Too Little, Too Late?

Melanie Phillips makes a point others have also been trying to make recently:

Although most people may no longer be churchgoers, Christianity infuses all this country's institutions, traditions and values.

These have been systematically attacked by a secular culture of unlimited self-indulgence and self-destructive behaviour, resulting in the collapse of the married family, rising crime, drug and alcohol abuse and a grievous erosion of the sanctity of human life.

She may as well be talking of Australia as of Britain.

But is the point she makes too late, considering the cult of individualism that is washing once strong societies down the gutter?

-- Nick

Interpret It In Your Own Way

Muslim parents in Britain join forces with Christians to stand up for the right to not have their children proselytised to on homosexuality:

Parents face possible court action for withdrawing their children from lessons on gay and lesbian history. More than 30 pupils were pulled out of a week of teaching at a primary school which included books about homosexual partnerships. The controversial content was worked into the curriculum at George Tomlinson School in Waltham Forest, East London...

Pervez Latif, whose children Saleh, ten, and Abdur-Rahim, nine, attend the school, said... Christian and Muslim parents had objected to the theme linked to Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month... One story covered in a lesson was King and King, a fairytale about a prince who turns down three princesses before falling in love with one of their brothers.

It's all about tolerance:

A spokesman for Waltham Forest Council said: ‘As part of the borough’s policy of promoting tolerance in our schools, children are taught that everyone in our society is of equal value.'

... intolerance of which will not be tolerated:

Regrettably, some parents chose to remove their children from school. ‘The council does not condone any unauthorised absence from school and action has been taken.’

Such unity between Muslim and Christian... but wait - just across town in Croydon, South London:

A gymnastics club was forced to stop holding classes at an independent girls school after Muslim parents complained about boy members of the group. Colin Perry, who runs the Shirley Gymnastics Club, said... 'There is a group of Muslim parents with Muslim children at the school and they are the ones putting pressure on the headteacher.'

He was told about the decision at a meeting with headteacher Judy Harris a few weeks ago. 'She said some of the parents have said their children go to an independent all girls school and unfortunately they're concerned because we have got boys in the club,' Mr Perry said.

'She said to us that the school has got far more Muslim children than last year, so effectively we have to interpret that in our own way (enphasis added).'

-- Nick