‘Homosexuality sickest sin’ – school

‘Homosexuality sickest sin’ – school

A Western Australian Christian high school is being investigated by the WA Department of Education after it gave 14 and 15 year old students a homework assignment which asked them if homosexuality was “the sickest sin”.

The assignment, given to s

tudents at Armadale Christian College, which describes itself as a “non-denominational [college] that offers a Christ-centred academic, arts and sporting curriculum,” also described “coming out of the closet” as “open sinning” and pointed students to old testament Biblical quotations that describe homosexuality as an “abomination” to find the answer.

The school defended the assignment, by saying that it identified a spectrum of views on homosexuality – including that it was an illness, a life style choice, genetic, or otherwise inborn.

The Swan Christian Education Association (SCEA) that administers the school said it was not teaching these views as fact, but was “facilitating discussion on common views in society.”

However SCEA CEO Stephen Lee told media that he would “review the use of this material” at Armadale Christian College and the other Christian schools it administers.

According to the Armadale Christian College website, the school “attempt[s] to work with all curriculum matters from a biblical perspective that encompasses a Christian world view.”

“We acknowledge that this might not always be the popular or media perspective on events or curriculum. At ACC we will try to provide a balanced biblical perspective. Where debate arises we will look to ground our opinion in the bible.”

The homework assignment became known after upset relatives of children at the school contacted the media.

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24 responses to “‘Homosexuality sickest sin’ – school”

  1. I go to this school, I’m not Christian. If I got this assignment I would of wrote “fuck you” and handed it in.

  2. this article is the most biased discription i have ever read, how dare you people portray our teachers aswell as us, students judgemental against homosexuality. This piece of evidence was taken out of one of our fellow classmates bag, and which by the way isnt even family. Incase you hav’nt noticed the question was presented in dot points meaning that it was different views of different people, ACC teachers do not persuade us towards believing any sort of worldview, and especially homosexuality being the sickest sin. We are learning RELIGION AND LIFE, therefore we do NOT have any christian views in this class, we are allowed to comment upon our own view of the topics we learn. I beliive not one of our teachers shaped us to believe that we should “hate” homosexuals. Our teachers teach us about the world, not THEIR view of the world. We learn to love one another, and i am very sure our teachers do not think the ways the sunday times have treated their beliefs. The media needs to show both sides before you people can continue to diss our teachers!

  3. Great Spaces asks “What the hell is a ‘balanced biblical perspective’ ??” Answer a new oxymoron.

  4. I wonder was the second question “Are all Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals subhuman”? Which leads me to my question why are hatred, discrimination and prejudice acceptable in an apparently modern Australian school? Surely this so called question was the equivalent of a German school teaching eugenics as a science in the 1930’s, discuss.

  5. What’s really disappointing here is the lack of journalistic integrity. I am a gay media student; I also attended this school and have friends who work there. This report is bent against ACC and clearly only interested in the one angle to create tension.

  6. the irony is in that the article is just as biased as it makes the assignment out to be. i have actually read the assignment myself, and it does not promote any particular viewpoint, it encourages students to explore societies’ view on homosexuality. it asks students to respond to and discuss the topic. the assignment was fair and balanced. it was also checked by SWAN and was approved prior to its distribution (students were given it about 10 weeks ago).

    The story has only been brought up now to tie in with the ongoing debate about same sex marriage in australia. i am incredibly disappointed that the media has chosen to portray christians (in particular ACC) in such a negative light. people should be able to see the use of persuasion in this article and recognize that it has been constructed to manipulate the reader (YOU). into believing that ACC has extremist views and is teaching our kids intolerance.

    Dont believe anything just because you read it on the internet.

  7. @ Geoff: It is fine to have different viewpoints, but surely an educational institution should present a balanced and tolerant viewpoint, so that their impressionable students can form an informed opinion. And incidentally, taxpayers do have a right to complain when bigotry and intolerance is taught in tax payer funded schools, particularly if these teachings are harmful to any gay/lesbian/questioning students in the school and propagate hatred within our society.

  8. it is a non denominational college, and therefore excluded from the curricula of other schools. The catholic school I went to preached sympathy towards Homosexuality and this was in the early 80s. A protestant childs parent complained as to why the school was teaching this “filth” anyway really, anything to do with sexuality shouldnt be openly taught in schools. Education is education, sexuality is sexuality.

    Ed: Actually Oliver you are wrong, school curricula is determined by the govt of the state and has nothing to do with its denominational standing.

