When I found out my eight-year-old had been taught at school that there’s no God, I was shocked.

Source: Religious Instruction in Queensland schools is discriminatory

When I found out my eight-year-old had been taught at school that there’s no God, I was shocked.

Well, actually, it’s the opposite: I’m an atheist and in Religious Instruction, my son was taught that God exists, and his saviour is Jesus.

This admittedly contrived example illustrates why religious instruction is inherently discriminatory.

Considering we’d previously opted out our son from the program, I was appalled when he still attended the first class of the year. How vigilant must I be?

I’m not blaming the school. The fault lies in the contradictory policy of requiring parents to opt-out of a compulsorily offered class.

Since the school must obtain written permissions from all parents, it’s unsurprising that errors occur. Recent figures show that a massive 400,000 children should not be taking part in the program.

We reluctantly allowed our son to attend the course in Year 1, assuming it would be harmless enough.

Alison Courtice, of Queensland Parents for Secular State Schools, said RI “flew under radar” for many parents.

I was reassured by the state government Religious Instruction policy statement pledging to “respect the background and beliefs of all students” and not to promote “any particular set of beliefs in preference to another”.

But soon after, my son came home singing songs about Jesus, and exclaimed how “amazing” it was that “God created the whole world”.

So I visited the class and witnessed a Christian pastor brazenly promoting Anglican Christian beliefs.

Colouring-in books with pictures of Jesus.

Fill in the gaps – “Jesus ___ you”.

So much for not promoting “any particular set of beliefs” in “preference to others”.

Given religious instruction is taught by instructors from particular faith traditions, it’s hard to imagine how it could be otherwise.

So we opted-out of the program. As a result I joined the Rationalist Society of Australia so I could campaign against religion’s pernicious influence.

How ironic that I’m still apparently unable to evade it’s clutches.

Religious Instruction is Sunday school moved into school hours. According to Godspace, one of the suppliers of teaching materials, “the government doesn’t approve the curriculum, the churches do”, and, “May the children you teach discover God’s love and God’s purpose for living.”

RI fails to appropriately distinguish “beliefs” and “knowledge”. Six-year-olds haven’t developed the critical thinking skills to determine the difference. And churches prey on them.

The Christian Lausanne movement for the Evangelization of Childrenadvises: “The future of the church begins with child evangelism”.

If children don’t accept “Jesus as Saviour” before their teenage years, they probably never will.

I’d really prefer my son to consider religion sans the discomfiting presence of child evangelists, when he’s at an age capable of understanding what religion is.

The Queensland RI program fails to “respect background and beliefs of all students” because it fails to offer non-belief. This is discriminatory.

Religious instruction is totally out of step with Australia’s diverse and increasingly irreligious community.

Merely 9 per cent of Australians are observant Christians. Indeed, the2016 Census will report non-belief overtaking Catholicism as the highest category of religious affiliation.

Bible-thumpers not only proselytise to kids, they organise outreach camps so our children can “meet God” and have “faith in Jesus”. It’s creepy.

We need to put an end to the intolerable incursion of preaching in Queensland schools.