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Family & Education

New campaign launch to defend ‘traditional family groups’ against Government’s sex education curriculum

The Values Foundation says the government should 'respect those who respect the Bible'

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A new multi-faith campaign to promote the views of “traditional family groups” in education was formally launched at a parliamentary meeting on Monday.

The Values Foundation for Faith and Families in Education has lobbied on behalf of religious groups who do not want the government’s new relationships and sex education curriculum to force schools to teach subjects they do not wish to.

Its executive director Judith Nemeth formerly headed the National Association of Orthodox Jewish Schools, while its steering committee includes Rabbi Mordechai Rose, a translator of classical rabbinic texts.

Mrs Nemeth said a number of items in the government’s RSE guidance gave supporters of faith and traditional families “great concern”.

MPs were due to vote on whether to approve the guidance this week, while the Lords will consider it next week.

She set out the foundation had three aims: to promote traditional family values: to see “Judeo-Christian principles” acknowledged as part of the “fundamental British values” taught in schools: and to press for a review of the 2010 Equality Act.

The Equality Act sets out the characteristics protected by anti-discrimination law, which include sexual orientation and gender reassignment as well as race, religion, age, gender and disability.

But there was no provision in the law to resolve problems when one protected characteristic clashed with another, she argued.

Since the Act became law, there was “more intolerance than ever before, less equality than ever before”, she said. “We are experiencing an Orwell situation where all protected characteristics are equal but some are more equal than others.”

The foundation argues that religious schools should not have to teach about alternative lifestyles to traditional marriage if these conflict with their beliefs.

“We are not against anyone,” she said.

“All we are saying is please respect those who respect the Bible”.

 

 

 

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