Sunday schools may be banned for teaching the biblical view of
marriage, under proposals to subject them to Ofsted inspection,
Conservative MPs have warned.
The government has outlined
proposals that would force many "out-of-school" settings to undergo
registration and inspection.
In a letter to The Telegraph
published Monday, Sir Gerald Howarth, David Burrowes, Fiona Bruce and
Gary Streeter said that the changes, outlined in a consultation by the
Department for Education, could have a "seriously detrimental effect on
the freedom of religious organizations."
'Out-of-School' Settings Consultation
The
consultation, which passed its deadline on Monday, was published as
part of the broader "Counter-Extremism Strategy," which has raised
widespread concern about the restriction of religious freedom.
In the letter, the MPs highlight the threat the measures pose to many Christian groups, including Sunday schools.
Challenge to Established Christian Teaching
Christian
groups are concerned about "the prospect of an Ofsted inspector
observing meetings and then imposing sanctions for the expression of
traditional views on matters such as marriage—views which, until very
recently, were considered mainstream in Britain," the letter says.
The
MPs go on to echo Christian Concern and other organizations, which have
raised concerns that religion in Britain could become state-regulated.
Read Christian Concern's response to the consultation.
Christian teaching could be at risk of censorship because of the government's vaguely defined measures, the letter states:
"This
would be an intolerable but very real possibility given the clear
desire of the Department for Education to investigate what it calls
'prohibitive activities', such as 'undesirable teaching' ... which
undermines or is incompatible with fundamental British values.
"This
could challenge established Christian teaching. Threats to British
values originate overwhelmingly from certain strains of Islam.
"It
is at least disproportionate, if not absurd, to impose intrusive
burdens on all other religious groups under the pretense that attempts
at radicalization could be discovered in any organization."
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