Posts Tagged ‘religion’
God’s Good News is Bad-News for Students
(Please excuse the use of the media release. I agree with it, but am too tired to think of the words right now)
Atheist Foundation of Australia president David Nicholls today expressed deep concern over Prime Minister Gillard’s announcement over the weekend to increase funding to school chaplains by $222 million.
In a submission to the public consultation process about the National School Chaplaincy Program, the Australian Psychological Society (APS) raised concerns about the credentials of many Chaplains providing counselling services as part of the Chaplaincy program in Australian schools.
In their submission they state that the ‘government is supporting a scheme which allows unregistered and unqualified school chaplains to work outside their boundaries as spiritual and religious personnel’[1] and point out that there is clear evidence that school chaplains are engaging in duties for which they are not qualified.
Although the government guidelines state that ‘school chaplains cannot provide services for which they are not qualified, for example counselling services or psychological assessment’[2] it also states that school chaplains are employed to support students for issues such as ‘grief, family breakdown and other crisis situations’[3].
‘Evidence shows that Chaplains with as little as 36 hours training[4] are counselling students and providing funding to support these chaplains is irresponsible and dangerous,’ said David Nicholls.
“There is a reason that Psychologists have a minimum of 6 years training before being able to provide psychological support services and to think that a two day course and belief in an imaginary being will help these children is ridiculous,’ he said.
One of the major providers of school chaplains the Scripture Union of Australia has as one of its aims to “make God’s Good News known to children, young people and families.”[5]
‘Providing funding to a scheme that supports this religious indoctrination in schools is a clear breach of the separation of church and state and atheists, freethinkers and secularists across Australia will be extremely disappointed in Prime Minister Gillard’s conservative and risky stance,’ said David Nicholls.
[1] Australian Psychological Society’s ‘Submission to the Consultation Process for the National School Chaplaincy Program’ July 2010.
[2] Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations NSCP ‘FAQ’ page outlining the school chaplain’s roles.
[3] Ibid page 2.
[4] ACCESS Ministry course brochure 2010.
[5] SUA website
See further: http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/.
Funds should go towards appropriately trained teachers, psychologists, social workers or youth workers to provide services such as those outlined above.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Flying Spaghetti Monster
Originally uploaded by AKA Dillweed
I hope that you, too, are touched by his noodly appendage.
WIN for Easter: The Purple Glitter Jesus Money Box
A came across the most amazing sight in the $2 bin at Borders over the weekend while deciding on a Soy Vanilla Latte. It was almost like it was meant to be. The only Purple Glitter Jesus Money Box I’ve ever seen.
I couldn’t NOT buy him. And now he could be yours.
OMG (pun intended) How Can I Win?!?
Read the rest of this entry »
Not a part of it
There’s this toy drive going at the moment for “Operation Christmas Child“. The idea is you gather a shoebox of little gifts, like pens and pencils, small toys and so on, and send it to Africa or someplace for Christmas.
Sounds nice, right?
Me being be, I decided to skim the website of the charity involved, to see what else they do.
They’re a Christian charity, as many charities are (Care Australia isn’t).
The thing I have the most issues with about what they do? Their approach to HIV/AIDS education. They provide recordings in the native language on HIV/AIDS education… but the way they do it?
There are two separate training tracks: Building the Church, which includes the Bible in Khmer along with scriptural training lessons; and Messages of Hope, which includes lessons addressing HIV/AIDS, child protection, health and sanitation, and parenting.
Sorry, I don’t want a part in that, nor do I, as their newsletter said, want a part in putting together a box that (let me find the quote) “through the gifts the children will come to know the love of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas” (p2)…
I read another part somewhere today, which I can’t track down, that credited the boxes for giving the church an ‘in’ to a community in order to spead religion. (I wish I could find the quote, sorry).
Ahem. But anyway. Find a charity whose mission and methods you agree with. Read their back story. That’s my message that I’m preaching ;)
Sing it to me, and I might learn about it…
(10:35:26 AM) Fiona: I’m happy phil
(10:35:31 AM) Fiona: I’m jsut not healthy
(10:35:36 AM) Fiona: hehe happy healthy harod
(10:35:39 AM) Fiona: hmm
(10:35:41 AM) Fiona: harold
(10:35:49 AM) Fiona: harod was a different thing
(10:36:18 AM) Oh what a beautiful day: hahahaha wasn’t he some king? or was that herod?
(10:36:26 AM) Fiona: all yes
(10:36:29 AM) Oh what a beautiful day: hehe so that means you’ll be extra happy when you’re healthy!!
(10:36:31 AM) Fiona: I’m great on my bible
(10:36:35 AM) Fiona: I SHOULD KNOW THAT
(10:36:52 AM) Fiona: it was in Jesus Christ Superstar. Or Joseph. Either way.
(10:37:01 AM) Fiona: The best bible ed for me was from musicals
(10:37:15 AM) Fiona: and from Saved and Dogma. I loved Dogma
(10:38:18 AM) Oh what a beautiful day: hahahaha good girl – dogma was fantastic :)
It’s easier to swallow today. Still feeling quite tired, but I think I must be getting healthier, since I can eat without crying – banana and brown sugar snadwhiches! mmms
One more video
I hope you feel the touch of His noodly appendage.
Now, how to represent god as a boardmaker symbol?
Every time I work with Catholic schools, I always face the dillemma of working towards getting my clients to best access the curriculum. I have that challenge with all kids, but it gets that one step trickier when the curriculum includes Religion. And not just religion as an exploration of the concepts of religion, but teaching it as a truth and a given.
Starting with being confronted with a “Good morning, Fiona and may god bless you”, I really have to step back and remember what it is I’m trying to achieve here. From learning from the teachers “So, what DO you actually want them to learn from this class” (often we can break it down to of course teh faith side, but then the representation of friends, family and so on) to then working towads getting teh kids to understand what it is.
Today I showed up at a school just in time for a morning prayer circle. Each child said a prayer, the passed the cross around. Myself, and two boys, being the only ones who passed the cross onto the next person without uttering anything. Spending that time as a good way to see how my client engaged, then moving on to the Relious Education (RE) activity – generating ideas of how to have a liturgy around Peace and Joy. So while the group I sat with worked away, I got “language-y” on them. Probing their understanding of the meaning of Peace and of Joy. Looking at how they worked on their brainstorming, on their generation of ideas around symbols and such. Just have to focus on what I want to be getting from this. And what language things the kids actually are!
And, to quote Lisa Simpson (I think) “They made me their Queen!” – I’m doing our Branch’s President role this year for Speech Pathology Australia, which I’ll hopefully learn a lot doing – such as all the public speaking, leadership and lobbying type skills I’ll need to actually do the role. Plus, I get to go to Melbourne in February for a meeting. Sweet! :)
Now, go forth and send Flying Spaghetti Monster E-cards to your friends and family this holiday season!
The good side of christenings
Cake!
