Sophia Investigates The Good News Club

[hue]

Here's the dire christian movement going on, called "The Good News Club".
"Faith based bullying... Do you think children should be told they are evil and deserve to die? This is what the Good News Club teaches -- in Public Elementary Schools, no less..."

[Cirque du So-What]

1. K & R

I give this my highest recommendation.

[duffyduff]

2. The GNC has been around for decades

I am reading the book about the organization by Katherine Stewart, but the author goes on and on and on in a tangent about other ways the religious right (which she dubs "Christian Nationalists"--a misleading term because the term "nationalism" has a decidedly white power angle, and there is no evidence of that connection) has infiltrated the classroom and very little about the GNC itself. She should have just talked about that instead of trying to sell the book as a story about the GNC itself, which is only a small part of the controversy.

I don't hold the book in that high a regard because it is a disjointed mess.

[drynberg]

3. HOLY COW!

How many of these Good News Clubs are there in the USA? Each state? I wanted to be told that this was produced by The Onion or whomever, y'know just spoofing...This is so bizarre, so anti-democratic, so anti-public school, so anti-kid, so anti-other religions including atheists...There needs to be a serious legal/legislative challenge to this GNC Movement and I mean NOW. Whatta y'all think?

[classof56]

5. Well, I can only speak from personal experience, going 'way back.

Good News clubs are sponsored by an organization called Child Evangelism Fellowship, which operates internationally. I attended Good News Club meetings when I was a youngster in the 40s, they were after school, and often took place in my parents' home. The idea was to share Christ's gospel with children--get 'em while they're young, I guess--and since gospel means good news, thus the name. They were conducted by adults from nearby churches, but I honestly don't recall if my mother was a leader. I'm thinking not--she wasn't too well, but graciously offered her home for the sessions. When my daughters attended a two-room grade school 40 or so years ago, the school district allowed "early release time" so students could attend Good News Club, and it took place in the country church across the street from the school. It was a church I was active in, though I did not insist my girls attend either Sunday School or Good News Clubs. I haven't thought about this in a long time, and haven't heard about GNCs in the area I live, so not too familiar with how they are now organized and what their focus is. I no longer consider myself to be a part of evangelical fundamentalist christianity, one of the big reasons being the way christians insist on shoving their beliefs down peoples' throats these days. However, given the concerned compassionate christians I knew when growing up and raising my kids, I saw no problem with GNC's mission plus they did not meet in public schools. I know people who took issue with the early release time, but haven't kept track of that lately, either. I have not had time to watch this video, so might be more concerned once I do. I'm a member of AU, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, so may be hearing more from them on the subject.

Didn't mean for this to be so long, but thought I'd share my experience growing up, and all in all, I believe the GNC meetings I attended were beneficial for me. I am thoroughly discouraged with much of main-stream christianity now, but I still hold the christian values of love, compassion and following the teachings of Jesus. I'd encourage those who have strong objections to the GNC movement to speak up and lobby for legislative change. That's pretty much what our democracy is all about.

Blessings.

[hue]

4. Yes this movement is being embedded into the public school system at an alarming rate.

Many parents do not even realize what goes on at some of the afternoon school programs in our public schools. Parent use after school programs instead of babysitters until they get home from work. Exposure is necessary to combat this RW indoctrination of obedience and suppression of free thinking.

[another_liberal]

6. Narrow-minded religious arrogance . . .

Narrow-minded, self-promoting, religious arrogance like this has caused most of the wars and much of the suffering human kind has had to face. This type of Christianity is a way of life as ugly as it is happily ignorant. It has no place in our public schools, despite what five extremely conservative men in long black robes declare from their high court chamber.

[backscatter712]

7. Excellent video. Good News Clubs are psychologically abusive Dominionist brainwashing machines.

They literally teach children, over and over and over, that they are evil, selfish, deserving of death, and destined to burn in Hell unless they drink the Jesus-aid, and give ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE to religious authority, even when ordered to commit genocide (yes, they teach the lesson of Israel getting the divine smackdown because they didn't slaughter all the Amalekites.)

See my thread in Religion on this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/121871865

[AsahinaKimi]

8. This reminded me of

"Jesus Camp". For years we will be dealing with these conservative right wingers.. they are not going away any time soon, not until they try and establish a Theocracy.