Reverend reported to anti-terror unit Prevent for telling pupils in a sermon they're allowed to disagree with LGBT teaching

[SuperShe]

Just read this in the daily mail, about a Reverend who was sacked and reported to Prevent (counter terrorism and radicalisation agency) for a sermon he gave to pupils: (parts extracted from article)

“You should no more be told you have to accept LGBT ideology than you should be told you must be in favour of Brexit, or must be Muslim – to both of which I’m sure most of you would quite rightly object.

So I want to say to everyone, but especially to those who have been troubled, that you are not obliged to accept someone else’s ideology. You are perfectly at liberty to hear ideas out, and then think, ‘No, not for me’.

You are entitled, if you wish, to look at some of the claims made about gender identity and think that it is incoherent to say that, for example, gender is quite independent of any biological factor, but that a person’s physiology should be changed to match his or her claimed gender; or incoherent to say that gender identity is both a matter of individual determination and social conditioning at the same time, or incoherent to make claims about being non-binary or gender-fluid by both affirming and denying the gender stereotypes which exist in wider society.

Now when ideologies compete, we should not descend into abuse, we should respect the beliefs of others, even where we disagree. Above all, we need to treat each other with respect, not personal attacks – that’s what loving your neighbour as yourself means.

By all means discuss, have a reasoned debate about beliefs, but while it’s OK to try and persuade each other, no one should be told they must accept an ideology. Love the person, even where you profoundly dislike the ideas. Don’t denigrate a person simply for having opinions and beliefs which you don’t share.”

Here’s a link to the full article. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9557845/School-reports-chaplain-telling-pupils-theyre-allowed-disagree-LGBT-teaching.html

I wholeheartedly agreed with everything the Reverend said and I am not even a Christian. I cannot believe how he was treated when he said nothing discriminatory or illegal. Yet it’s perfectly acceptable for LGBT activists and school teachers to chant “Smash heteronormativity" in the school.

It's reported in the Times today. Same story, may be interesting to see the comments later

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/school-reported-chaplain-to-terror-watchdog-after-sermon-on-sexuality-pdt3hj5tb?shareToken=923879bc0644a84bb259f4a054d48f88

from Times,

(extract)
Randall claims that during her course “Barnes wrongly informed staff that gender identity is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, and therefore must be legally recognised as a statutory requirement at the school”.

Randall said that he raised concerns and was assured by the head teacher that he would be consulted over whether the school would implement a wider policy. He claims that without consultation an “LGBT inclusive curriculum [was] implemented, even for the nursery provision at the school”. (continues)

current thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4236668-britain-s-youngest-trans-child

It's just so depressing. We are teaching kids that being capable of critical thinking is some kind of crime, is cruel and hurtful and needs to be stopped.

And all under the guise of being the nicest of nice!

Is this another of the pron-bots that were all over the place during the weekend?

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

Is this another of the pron-bots that were all over the place during the weekend?

Yes! It is/was

And we’re supposed to believe that it’s not at all cult like?

This particular one has been deleted sharpish from at least one other thread today, I think I noticed.

“Barnes wrongly informed staff that gender identity is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, and therefore must be legally recognised as a statutory requirement at the school”.

Why is there never any comeback for these lobby groups who repeatedly lie about the law?

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Great! A man of faith stands up and says we should all be allowed to question the faith and ideology of others but should still remain respectful of the person and some here want to quibble that he has fucking personal faith.

He was reported as a terrorist and you want to moan about his being a Christian, not every Christian?

Madness!

Yeah.

It's not just the trans stuff that has largely become something that people can't talk about without being considered bigots by people who consider themselves progressives. I think this is the main reason the T attached itself to the LGB - because that had come to be the main social response to controversies or disagreements around homosexuality, and how to think about it either in the abstract or in terms of policy.

The Christian (and lots of other groups too) view of sexuality overall is pretty different than the modern approach, but it's historically been common and it's still the view of the Catholic and Orthodox churches which make up a the majority of Christians worldwide.

It should be possible to engage with people with different views rationally and respectfully.

And for kids at school - if we want to teach them they can disagree with the public consensus, or what is trendy, that is going to apply to everything. If we really want them to think critically and be emboldened to disagree, they might disagree about the things we don't like.

This is what has caused problems with Muslim parents in some schools. They, understandably, don't really like sending their kids to a state run school supposedly a pretty secular one, that pushes a view on their kids that isn't secular but instead represents a clear set of values, just not one based on religion. Because secular is not really the same as non-religious in that sense.

People need to decide what kind of society they actually want.

If we really want them to think critically and be emboldened to disagree, they might disagree about the things we don't like. That is, I thnk, at the root of all of this.

Kids are taught that critical thinking is thinking and criticising what has gone before - dissectingit, disagreing with it. Take Grea Thunberg as an example. She has a good point, many of them, and should be a great role model for other young teens explaoring their wider environment.

Instead something happened and she/her 'side' became attached to being right and dismissed alternative perspectives. And it all became polarised and not a tad entrenched. Truths became hardened, many people cling to one piece of data and refuse to allow any other data in - so there can be no proper critical thinking!

I think many conspiracy theorists have the same issue.

I know that the OP here has presented us with an example of extreme prejudice - and it is not the Christian one. Sadly the speaker has obscured the message. Some react to the man, his faith, clothing, and not his message. He did after all iinvite his audience to diasgree with his own beliefs too!

But his message, of tolerance even in disagreement, isn't what TRAs want, nor what many of the younger generation are used to being encouraged to do. These days there seems to be a need to pick a side, and to defend it to the death!

Nobody who starts off thinking that this man was radicalising kids will ever have the kind of self awakening that makes for fully rounded adults!