One of Queensland’s largest independent schools has sent families enrolment contracts that include asking them to sign a statement that states “homosexual acts” are immoral, listing them along with bestiality, incest and paedophilia as “offensive to God”.
The “statement of faith” required for enrolment at Citipointe Christian College also includes statements that imply transgender students will be recognised only by their “biological sex” at the school – that students should identify “with the gender that God bestowed”.
Citipointe is widely considered Brisbane’s equivalent of the Sydney megachurch Hillsong.
Initially the “Christian Outreach Centre”, the church has satellite ministries in Nashville, Auckland and central Bulgaria. Like Hillsong, it has its own Christian music operation, Citipointe Worship.
The school, which occupies part of Citipointe’s extensive campus in the Brisbane suburb of Carindale, claims on its website to be “one of Queensland’s largest independent schools, with a student population of over 1720”.
A petition demanding the school recall the enrolment contracts, which parents must sign, had more than 30,000 signatures on Monday morning.
One parent said they had expressed concern with the school and been told that the contract was compulsory for enrolment. A parent at a neighbouring school said she had written to her principal asking for a boycott of inter-school sport against Citipointe.
The “statement of faith” section in the Citipointe college enrolment contracts is an excerpt from the constitution of the Christian Outreach Centre.
It states that: “We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other”.
“We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including but not limited to: adultery, fornication, homosexual acts, bisexual acts, bestiality, incest, paedophilia and pornography) is sinful and offensive to God and is destructive to human relationships and society.
“We believe that God created human beings as male or female.”
The contract also states that “I/we agree that, where distinctions are made between male and female (inclusive of, but not limited to, for example, uniforms, presentation, terminology, use of facilities and amenities, participation in sporting events and accommodation) such distinctions will be applied on the basis of the individual’s biological sex.”
The office of the school principal, pastor Brian Mulheran, said he was not available to answer questions on Monday.
Mulheran – who in 2012 claimed he was totally cured from a long-term debilitating sickness by the prayer of a healing pastor – said in a statement that the school does not judge students on their sexuality or gender identity and a decision about their enrolment would not be made on that basis.
“We have always held these Christian beliefs and we have tried to be fair and transparent to everyone in our community by making them clear in the enrolment contract,” Mulheran said.
“We are seeking to maintain our Christian ethos and to give parents and students the right to make an informed choice about whether they can support and embrace our approach to Christian education.
“We believe each individual is created in the image of God, with dignity and worth equal to every other person. We unequivocally love and respect all people regardless of their lifestyle and choices, even if those choices are different to our beliefs and practice.”
