Sir,
A letter from James Hardy was published in your newspaper on 3rd December 2025.
It had the heading:
‘Following the debate over the teaching of Religious Education in schools, are Bible basics best explained at home?’
It most certainly is a clear command of the Lord that the ‘home’ is to be a place of Scriptural Instruction for children.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.,” Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
There can be no disputing the place given to Biblical instruction of the young within the home in the purpose of God. It is emphasised a little further on in Deuteronomy.
“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth,” Deuteronomy 11:18-21.
The same truth is repeated in the New Testament, for example, by Christ and in Paul’s epistles.
“Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence,” Matthew 19:13-16.
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.,” Ephesians 6:4.
“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.,” 2 Timothy 1:5.
“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works,” 2 Timothy 3:14-17.
However, the problem facing parents who thus seek to obey the Lord, is that the State School then teaches the children under its care, in virtually every subject in the curriculum, including Religious Education, that which is entirely opposite to what the Bible states.
Evolution rather than the Bible’s record of God’s creating all things including man, Genesis Chapters 1 and 2, is what the state school teaches children!
Recently it was highlighted that the Education Authority had issued guidelines to all teachers whereby the moral perversions such as ‘transgenderism’ and ‘sodomy’ are to be considered normal and acceptable lifestyles. ‘Abortion’, the taking of the life of an unborn human being, is likewise to be considered reasonable, tolerable and acceptable. (See here… )
Such a moral ‘conundrum’ presented by this conflict between the Christian home and the state school is a chief cause for the decline of belief in God amongst the rising generation and all the social ills that such will give rise to.
It can only be remedied by parents and faithful Gospel ministers taking steps to establish schools where the truth of God is the foundation of a true education.
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
Kilskeery, Co. Tyrone
3rd December 2025