Mother starts petition to stop Hillsong’s proselytising schools tour

Mother starts petition to stop Hillsong’s proselytising schools tour
Image: Hillsong Schools Tour. Image Hillsong Australia website

Fiona Newton has started a change.org petition to prevent the Hillsong Schools Tour 2020 from visiting public schools and indoctrinating students into their Christian beliefs.

She wants the right for parents who choose not to enrol their children in religious educational institutions to be free from insidious religious influence.

“I have a 3-year-old son and am in a same sex relationship, so we are a rainbow family,” Newton told Star Observer. “My son will be starting school in two years and we want him to attend a public school.”

“When I learned that Hillsong have announced that they were doing a school tour in 2020 to proselytise their religion to children in public schools, I was alarmed and felt unsafe.”

According to a  statement on Hillsongs website  the mission of the Schools Tour is to “strengthen and develop the hearts and minds of students from all walks of life across Australia”.

“This message of hope and freedom would not be contained to the four walls of a church but would light up the darkest places in our schools and ultimately in the lives of young people.”

Scheduled for March and April next year, the national tour will rely on donations to fund travel and other costs. With each tour, Hillsong aims to increase their reach in schools and communities around the country.

Schools Tour 2020. Image Change.org

“These tours offer a program that is full of life giving, contemporary praise and worship and an inspiring and hope filled message that speaks to young people’s true identity and their longing for connection,” alleges a statement on Hillsong Australia’s website.

“Our prayer is that young people would know that they are ‘Never Alone’– packaged in a fun, relevant and engaging way through activities, games, performances as well as an outdoor festival that rallies school communities together.”

This is not something Fiona Newton wants her child or those of other families to be exposed to when they deliberately enrol them in non-faith based public institutions.

“Hillsong have preached against LGBTI rights,” she told Star Observer. “They encouraged their congregation to Vote No in the Same Sex Marriage Postal Survey, they preach a prosperity doctrine, and they are now asking the schools for $2000 to help them preach their message.”

Hillsong Schools Tour. Image Hillsong Australia website

“As non-religious and LGBTI people we have the right to send our children to school without fear of them being brainwashed into a religion!

“I started this petition to give all the people that felt the same a voice against this and it will be sent to the federal and state education ministers.”

In less than two days her change.org petition has garnered over two thousand signatures and continues to grow steadily as more people become aware of it and the Hillsong Schools Tour.

“We should not be allowing the teaching of this fundamentalist church near our young people,”  says Newton. “We have a right to freedom from religion!”

Click here to find out more and add your name to the petition.

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25 responses to “Mother starts petition to stop Hillsong’s proselytising schools tour”

  1. This is a misinformed panic reaction. There is no proselytising. They do not mention Jesus. The schools in Oz have a policy to be secular and apolitical. The youth team discuss issues that youth are confronted with like drugs, alcohol, suicide, sexuality, porn, identity, and respect. Lots of other motivational speakers, like from Wayside Chapel, a socially active community working with societys fringe dwellers, enter schools at the principals discretion. This mother could be thankful for positive input in her sons school as there is a lot of bullying and pressure in youth culture, hence the increase in suicides. I bet she has not even talked to the school first. She just associates the word Hillsong with brainwashing and pedophilia. Its like saying all Muslims are terrorists and forming a lynch mob against Muslim neighbors.

  2. Nothing too wrong so long as they give equal time to Muslim, Jewish, Bhuddist, Hindu, Rastafarian, Catholics, Agnostics, Lapsed whatever and atheists, all in proportion to their national populations.

  3. So this is what they will be using the $110K for that our government so generously gave them. How does a rich church get this money when others in our society need help? Could it be because they are favored by our PM. Disgraceful.

  4. Wow STAR you PEDOPHILE sleaze learn your HISTORY your GAY SYDNEY movement is mentored by one of his mates . KIRBY and crew. YOUR LOT BIGGEST PEDOPHILE PROTECTORS apart from the churches of wait you are a cult a PEDOPHILE CULT

  5. I’ve been trying to find Fiona Newton today (I’m not on FB) I read about the Hillsong proposal earlier this week and put up a twitter poll of my own …I’m sure she would be pleased to know the result …if anyone knows her please let her know my email and I’ll share it with her …cheers, Swanny

  6. Separation of the State and the Church is a basic premise of democracy. Brainwashing kids into Christianity takes us back to the intense evangelism movement of the sixties. Billie Graham etc.

  7. Religious teachings have no place in public schools. If a parent wants religious instruction for thier child they can do it at home or at church/ temple etc. Hillsong makes a lot of money ($64 million last year) and dont pay tax. Take all religious entities off the tax free register.

  8. religion…..simply a cover for normalising racism, intolerance, pedophiles and war mongers

  9. It is appalling that Hillsong be allowed into public schools and an insult to families that have different beliefs.

  10. I absolutely want to sign this, but the petition opens then closes immediately, before I can sign.

    Can you please fix this?

  11. Over my dead body. This is not right. If it is ones choice to pay to send a child to a private school when’re they can have this indoctrination then leave the rest of us alone. This is ironic in light of religious freedom being so important now. Where is our freedom FROM religion?

  12. This is a terrible thing to do to our children. We need to protect them from these people.

  13. schools are willing to let this cult in really? The leader has just about admitted he is a pedo. He certainly has pedo mates. How about a hard no

  14. Get churches and religions out of state schools

    The systems that Hillsong use to attract young people are very similar to the systems used by pedophiles to groom victims.

    We need to protect our kids from this kind of behaviour

  15. Trust me!
    If I hear of this happening anywhere near me…they and the school will regret their decision… I will use the law and the courts with extreme prejudice….