The Secretary of State For Education and Women and Equalities Minister Nicky Morgan has come under fire once again, this time for saying that schools should teach children that Britain is a Christian country.
Nicky Morgan, who has sidestepped a high court ruling which found that she has unlawfully excluded atheism from the school curriculum, has also said that whilst schools should teach that Britain is a Christian country they do not have to teach non-religious world views.
The government has released new guidance that reads, 'There is no obligation for any school or ASC to give equal airtime to the teachings of religious and non-religious views. There is no obligation on any school to cover the teaching of non-religious world views (or any other particular aspect of the RE curriculum) in Key Stage 4 specifically. Rather it is for the schools to determine how they meet their wider obligations across the key stages.'
The new document also states that religious education should 'reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are, in main, Christian'. What the document fails to note or reference though is that after a two year commission it was decided that Britain is no longer a majority Christian country.
These findings have been backed up by a separate inquiry, chaired by Baroness Butler-Sloss, involving leaders of all faiths and beliefs that concluded that Britain is not, in fact, a Christian country any more.
According to the Daily Telegraph a spokesperson for Nicky Morgan stated that she feels the new measures are to prevent a 'creeping ratchet effect' wherein atheists are trying to force schools to teach a humanist view of the world.
Interestingly Nicky Morgan seems to have something of a history of a prejudice against atheist and humanist views as in November she was found by the High Court to have made an 'error in the law' by leaving humanism from her changes to religious studies content.
Once again it would seem that Nicky Morgan is allowing her own personal beliefs to dictate government policy and her professional choices. In the past Nicky Morgan has let her own personal religious views dictate how she does her job, claiming that these personal views were in part responsible for her voting against marriage equality.
Nicky Morgan believes that her faith trumps actual equality for marginalised groups. She feels that her faith trumps other people's religious beliefs, or lack of. She feels that because she is a Christian woman in a position of power that she can dictate that schools need to educate others in her beliefs, despite repeated evidence that Britain is no longer a Christian country.
That kind of closed minded and defiant attitude is not something that should have a place in a minister in charge of both equality and education.
Amy.
xx
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