Jesuit-trained Christopher Pyne, the Education Minister of the Abbott coalition government in Australia is pushing for religious schools to receive government funding. Taxpayers would subsidize the training of priests, pastors, theologians, other religious workers and even Bible studies at private colleges and institutions providing religious training.
The Abbott government’s plan includes deregulating university fees and cutting funding by 20%, but expanding eligibility for a share of the $820 million appropriations over the next three years to private universities, TAFES and associate degree programs. The government also announced earlier in the year that it would fund a new school chaplaincy program with $244 million. The scheme would actually remove the option for schools to hire secular welfare workers.
Both Labor and Greens attacked the policy. “This raises serious questions about the relationship between Church and State,” said Kim Carr, Labor spokesman.
The greatest beneficiaries of the public larder will probably be Catholic and Anglican institutions. The move should be no surprise considering the fact that those framing the scheme are largely Jesuit-trained.
“Mr. Pyne has gone one step further than robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Lee Rhiannon, Greens spokesman for higher education, “he is attempting to rob Australia’s public and secular university system to pay private, religious colleges.”
When private institutions accept government money, there are always regulations and rules attached. A spokesman for Mr. Pyne said that “courses offered by private colleges would have to be approved by the independent regulator to gain access to federal funding.”
In other words, funding would be contingent on institutions offering courses that do not have content that would offend the regulator’s criteria. Would this mean that courses would have to be ecumenical in nature or “culturally sensitive” to same-sex marriage and other cultural and secular views?
“Family First Senator Bob Day said in a letter… that it is unfair that public universities receive federal funding but religious colleges and other private providers do not.” But the problem is not in equality. This will bring theological and religious training under the control of regulators who are under the guidance of the education department of Christopher Pyne.
If this Bill passes, faith-based training, teaching, theological and vocational institutions would all be included in the funding. Reducing funding for public universities would also force them to increase their fees to students, while perhaps reducing fees at private institutions, making private education more attractive. The Bill did not pass the Senate, but will be reintroduced next year with some modifications. The temptation will be pretty strong for protestant educational institutions like Baptist, Presbyterian, Adventist and other denominations to go after a piece of the regulated funds.
The Bill plays right into the hands of Rome.
“Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices of state, climbing up to be the counselors of kings, and shaping the policy of nations. They became servants to act as spies upon their masters. They established colleges for the sons of princes and nobles, and schools for the common people; and the children of Protestant parents were drawn into an observance of popish rites… The liberty for which the fathers had toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons… Wherever [the Jesuits] went, there followed a revival of popery.” The Great Controversy, page 235
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