From: "Mark Tindall" <>

Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian

Subject: Re: Christian childrens games





> Gladys Swager wrote:

>

> >Christian children, whether they attend State or denominational

> >schools, have to meet the requirements of the school curriculum as >set

out

> by the Board of Studies.



~~~



Mark responded:



> ...which is minimal.  I know.  I've been a Principal in a Christian School

> as well as writing the manual for Christian Community Schools Australia

> wide.  I also was the first to speak, by invitation, on Christian

Schooling

> at the National Baptist Celebration.  I've heard and read the theories of

> Christian Community Schools, Christian Parent-Controlled Schools,

> Accelerated Christian Education (neither accelerated, Christian nor

> educational) and independent Christian schools ... usually first hand from

> the founders.

>

>

> > They do have the opportunity to read classics and other literature.



Mark responded:

>

> It depends on the individual school.  Some ban Chaucer and Shakespeare as

> being 'immoral' as they contain naughty words like 'swyv'.  As most

> fundamentalist Christians have a poor education, they probably wouldn't

know

> what the word meant anyway.  Australian Christian school systems have also

> banned the Never Ending Story, Harry Potter, Rembrandt, U2, Bob Dylan,

> abstract painting, nudes from the Renaissance, dinosaurs, rock music,

> philosophy, Aboriginal legends, evolution, C S Lewis (The Lion, the WITCH

> and the Wardrobe! ... a Christian), J R R Tolkein (The Hobbit, The Lord of

> the Rings ...a Christian),  Alice Cooper (a Christian), etc etc etc.

>

> The most ironic banning was that of Richard Ansoul's "Task Force J' series

> of children's books because one book mentioned a crystal and therefore

> (according to the infallible wisdom of the particular Christian school)

was

> 'New Age'.  Rev Richard Ansoul is a friend of mine and he is a Baptist

> minister in the Barossa Valley!  ... Doh! .....

>

>

>

> >Christian children in both forms of schooling have to accept the

> >evolutionary teachings that are given across subjects and even in

> >English and Mathematical Competitions without being allowed to study

> >the views of those who accept the Scientific Creationist point of

> >view.

>

Mark responded:

> ... which is psuedo-science and not accepted in any decent university

> anywhere in the world.  Read Ian Plimer's expose 'Telling Lies For God -

> Reason vs Creationism' (Sydney: Random House, 1994 ... forward by former

> Archbishop and now Governore Generalk, peter Holligworth.)  Creationism is

> not published in any scientific journal in Australia.  As a Christian I

> openly campaign its inclusion in secular school; systems in  any subject

> other than mythology.  It has no proven scientific basis whatsoever.

>

>

> > Correction - some Christian schools do give the Creationist view

> >- so they have more knowledge that the others.

>

>

> Knowledge of psuedo-science and fundamentalist ratbaggery that they will

> have to unlearn once they enter university.

>

>

> >Saying an idea is true doesn't necessarily make it so.



Mark responded:

>

> That Creationism is said to be true by fundamentalists does not make it

true

> either.  It is based on a misreading of Genesis not on any scientific

proof.

>

>

> > Until there is public discussion on this matter many people can't >make

up

> their own minds.

>

Mark responded:

> There has been plenty of scientific discussion on this matter. Scientists

> reject the fundamnentalist version of 'creationism' unanimously.

>

>

> >I was one of the first post-war probationary teachers who was used to

> >implement the non-use of physical punishment in a school system that

> >was not prepared for it. I am of the opinion that the adverse effects

> >of that programme were known at least by the 50's, but that

> >information was covered up.



Mark responded:



> Conspiracy theories are always rife in fundamnentalist circles, aren't

they?

>

>

> >The attack on Christians through the media from about 1970 has >been

> diversionary, but while Christians accept that we are not perfect >the

> secularists should accept that also.



Mark responded:



> Secularists (what is a 'secularist' in reality???) do accept that

Christians

> are not perfect.  Christians are lampooned in the media for their

uneducated

> stances on psuedo-science 'creationism' and the brutality of sanctioned

> physical assault on children (aka 'corporal punishment') condoned by OT

> scripture.  I also lampoon such ratbaggery in my own Christian art as do

> other Christian artists.

>

>

> Mark