Humanist SA—Vol 1, Issue 1
The School Chaplaincy Program - why? or WTF?
(Continued from page 1)
Make no mistake, the school
chaplaincy program does little more
than flag Christianity in our state
schools. Candidates for the job
should be accredited by Chaplaincy
Australia, an organisation run by
Australian
Christian
Churches,
whose principal goal is ‘connecting
people to Jesus’, words emblazoned
across
the
ACC
website
(www.acc.org.au). Given such a
proudly declared goal, it’s unlikely
that accreditation would be possible
for a non-Christian. Candidates
should also have, as a minimum, a
Certificate IV in Pastoral Care ‘or
equivalent’, but given the nebulous
nature of ‘pastoral care’ it’s hard to
imagine what such an equivalent
might be.
In the application pack (goo.gl/
mvH4KU) for this job, a great deal of
ink is used up in describing what
chaplains mustn’t do. Basically they
mustn’t try to proselytise or convert
or ‘connect people to Jesus’, even
though they must be accredited by
SA’s Humanists
At this year’s Convention Dinner the
HSSA took the opportunity to
acknowledge the contribution to
Humanism in South Australia by two
of our older members, Dick Clifford
and Dorothy Bell.
Dick was secretary of the South
Australian Humanist Society from
1990 to the disbanding of the old
society in 2012. During that time he
served two terms as secretary of
CAHS. Dick gave his whole hearted
2
an organisation dedicated to doing
just that. Nor are they allowed to
engage in counselling unless they
have the extra qualifications to do
so.
So what exactly is their role? That’s
not so easy to work out, though
‘pastoral care’ and ‘the spiritual
well-being of students’ are high on
the agenda. Just how they are
meant to engage in these activities,
or whatever they are, without
promoting their religion, is not
explained. The fact that this
program places its workers in a ridiculously straight-jacketed position is
just one of its many serious flaws.
The school chaplaincy program is an
anachronistic,
self-contradictory,
wasteful farce, and a profound
insult to the integrity of our secular
public school system. As humanists
we should make it abundantly clear
to our governments that we reject it
in its entirety.
Stewart Henderson
Dick Clifford
Though approaching his 90th
birthday Dick is secretary of his local
ALP sub-branch, is active in the
“Economic
Reform
Australia”
society, continues to run the
Liberian Children Scholarship Fund,
writes and prints very informed and
Dick Clifford (left) receiveing his award
provocative articles on subjects such
support to the re-establishment of as Global Warming and Finance
the HSSA. As a result of his reform and has not missed a
dedication his name has become meeting of the reformed HSSAinc.
synonymous with Humanism in
(A brief article on Dorothy Bell will be
included in next edition.)
South Australia.