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A few months ago Wendy Alexander, Communities Minister for the Scottish Executive, unveiled plans to abolish Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. Section 28 reads: “(1) A local authority shall not- (a) Intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality; (b) promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship. (2) Nothing in subsection (1) above shall be taken to prohibit the doing of anything for the purpose of treating or preventing the spread of disease.” Donald Dewar to this day is insisting that when Section 28 goes there will be no promotion of homosexuality in schools, in fact he says there never has been. This is clearly not true. If you wish proof of this you need only read the booklet published by the Christian Institute entitled “Bankrolling Gay Proselytism – The Case for Extending Section 28”, which shows that local authorities were very keen to have homosexual and lesbian issues on their curriculum. Just one example shows that the London Borough of Haringey advertised for a “Part-Time Youth Worker (Lesbian or Bisexual Female)” to “develop work around sexuality and related issues with schools primarily in Haringey and Barnet”. Judge for yourself whether this is promotion or not. Even with Section 28 in place things are still happening that should not. Gay Times stated, “Many local authorities are turning a blind eye to Section 28 and actively encouraging youth projects and other council-funded initiatives not to restrict their activities simply out of fear of breaching the legislation”. This is why we as a Trust would like to see Section 28 not only kept but also extended to cover all sex education. The form of sex education in schools today already leaves a lot to be desired. Sex and sexuality are taught in a vacuum with out any reference to morality, integrity or family values. If you teach that sex is available to all who can get hold of a condom then it is no wonder that the Scottish Executive see homosexuality as just another type of lifestyle. The Scottish Executive would lead you to believe that Section 28 legitimises intolerance and prejudice. We don’t think so. Section 28 does not say “ban homosexuality”; it does not even say that homosexuals cannot teach in schools. What it does say is that homosexuality should not be promoted in our schools. It says that we should not allow our children to be taught that homosexuality is a preferred alternative to a heterosexual marriage. It aims to keep unwanted pressure off young children who can be easily swayed and who by their very nature are impressionable. It is known that young teenage boys go through a period of having an attraction for other boys. Encouraging this phase could lead to experiences that a boy would regret in later life, not only because of the emotional trauma but also because of the risk to health. Let us be honest about this, homosexuality is wrong, it is a sin, it is unnatural. If you want biblical proof of that read the Rev. David Blunt’s article in this leaflet. The Scottish Executive are, however, so keen on abolishing this piece of legislation (ignoring the Holy Scriptures and ignoring the vast amount of public opinion that has been reported on in the media) that they have themselves said; “[we] are committed to abolishing this poor piece of law making”. They may listen and talk to parents, school boards, religious ministers and various other organisations but in the end it will not make any difference because they are committed to allowing the perverse act of homosexuality to be taught to our children. In fact we know exactly the kinds of organisations that they consulted to help them make their decision; various lesbian and gay groups along with the British Potato Council!! “The
Scottish Executive are committed to
Miss Alexander
tried to calm fears by saying “The consultation process demonstrates the
government’s commitment to ensuring that teaching materials were suitable
for children. This commitment should give confidence to parents, teachers
and pupils alike”. We have already seen who the Executive consulted, this
alone should set alarm bells ringing.
abolishing this poor piece of law making” What we must realise is this; our Scottish Executive does not see God’s Word as a standard to which we as a nation must conform. Their standards come from their own selfishness to further their careers by gaining votes. Some MSPs have even come and said, “Don’t worry, I have children, I wouldn’t put my children at risk” – but they do not realise what the risks are because they also fail to see God’s Word as binding on them. Now, parents, can you see what you are possibly allowing your children to come into contact with? Do not get me wrong, I am sure that there are some very good schools out there that are very strong on moral issues, but the threat is still there. What are the alternatives? We can scrutinise the school we send or propose to send our children to, but we can never be absolutely sure. Allow me then to share the idea of Christian schools where children are taught every lesson in light of the Scriptures or where you teach your own children at home and then you know exactly what they are learning. This can be a reality. There are people out there to help us do this, but what are we to do in the short term? We must pray and pray hard that the Executive not be allowed to ignore the truth, namely, the Scriptures, the massive public opposition and nature itself, which surely shows that this perversity is not right. Then we must write and plead with our MPs and MSPs, making OUR opinions known on this subject. We must never go quiet on this subject or any other which contradicts Scripture. This Executive have proven that they are hard of hearing. Do not leave your children at the mercy of the state school system do something about it now.
“And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” (Isaiah 54:14)
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