Bill Muehlenberg, Caldron Pool, 10/24
One of the older and more well-known private schools in Australia is Methodist Ladies’ College in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, founded in 1882. As the name indicates, it was originally a Methodist school, following in the tradition of Methodism’s founder, the evangelical Christian John Wesley (1703-1791).
It seems pretty clear that not only is it no longer following the values and beliefs of Wesley, but it is no longer following the values and beliefs of Jesus Christ. A quick look at their website shows us nothing about Christ, and everything about trendy woke values.
One example of this making headlines recently gives us a very clear indication of where the school is at. As a report in the Sunday Herald Sun says:
Students at Methodist Ladies College say they were told to remove cross necklaces at the Christian school for fear of offending other students. Pupils at a leading religious private girls’ school are allowed to wear furry ears, tails and rainbow-themed items, but not Christian religious crosses for fear of offending others, students say.
Senior students at Methodist Ladies College in Kew have spoken up about what they say is “religious discrimination” against the open display of crosses on a necklace at the Christian school. One student who spoke to the Herald Sun on behalf of a small group of year 12s said girls are told to “take off their crosses by teachers when other students complain they are offensive to non-Christians”.
“My friend was wearing a cross and there was another girl in our class who said she found the cross really offensive and so the teacher told her to take it off,” she said. “My friend’s parents, who are very religious, tried to get answers from the school and were told ‘it’s not a good look for the school’.
“This is supposed to be a religious school but they are listening to minority opinion rather than mainstream religious students,” she said. Students have called the move against the open display of crosses ‘religious discrimination’.
Hmm, the cross is of course the premier symbol of the Christian faith, but this once Christian institution does not want it to be seen anywhere. But radical homosexual signage and symbols seem to be peachy keen. One does not have to look far on their site to see that it is now a proudly secular and politically correct outfit. Consider this for example:
Our inclusive and welcoming environment
MLC values the diversity of knowledge, thought, and experience and believes that a welcoming and inclusive culture is important for learning and teaching and facilitates a positive staff, student, and alumnae experience.
We learn and work in solidarity with and from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s First Peoples and as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, sky and water.
We foster a safe community that celebrates diversity, uniqueness, and respect for differences of people of every faith, ethnicity, age, ability, neurodiversity, culture, language, gender identity, sex and sexual orientation.
Oh dear. Hey, if they want to be just like any other worldly and non-Christian institution, they have a right to go that route. But then they should drop all pretence about being a Methodist school, let alone a Christian school. The first thing it should do of course is to drop the word “Methodist.”
All they are now doing is pushing false advertising while living off the school’s former heritage and prestige as an important private Christian school. No real deal Methodist or any other biblical Christian could ever condone or accept the values that it now affirms and celebrates.
And if the school today is indeed open to “people of every faith,” have they also banned all Muslim students from wearing or displaying any distinctly Islamic symbols and the like? Are things like burkas now off-limits? What about any Jewish students? Must they remove their kippah and other headwear? Will Sikhs have to abandon their turbans?
The list goes on and on. Or is it only Christians who are subject to such religious discrimination? As is almost always the case in the West today, all worldviews, beliefs, religions, and ideologies are just fine – except Christianity. And when you get so-called Christian schools hating on Christianity, then you know we are in really bad shape.
Apparently they have no sense of what “sin is either, since it can’t exist in such a “diverse. equitable and inclusive” environment.
If they don’t acknowledge they’re sinners, then they can’t be Christian.
It appears that the church and its institutions have forgotten the admonition: what does the Light have to do with Belial? or sheep with goats?
Yes. BTW, I would include in that assessment that silly Pope Francis who thinks that all religions lead to God. No they don’t. Only those who know they’re sinners, and repent of it, can go to heaven.
After all, that’s who Jesus Christ came to save from perdition. He was executed by those unrepentent sinners who wouldn’t accept His message of salvation.