Pastor lauds students pushing back on cross necklace ban as Christian symbol deemed ‘offensive’
Students in Victoria, Australia, are challenging their Methodist school’s ban on cross necklaces deemed “offensive,” receiving praise from a local pastor.
At Methodist Ladies’ College, a prestigious girls’ school in Melbourne, students have been asked to remove cross necklaces because they might offend others, the Herald Sun reported.
“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.’”
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MLC was founded by the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1882 and charges around $39,000 a year in fees for Year 12 students, Premier Christian News noted, adding that the school has 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, noted Sky News.
“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.”
According to reports, while some students were asked to remove crosses, others were allegedly allowed to wear furry ears, tails and rainbow-themed items.
In response to the allegations, Principal Julia Shea stated, “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.”
She added, “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.”
MLC acknowledges that many students are there for the education rather than religious reasons.
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.”
