Church forced to remove online material calling homosexuality a “Godless lifestyle”

A NSW church approved to deliver scripture lessons in schools has been forced to remove anti-gay material from its website.

The Fellowship Baptist Church of Blacktown had previously put material up on its website claiming that homosexuality was a sin, and that sinners deserved death, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Homosexuality is flourishing in our day, but many excuse their sin as a ‘chosen lifestyle’,” it read.

“Godless lifestyles have become popular and socially acceptable.”

The material was found in the Firm Foundations’ children’s edition books, which are designed for year three and four students, according to the publisher’s descriptions.

The NSW Department of Education has forced the church to take down the material, which it considered unsuitable and age inappropriate.

“The department has contacted the Fellowship Baptist Church in Blacktown to raise its concerns and they have advised the department that they do not use the material and will remove the reference from their website,” a spokesperson said.

The material was listed on the church’s webpage that it included in its annual assurance to the department in January this year, however Firm Foundations was removed from the list this week.

All NSW government schools are required to set aside up to one hour for special religious education.