Wednesday, July 04, 2012

The "Good News Club"

By Don Wharton

Katherine Stewart is the author of The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children. She has done an important job in making us aware of the 700% plus increase in evangelism directed at our children. Apparently the Child Evangelism Fellowship has leveraged a Supreme Court decision to legally force elementary schools to allow them to set up these clubs.

There is a 4-14 theory based on the notion that people become Christian between the ages of 4 and 14. Very few children younger than four consider themselves to be Christian. After 14 it is relatively rare to become Christian. Under this theory after 14 the situation is “remedial.” This is motivating the focus on children.

The actual views taught are extremely divisive. Catholics are not considered “real” Christians. Children are told to tell other children that they have to have the right beliefs if they want to live.

The Richard Dawkins Foundation has a of couple very informative interviews with Ms. Stewart. The first one with Elisabeth Cornwell doing the interviewing is embedded below:

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