Australian state government opens door to chaplains “of any faith or no faith”

From The Guardian:

The Victorian government has conceded that school chaplains can be of “any faith or no faith” as part of a settlement to a landmark legal challenge that could open the way to secular or atheist chaplains.

In order to settle a case arguing the program is discriminatory, Victoria agreed on Monday to change the position description. It’s a move the Rationalist Society and the academic Luke Beck believe will force providers to hire atheists and allow religious groups to endorse atheists.

But the Victorian education disputed that its practices had changed.

“It simply reflects what already occurs,” a spokesman said, because secular chaplains could already be endorsed by religious bodies.

The commonwealth-funded program currently requires chaplains to be recognised or endorsed by a religious institution, despite the fact pastoral care is only supposed to provide “general spiritual and personal advice”, without crossing the line to proselytisation.

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