African Christian Democratic Party Demands Christian Teaching Is Kept In Schools

Christian values should remain in schools because the Constitution promotes freedom of religion, the African Christian Democratic Party said on Tuesday.

President Rev Kenneth Meshoe said the party was appalled by calls for Christian values to be removed in schools.

“The ACDP will oppose attempts to stop Christian values from being taught in schools as our Constitution promotes the freedom of religion and not freedom from religion,” Meshoe said in a statement.

Freedom Front Plus spokesperson Anton Alberts said the party supported efforts to oppose a planned court case directed at prohibiting six schools from exercising Christian values.

Alberts said the reaction from church circles and social media was proof the court action by a group calling itself OGOD, with its chairperson Hans Pietersen, is seen as a “witch-hunt on Christians”.

He said the Organisation for Religion Education and Democracy’s (OGOD) court case was “incorrectly motivated” and aimed at replacing one philosophy with another.

“Freedom of religion is of cardinal importance in South Africa. It is part of any mature democracy. In model C schools the principle of parental input, management and democracy is in place,” he said.

“Therefore, learners who do not wish to be part of any religious actions should have the right to withdraw from it.”

OGOD said it was taking six public schools and the ministers of basic education and correctional services to court for allowing “suppression of scientific and cultural knowledge”, religious coercion and abuse of pupils’ rights in public schools.

It wanted to “eradicate religious elitism” with its court action.

“The actions of some public schools are in breach of the national policy on religion and education, and or unconstitutional, for such public schools,” it said in a statement.

“OGOD defends the constitutional rights of learners to freedom of religion and conscience, and their right of access to knowledge. Many South African public schools abuse these rights.”

The organisation listed over 60 “abuses of rights”. These include requiring pupils to subscribe to a specific religion, referring to a deity in their school badges, and rendering religious instruction.

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SOURCE: News 24