UK Schools Advocate Islam and Homosexuality, Binds Christian Teaching

Christian schools in Britain could be forced to promote Islam and homosexuality under a new legally binding code of conduct for teachers, warns The Roman Catholic Church.

The newly proposed code is accused of undermining the religious ethos of Christian schools by promoting secular morality.

It is also likely to discriminate against Christian teachers in recruitment and in the classroom, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Last month the General Teaching Council (GTC) had published a draft code of conduct that all teachers were supposed to sign.

According to the paper, the legally binding code would support the council in assessing any kind of misconduct, and keep a check on school governors and local authorities in recruitment and discipline.

Oona Stannard, head of the Catholic Education Service, an agency of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, told the GTC in a written submission that "It would be unacceptable to expect anyone to be required to promote something contrary to their own faith beliefs and, indeed, it would not be possible for a person of faith to promote another faith, 'this is a matter of conscience.'"

The Christian Institute, a charity that supports worshipers who feel discriminated in their workplace, fears the GTC code could cancel jobs of teachers who disagree to use materials designed by homosexual rights groups in the classroom, and would face disciplinary action if they teach pupils that Jesus Christ is the only means to salvation, the paper added.

This would heighten the recruitment crisis already afflicting many schools.

The code proposed by the GTC would be binding on all schools, including the 2,300 primary and secondary schools run by the Catholic Church and the 4,660 run by the Church of England.

Source-ANI
ARU/L