MOST religious groups that conduct scripture classes in schools have urged the Christian Democrat MP Fred Nile to drop his campaign against ethics classes, arguing the fight is over.

The Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools, which represents 80 per cent of groups that provide special religious education (SRE), including the Anglican, Presbyterian, and Uniting churches, is instead asking the state government to improve the support for scripture classes.

Mr Nile, who has a private members bill before Parliament to repeal the classes, was not persuaded to drop his bill but is supporting the group’s efforts.

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The deputy chairman of the commission, Peter Adamson, said representatives had made their views on ethics classes clear to Mr Nile.

”We said: ‘Mate, it’s over, forget about it. We fought the fight, ethics is now a part of the curriculum because it’s legislation. No government repeals legislation,”’ Mr Adamson said. ”Our task is not to bellyache or grumble, but to make SRE winsome and effective educationally.”

He said the group was concerned about the decreasing amount of time allocated for scripture classes. They could be as short as 20 minutes, once time was spent organising children into groups and classrooms.

The commission has also asked for greater support, recognition and training for volunteers.

A spokesman for the Minister for Education, Adrian Piccoli, confirmed the minister had been in contact with the group and was willing to work with it.

“We will continue to do so to strengthen and improve the delivery of special religious education in NSW government schools,” the spokesman said.

Addressing a Christian forum at Parliament House yesterday, Mr Nile repeated his concerns that ethics classes taught children ”secular humanism” which he said had been at the root of Nazi and Marxist ideologies.

”We should hold the government to their original policy, to repeal the ethics classes,” he said.

The Premier, Barry O’Farrell, has agreed to take Mr Nile’s bill to the party room but has affirmed his election commitment to maintain ethics classes.