve access to abortion, and make voluntary assisted dying an option for terminally ill Queenslanders.<\/span><\/p>\n

In both instances, the Palaszczuk government comfortably handled the criticism from religious lobbyists to make those widely popular reforms. Although a number of state<\/span> Labor members of parliament have now spoken out against RI<\/span><\/a> \u2013 with one, Don Brown, saying \u201ctime is up\u201d for RI in state schools \u2013 the government has given no sign that it is considering reform on RI.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is no surprise that the voices calling for RI to stay in public schools are coming from the Christian Right within the Liberal National Party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Mark Robinson \u2013 a <\/span>member of the state parliament since 2009 <\/span><\/a>\u2013 used a speech to parliament to urge Minister Grace to \u201chold the line against the current attacks\u201d and \u201ckeep RI\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Robinson is <\/span>a director <\/span><\/a>of, and <\/span>an occasional preacher<\/span><\/a> at, the Pentecostal church known as Favor Church in Brisbane. The church\u2019s mission, according to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission website, is to \u201cpromote and foster the development of Christianity and the belief in our Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2020, he appeared as a guest speaker at the <\/span>dominionist Church & State Summit<\/span><\/a> \u2013 an event that brings members of the Christian Right together to discuss <\/span>how to infiltrate politics and parties<\/span><\/a>. Just a few days ago, he<\/span> joined Australian Christian Lobby spokesperson Wendy Francis at the anti-abortion rally in Brisbane. Later this year, he is scheduled to appear as a guest speaker at the Apostolic Summit entitled \u2018Roar Over Nations\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n