Should Religious Schools be able to Reject Non-believers?

[Composure]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1226050972506

I know it's about a month old, but it's still relevant.
This kind of conflicts with what I believe of how the education system should be. The top 4 High Schools in Victoria are Jewish religious schools, but should they be allowed to reject applications simply because a student applying is, hypothetically, an Atheist?

[~Mr. Self Destruct~]

Being against religious instruction in educational settings and, furthermore, private schooling, I find that no, schools should not be able to reject students on the basis of religion.
If their purpose is to advocate religion, would enrolling "non-believers" not be the ultimate test of their skill in doing so?
But mainly, students should not be denied decent education on the grounds of religious or political affirmation, nor should economic factors contribute a significant role, if at all.
Being a resident of this state, I find it particularly disturbing that such an elitist approach is taken to education. However, I would expect nothing less from the excessively pro-bussiness campaign of the Baillieu administration.

[Anthropomorphic]

I think it's fine for a school to reject a student for any given reason (or no reason at all) as long as they're not accepting any funding on a local, state or federal level. Tuition-based schools that are privately operated can do this, and are well within their own rights.

[Cosmo]

If it's a private school (Eg., you have to pay, not state-funded), yes. State-funded, no.

[ALLorNOTHINGforCHRIST]

If it is private then the government has VERY little say and some schools want to only have one faith. Now my school is a Christian school and allow non-Christians, but I know of another Christian school that does not. I think however that Christian school SHOULD allow others because that shows love and is not excusive, however legally if you pay they can tell you who can and cannot attend.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Speaking from a moral viewpoint, state and private religious schools should accept non-believers. My reasoning is if the school educates students on the religion, the aspect of love and accepting others almost always comes in. The school would then by hypocritical because it's indicating love others despite its elitist contradictory actions. If the school does not teach love and accepting others, instead it teaches maintain love of those who are the same, one has to wonder if that is a good philosophy to teach students in the current time. Currently, religion is less dominant over society than it was years ago when the Church was in greater power. Also, states and countries are attempting to make "others" more accepted by tearing down religious ignorant barriers, such as same-sex marriage. Such a philosophy by the school would be contradictory to modern-times and I would wonder about the parents and how long until the school gets bad press.

[Marguerite]

Maybe it's different where you guys are, but where the story is from (Australia), private schools get quite a lot of funding. It's always a hot topic for debate... people don't think they should get much funding, then the private schools say that if we don't fund them, they will close and it will cost the education system a lot more money (fair point, not that I think they should get the amount of funding they do when some public schools barely have the necessities).

I've been to quite a few schools, two of them were catholic. One was primary school (i.e years prep to 6) so the non believing stuff wasn't so much of an issue, however quite a few of my friends came from non-religious backgrounds (or religious backgrounds other than catholocism). That never seemed to be a problem. However, in my last year we faced Comfirmation, and us Catholic kids were given the choice whether we wanted to be confirmed or not (It was basically implied that we should make the 'right' choice though) and I chose not to because I didn't really like religion or believe in God. That was quite uncomfortable and I faced a few 'talks' from my teachers.

The other Catholic school I went too was quite a prestigious one in Adelaide, I still remember being interviewed like this:

Her: "So, are you Catholic?"
Me: "Well, I was baptised, but I don't really-"
Her "THAT'S FINE."

Anyway, sorry for being long winded, but I don't think religious schools should be able to reject students for their religious beliefs (or lack there of). Schools should be about educating and not about pushing agendas. Though it might be uncomfortable for a non-religious student in a religious school. However, there is a bigger problem here (at least in Australia)- it's that people are making the choice between forking out heaps of money, subjecting your child to a religion you both don't believe in, and letting them have a good education... or letting them get a fairly mediocre one in public school.

Don't get me wrong, not all public schools are bad. The one I go to at the moment is public and it's definitely the best one I've ever been too. The teachers seem to actually give a crap. I've learned more here in two years than I have in my entire time at school. But in my experience (of having been to many schools) that is rare.

