(CP) In schools across Northern Ireland, students are finding it more challenging to reveal their Christian faith than their sexual orientation, according to testimony provided during an ongoing inquiry into Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) at Stormont.
David Smyth, a representative of the Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland, told the Education Committee that some young people find it "much more difficult now to come out as an Evangelical Christian in school than it is to come out as LGBT," according to the BBC.
Smyth's comments came as part of a discussion on the content and delivery of RSE in Northern Irish schools, Premier Christian News noted.
Smyth said the Evangelical Alliance had concerns over the content being provided but clarified that this was not a confrontation between religion and RSE.
"We're not looking to fight a culture war where children are the casualties," Smyth told the BBC. He added that there's a need to find common ground between Christians and non-Christians regarding the teaching of healthy relationships, consent and preventing violence against women and girls.
The Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland, which represents a range of churches and individuals, addressed specific issues within RSE that have raised concern among parents and members of the faith community.
Smyth referred to a report by Conservative MP Miriam Cates on RSE in England and Wales, citing examples of "age-inappropriate material being taught in RSE on issues like sexual practices which may be dangerous or even illegal, like chocking or chem [drugs] sex." He pointed out that some RSE materials also contained "scientifically inaccurate content which confuses and conflates biological sex with gender identity."
Smyth expressed additional concerns that the Christian perspective is becoming increasingly marginalized in school environments. He said "there are some specific areas where the views of Evangelical Christians, and many Catholics and Muslims, are very distinctive, for example abortion."
The teaching of access to abortion and prevention of early pregnancy is set to become compulsory for all post-primary schools in Northern Ireland, following regulations laid in Parliament by former Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris in 2023.
During questioning, Nick Mathison, the committee chair, asked Smyth if he believed that teachers might be attempting to "effectively change children's minds to push an agenda of some sort." Smyth responded that his concern lay in ensuring that the teaching of sensitive issues, such as abortion and differing sexual identities, allows for space where students are not subjected to ideological pressures.
"Is it secular blasphemy to believe that a man cannot biologically become a woman?" Smyth asked the committee members.
