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1. What a shame she wasn't taught to pray the Bible as well.

   Posted By: pei wide bay

2. I believe that by the time these kids are 'old enough to make up their own minds' they have reached a stage when two things happen: firstly, religious inertia has set in as if in cement and secondly, if they are able to overcome that, they have absolutely nothing to base their 'mind making up' on. We must have free choice of course, God gave that to us after all but to make a proper choice, we need proper information. From school, not the playground or the streets.

   Posted By: Jeremy Wilson, Wodonga 3690

3. I agree totally with Jeremy: How can anyone make a choice without having the necessary food for thought.
   I often hear parents say 'we let the children make up their own minds' but then don't give any guidance by word or example. Very sad.

   Posted By: Alan Guilfoyle, Clermont

4. Dear Julia: Remembering scripture does not save us. Believing it will.

   Posted By: Chris of Sydney

5. One has to smile really; does one wait until their child is old enough to decide whether or not they should use a bathroom rather than the back garden to answer a call of nature? Or perhaps whether or not the child should attend school?
   Or... well, one gets the idea.
   Somewhere along the line it seems that God gets left behind and the logic gets somewhat lost. Sad, really!

   Posted By: John, Cummins

6. As Shakespeare wrote in The Merchant of Venice:
   The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.'
   And of course we know that citing Scripture has served many nefarious purposes - as anyone who belongs to any of the multifarious brands of Christianity would know.
   But alas The Merchant of Venice is probably not taught in schools these days - there is the danger children might end up quoting Shakespeare and/or asking their teachers/parents embarrassing questions.
   How does one make sense of 'A Daniel come to judgment' without knowledge of the Bible? Or 'The primrose path to the everlasting bonfire.'

   Posted By: Joe Moruya

7. Parents are the primary educators of their children. It is through the family, imitating the holy family, that we set an example.
   Through our religious actions and how we teach them to deal with life that we help our children conform their lives to the life of Christ. It is a bonus if the school can assist us in this and certainly that is why Catholic education is such an important part of the faith community. For those that attend public schools the parents can still teach about faith.
   It is not the responsibility of the state to teach and promote faith, that responsibility lays with the community and family.

   Posted By: Ian S Adelaide

8. Parents feed and cloth and shelter their children from birth - they don't leave the child outside until the child can make up his/her mind whether these things are necessary and important. They give the child these things because they are important.
   The old argument about leaving religion 'up to the child to make his own decision' teaches a child only one thing : religion is not important.
   Parents need to pass on wisdom to their children. If the Prime Minister's rather immature understanding of the Bible - spouting passages by rote - is any indication of the spiritual maturity of the average Australian adult - then perhaps there's is no too much wisdom around these days.
   My experience is that most Australian adults I have encountered over 30 years of religious education - have the spiritual maturity of an 9 year old.

   Posted By: Phillip Turnbull Jakarta

9. I feel skeptical about Julie's claim. It seems that she might know many Bible texts perhaps in a parrot fashion but really not 'by heart'.
   By this I mean that there has not been true or deep reflection on Bible messages and, therefore, no response in the heart to living a life of faith in God.
   I believe that her thinking and attitudes have been deeply influenced by the tenets of the Gospel, yet she does not seem to recognize from whence these come.

   Posted By: Pauline, Perth

10. Of course Julia would win hands down!
    The Baptists are probably the best at remembering word for word the scriptures.
    

    Posted By: Genevieve Drummoynw

11. The church has always taught us to charitably think and pray about all secular leaders, including those not of the Faith, from the earliest centuries.
    It may not be Julia Gilalrd's fault that she doesn't as do some of our humble and kind , great example of Christian letter writers we have here.
    
    There is often a loud silence whenever I ask these same constructive-challenged folk why in heck, if they think they know what is best for a Labor givernment, that they don't actually join it and improve what they dislike, including the leadership. But they should do so on genuine socialisation grounds in line with the Party's ticket pledge that is signed annually.
    If a Tory politicains quotes the Bible, we get approving nods from the same usual people, don't we? No matter if a Tory says they are against abortion etc yet never change it nor ever advertise such at election time. Strange that.

    Posted By: Michael Webb Quakers Hill NSW

12. We Catholics never got that part right, even after Vatican II.

    Posted By: Collin Michael Nunis, Perth

13. I heard Julia Gillard answer this question in Parliament yesterday. What the PM said in answer was very instructive - she waxed lyrical about what she wanted education for young people in Australia to consist of, to form their minds, attitudes and values. She studiously avoided a direct anser to the Q (where does the national curriculum refer to the Bible?) but made it abundantly clear that she sees no place for the Bible, and by implication for religion in the public square.
    Her own reference to the Bible was simply a device to taunt the opposition leader.
    Ms Gillard continues to demonstrate that she is idelogically committed to strict secularism and a moral relativism. She in effect actively denies the role Christianity has played in forming our society. To use modern parlance, she denies 'our story' as a people.
    God-fearing people should also fear what harm she might wreak in the name of these Godless ideologies.

    Posted By: Peter, Canberra, Australia

14. It is so tiring to hear that old 'they can make up their own minds when they are old enough'.
    Make up their minds on what basis if you don't give them a basis?
    Do you leave it to them to decide whether they are Australians, whether they belong to you. No. It's a cop out.

    Posted By: Gloria Healey, Sydney

15. Most importantly to all: Why then is the Prime Minister an atheist? A bit of evangelisation would be desirable!

    Posted By: Peter M Budgewoi NSW

16. All this 'God-fearing' scorn poured upon Julia Gillard as if she wasn't the first prime minister to be savvy with scripture and yet an atheist. Could it be that her gender and unmarried status only add to the self-righteousness?
    The bewildering point actually is why she feels the need to reassure Christians at all. Her stance is hardly hostile. It would be more the case that atheists would be aggrieved.
    In fact, what does actually undermine the 'God-fearing' is such a vocal Christian as Tony Abbott and the type of exemplar he is for Christianity let alone Catholicism.
    Seriously, can someone explain how Tony Abbott exemplifies the Gospel, or has Catholicism altered so much recently that bluster, threat, intimidation, truth distortion, fear mongering, and utter egocentricity are the traits we should emulate?

    Posted By: Mark Johnson, Sydney. NSW.

17. Mark Johnson: Well said, mate.

    Posted By: Michael Webb Quakers Hill NSW

18. I suppose it was inevitable that this subject - The Bible in Schools - should become concerned with personalities rather than principles since politics - Australia-style - are involved.
    The Parliamentary Question was not a genuine quest for information. It was aimed at embarrassing the PM and drawing attention to her atheism, which, incidentally, is not anti-faith, in order to win favour with the Faithful.
    Anyone interested in education, in NSW at least, would know that not only is Special Religious Education taught in government schools for children of faith but there is also a subject for all students called General Religious Education which covers the teachings (and the holy texts) of the major world religions.
    Christianity and The Bible are given good coverage.
    The PM recognised the tactics behind the question.
    Politician and lawyer that she is she answered it accordingly. With a touch of humour to boot.

    Posted By: Joe Moruya

19. Being able to recite the bible doesn't mean anything when you don't believe it and we are not allowing kids make up there own minds without all the options.
    By cutting the faith option, it is actually forcing them to choose the secular view for everything, therefore not actually giving them freedom of choice at all.

    Posted By: Jillian

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