It's just another example of how society keeps trying to keep the poor poor. People shouldn't have to pay for an education (primary and secondary, I mean), and someone shouldn't get a shot at a better future just because their parents are doctors or lawyers.

[PutYourHeartsUp]

It depends on how much money said school is getting from the state. Many people don't know it, but in the us a LOT of private schools get government money, especially with vouchers. I don't know that they can even do that with vouchers. I feel like it's discrimination though.

[Xujhan]

Originally Posted by MonsterCosmonaut

If it's a private school (Eg., you have to pay, not state-funded), yes. State-funded, no.

I'll tentatively echo this but I'd like to add that public religious schools should be every bit as illegal as public black schools, so I find the point a bit moot.

[Marguerite]

Originally Posted by Xujhan

I'll tentatively echo this but I'd like to add that public religious schools should be every bit as illegal as public black schools, so I find the point a bit moot.

I don't know what it's like in Canada but here pretty much 95% of all private schools recieve government funding, so I don't think it's an either or situation.

[Xujhan]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

I don't know what it's like in Canada but here pretty much 95% of all private schools recieve government funding, so I don't think it's an either or situation.

Hence the 'tentatively'. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I think that private schools should have no more or less ability to discriminate on religious grounds than they do to discriminate on any other grounds. That said though, I generally dislike private schools and am very against religious schools, so feeling antagonistic toward religious private schools is pretty much a given.

I'm also really not sure how much I like the idea of governments funding private schools. To me it smacks of trying to have one's cake and eat it too. That, and I feel that most countries should spend a fair bit more on public education than they do, and I don't see funding private education instead as a reasonable alternative. I do recognize that there's no reason for private schools to be illegal - they're a business like any other - but on those grounds I prefer them to be treated like any other medium-sized business and not receive special funding.

[BluEiis]

Yeahh, they should. I other private schools can reject people who do not meet their moral or academic standards, why shouldn't a religious school be able to reject people who do not meet their religious standards?

[Troubled_Heart]

I go to a religious school and I myself am not religious although my mum is... I think you should have to have 1 religious parent to get in of the religion of the school although if you get in on something else, such as music or intelligence, it doesn't matter

[QuantumModulus]

At the Catholic school that my younger brother attends, they hike up the tuition fee by nearly $4,000 if the student entering is nonreligious, or of a different faith. I don't think they'd even consider the student for acceptance if his/her parents were nonreligious. However, I think that because most religious institutions are privately funded, it's their discretion to decide on what prerequisites the student is accepted. I don't see anything wrong with it. (And to be honest, I think it'd simply be cruel for a family to send a nonreligious student to a religious school! I've been in that situation, and know many others who have; it's not a very culturally enriching experience for most -- and in many cases, it heightens our distaste for religion. In a striking number of instances, I've heard of (and been victim to) discrimination by teachers toward students of no religion. It's appalling.)

[Composure]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

I don't know what it's like in Canada but here pretty much 95% of all private schools recieve government funding, so I don't think it's an either or situation.

Oh, particularly Victoria, where private schools receive MORE funding than public schools.

I think it is a joke. If a private school is unable to make enough money from tuition fees alone to cover expenses that they have to do something like ask the government for funding, then it is absolutely absurd that they're a private school in the first place. My family doesn't get funding from the government even though we own a private business - see what I'm getting at?

[messed_up]

I go to a private Jewish school in New York. In the United States if a private school does not receive any tax breaks from the government they are allowed to accept or reject whomever they want. Since most private schooler (including mine) do receive tax breaks they are not legally allowed to reject a potential student ONLY on the fact that he is not Jewish. The things is an atheist will generally not want to come to a school where you are required to take a double course load because you take all these Jewish subjects. I mean, why would you volunteer to take 10 subjects and be in school until 5:10??? But there is no denying there are some kids in my grade who are personally atheists and only come to the school because their parents make them. And some of these kids keep it a secret and pretend to really believe and pray with the school twice a day (I would be me). There are also kids who are atheists and outwardly express it n our Jewish classes and the teacher actually challenge them and there are debates especially in classes like Jewish Philosophy.