  9. Rather than teach all about one “sin”, people should learn how to please/respect God and His creatures. Jesus defines ALL sin (all 600+ sins) as lack of love (Matthew 22:36-40). So who is unloved or hurt in a homosexual relationship? All other sins (adultery, divorce, theft, lying, etc.) have victims. Neither Jesus, His prophets nor the gospel writers condemn this love sin, homosexuality. You should throw out any New Testament references using the word “homosexual”. They are mistranslations/lies since that word wasn’t coined until about 1865.

  10. yup
    60% of our taxes support all private schools
    We need more than ever a Federal anti-discrimination policy with NO sunset clauses or exemptions This sort of hatred is NOT welcome under any circumstances. Substitute the word N word or jew and u c how utterly inexcusable the flimsy excuses offered up by the school are.

  11. I can only imagine that the 3 people on constant watch in the thumbs down department are Bias, Bigotry & Hate? Extremely disappointing ACC…

  12. Whatever happened to Christian values such as ‘love thy neighbour’? If the church doesn’t change with the rapidly changing society, they will continue to diminish and lose popularity.

  13. They don’t think about the damage this sort of thing can do to homosexual students at the school, or those with family or friends that are gay! They don’t care who is hurt as long as they preserve their beliefs! These people claim moral highground based on their belief in god! In this casthyhe old testament, but I’m sure they themselves do not follow the old testament word for word! Hypocrites!

  14. thats absolutely disgusting! If they are ‘teaching’ this crap to students, are they also telling them that we’re all ‘created’ by incest? Serious bullshit.

  15. Stop your complaining. If you don’t like it, go to a school that says it’s fine. Differnet schools cater for different views and the great thing about Australia is that we have the freedom to choose. It’s a dangerous thing to go calling for censorship.

  16. The police need to be called in and so do Family and Community Services. When I was a welfare worker, if I did this, I would have been sacked by the Government due to the destructive harm it would cause the children in my care. I cannot see how anyone who cares about children, would subject them to this sort of rubbish and bullying.

    Never once do we hear Armadale Christian College offering to refund the “homosexual taxes” that keep them in existence.I bet they do not teach their kids how Jesus never liked hypocrites. Or perhaps the obvious “bite that hand that feeds you”.

    I have no doubt the measurement of the education on offer is the hate crimes against “homosexuals”, and the suicides of Same-Sex attracted children, and the incredible damage done to the family and friends of Same-Sex attracted children. Filling children’s heads with a maze of untruths , that calls us the sickest sin, and an abomination, is a destruction of education, and in my view serious child abuse. I think the school is trying to create hate under a haze of religious education. I am fed-up of this sort of rubbish being committed on young children and paid for with our taxes.

    It is time we took a stand to protect children and their families from this serious neglect by the Federal Government who partly funds these schools.

    Federal Minister for Schools, Peter Garrett, might need to hear us about this.

    The email Address is: [email protected]

    Federal Minister for Inclusion, Tany Plibersek, might need to hear about this also.

    The email address is: Tanya Plibersek

    I would also encourage everyone to contact all the media they can think of including the newsdesk at the papers, the radio stations, and the television networks, as well as put this outrage everywhere on social media like Facebook and Twitter.

    This time they have gone to far.

  17. Im disgusted by this. I am a graduate of another independent christian school in Perth, which both of my children also attend. I am a school teacher and am an openly gay man. I am outraged by this assignment choice on all 3 levels. If my children had been given this assignment I would have been to the school immediately. I send my children to a Christian school, because even though I am openly gay (which I know doesnt make me a “bad” person), I want them to have a strong background based on what I consider to be sound moral and social foundations. For my children to be encourage to question whether I am sick, committing the sickest sin or otherwise not a worthwhile human being would be totally unacceptable. If the school really wants to base their actions on the bible they would remember that Jesus himself urged that we do not judge others, as he himself happily sat with prostitutes and other “sinners”. Asking the students to judge if this is the sickest sin, is in fact asking them to make judgements! Is there such thing as a sickest sin? In my years in the church I learned that god hates all sins but forgives all sinners. Perhaps the willingness of a teacher at this school to require stuents to make judgements of others and potentially increase homophobia in our community is the “greatest” sin. It is great to see that Christians parents at this school have the decency to be outraged and to stand up for this type of hypocrisy.

  18. reply to tim
    the bible is old but not outdated (morals) thats why it is still the biggest selling book in the world
    Just because we have tossed the old moral standards out and everyones doing it doesnt mean its right
    God loves gays but calls homosexuality a sin…bottom line is we are all sinners and wether we realise or not we all need a savior which is why God sent his son Jesus..I would encourage you to get to know him cause oneday we are all gonna meet him and he will ask us what we did with his son Jesus..did we accept him or reject him and on the basis of that our salvation is determined

    God Bless you

  19. Can someone explain to me a school that offers a Christ-centred curriculum and is administered by a “Christian education association” can even consider claiming that they are non-denominational?