A local pastor in Victoria, Australia, commended students who challenged their Methodist school’s ban on cross necklaces deemed “offensive.” According to the Herald Sun, Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC), a prestigious girls’ school in Melbourne, asked students to remove cross necklaces because they might offend others.
“My friend was wearing a cross, and there was another girl in our class who said she found the cross really offensive, and so the teacher told her to take it off,” an anonymous student was quoted as saying. “My friend’s parents, who are very religious, tried to get answers from the school and were told, ‘It’s not a good look for the school.’”
As noted by Premier Christian News, MLC is known to have a strict dress code policy regarding makeup, jewelry, and long hair.
“This is supposed to be a religious school, but they are listening to minority opinion rather than mainstream religious students,” another student was quoted as saying.
Pastor Murray Campbell criticized the school’s actions in a blog post, Sky News reports.
“Well done to the girls who are standing up to the bullish behavior of the school. Well done to the students who are defending their fellow students, whether they are of Christian faith or not,” the pastor was quoted as saying.
Stephen Chavura, a history lecturer and author, told Sky News, “We know now that the word inclusivity means exclusivity, and the word diversity means uniformity, but I want to praise these girls for standing up to woke bullying.”
He encouraged students, stating, “Wear your crosses, if you have a cross turn up to school and wear it, send a message to other students and teachers and to the school in general, that this is a Christian school, it is not a Marxist woke school.”
Several reports stated that students were asked to remove crosses, and others were allegedly allowed to wear furry ears, tails, and rainbow-themed items, The Christian Post reports.
“We aim to apply a consistent uniform policy that prohibits visible jewelry. We do not have any students attending school wearing furry tails and ears,” Principal Julia Shea stated in response to the allegations.
“This policy applies equally to all students and is not related to religion or any individual’s beliefs. It ensures that every student adheres to the same standard of presentation, fostering unity within our diverse community,” she added.
My Christian News noted that at $39,000 per year, the school’s client base is the elite of Melbourne, “and not Christian parents, and hence not wanting to offend the majority of parents and their children who are there for the education, not religious reasons.”
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.