Catholic Bishops circle the croziers with new Sex and Morality Education course

As the NCCA is updating the syllabus for Social, Personal, and Health Education (SPHE), the Catholic Bishops are circling the croziers by introducing a new course called ‘Flourish’ in publicly funded national schools.
Flourish is officially Relationship and Sex Education, and in practice is Catholic Sex and Morality Education. It is to be taught, along with syllabus SPHE, in the vast majority of schools in Ireland where the local Catholic Bishop is Patron.
What does the course include?
The Catholic Bishops state in the course’s vision that:

 “In delivering such a programme the Catholic school aims to provide a framework based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and reflecting the dignity of each person created in the image and likeness of God.”
“The SPHE curriculum for primary schools determines what children will learn in terms of RSE as part of a spiral curriculum. The Catholic school must consider these topics within a moral framework that reflects the teachings of the Church.”

The introduction to ‘Flourish’ says that when discussing LGBT issues:

“The Church’s teaching in relation to marriage between a man and a woman cannot be omitted.”

The strands and themes include:

For Junior classes, under Safety and Protection: “God will help us as we try to keep ourselves safe.”
For Senior classes, under Growing and Changing: “Sex is a gift from God… Puberty is a gift from God. We are perfectly designed by God to procreate with him.”
Under Myself and the Wider World, Junior Infants are told: “I have friends. Jesus is my friend.” Senior Infants are told: “Sometimes I need help. I ask for help. I can always ask for God’s help.”

One lesson on Keeping Safe includes the following:

 “Together we will say the ‘Angel of God’ prayer: Angel sent by God to guide me, Be my light and walk beside me, Be my guardian and protect me, On the path of life direct me. Amen.”

Saying prayers together is not education. It is the practice of religion.
Nonreligious families must send their children to these schools
The Vision section of the course also states that:

“In Share the Good News: National Directory for Catechesis in Ireland, inculturation is seen as a very important principle for Catholic Religious Education. We live in a culturally transformed Ireland which is reflected in the modern classroom, made up of children from a diverse range of countries and religious beliefs. The assumptions of yesteryear in terms of faith formation within the family no longer stand. In many cases, the classroom will be the first, and possible only, place that the child considers their actions in terms of the teachings of the gospels.”

For context, ‘inculturation’ in Catholic theology is a process of engagement between the Christian Gospel and a particular culture. Pope John Paul II’s New Evangelisation strategy applied this to cultures that were traditionally Catholic but are now becoming more secular.
It is clear from this that the Bishops are aware that minorities both religious and nonreligious have no option but to sent their children to publicly funded national schools under the patronage of the Catholic church.  They see this as an opportunity to indoctrinate children from minority backgrounds.
Why on earth would non religious parents want their children taught moral and social values based on the supposed teachings of a god? There is no balancing of rights here, but the tightening of control to ensure that the Catholic Church can continue to evangelise and indoctrinate. Read more…

*|YOUTUBE: [$vid=e8ELNsene98]|*