audiobook The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children by Katherine Stewart in History

Review

23 of 33 people found the following review helpful. Scary prospects for Secular EducationBy warzypantsKatherine Stewart combines her personal experiences with The Good News Club with a personal investigation into the Religious Right's intense activities to harvest the "unchurched" in the crucial 4-14 year old "window" in public schools. Ms Stewart explains the huge significance of recent Supreme Court decisions that have allowed such religious clubs to balloon in number; large numbers of in-house churches to become established in public schools on Sunday at tax-payer expense; children encouraged to tell their peers that they are going to Hell if the don't follow the correct fundamentalist religion; deceptive stealth tactics developed and disseminated by well-funded national church leaderships to exploit every legal loophole to evade the restrictions of Separation of Church and State.This is a very useful primer on the state of the Culture Wars for those on both sides of the Religion in Public Schools debate. Recommended.19 of 30 people found the following review helpful. Disgraceful!!!!By ganddw42The Good News Club by Katherine Stewart: I read about this book in an Q A article that appeared in American's United (for a Separation of Church and State) April news magazine; that I have been a member of for many years now. I had to buy it and read it. As a firm believer in the Constitution and the First Amendment that gives us all freedom of religion and freedom from religion. I had to read it to keep up on my ongoing education in the field of the Religious Right. It has proven to be a well worth the money and a well rounded book. One of the best I have read recently on the subject. It also covered a lot of new ground I was not to familiar with to date. It's clear to me; most of the Christian's she is speaking of; do not believe in the same Constitution the rest of us believe in. It's obvious they have no respect for other people's religious beliefs. They are willing to thumb their nose at the Constitution and everything this country has always stood for. It has renewed my determination to fight them every step of the way for the country I grew up in. A country that still respected the Constitution and left religion for the parents and kept religion and religious clubs like the Good New Club as well as church's out of public school space that the taxpayer supported. The biggest thing I remember about religion in the 50's is we were taught to respect other people's religious beliefs. That appears to be distressingly absent in today's Evangelical Christians. On no occasion was it acceptable practice to impose our religion upon others; regardless of whether that person's religion was right or wrong. That was immaterial to our parents and religious institutions both. Even the Fundamentalist ones didn't not indulge in such shabby behavior. The Christian Fundamentalist of today is something I do not recognize as being anything close to what I remember being Christian as a child. They are a pack of marauding wolves stealing other's sheep. Evangelicalism doesn't have much respect for itself as a religion; when it feels the need to 'kick in doors' to impose its beliefs upon innocent children. The fact; it is being imposed upon very young children before the age of consent; children who do not fully understand what it's all about. Who are very impressionable at that tender age. But; are possibly only acting out of peer pressure; fear and humiliation rather than true belief. It does not speak well of their religion or morals either one when they have to dupe and trick youngsters. That's something a child molester would indulge in. Even the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons have more character than to indulge in such deceptive practices. I would not want them teaching my child moral's of any kind; when they clearly have no clue what morals are. They are exactly what they rail constantly against. But; I guess they aren't any more dishonest than the Texas Board of Education who weren't too concerned about the honesty and accuracy of the history children were going to be taught in public school; as they were in rewriting history to look more sectarian and less secular. By promoting minor founding fathers such as John Jay a Christian and the first member of the Supreme Court and demoting Deist one of the author's of the Constitution Thomas Jefferson to a lesser not so important position. In essence playing the shell game with the founding fathers to skew history to their liking. I guess they weren't all that interested in presenting an accurate version of history for children (including their own) and letting the chips fall where they may. They were more interested in peddling an erroneous version skewed to their beliefs. But; I guess that's no worse that Evangelical churches deliberately using public facilities for free; don't pay a dime in taxes; ripping the taxpayer off wholesale with the Supreme Courts blessing. Or being so dishonest they try and dupe the voter into voting them onto a school board. It only leaves you to wonder if these people have one gram of ethics or morals? I personally don't think they do. What has happened to Christianity in this country???? It's unbelievable the depths some of these so called Christian's will stoop to in order to obtain their goals of Christianizing this country. I am familiar enough with the religion to know they employ some less than honorable tactics in attracting new members. When you have a group bullying others; they see as not being the right brand of Christians and trying to convert them to a different belief. Then there are going to be big problems in a community and families both. Something our public schools do not need under any circumstances. They are supposed to be neutral ground for children free of pests like these people. Let's face it; the word 'Evangelism' in their parent name 'Christian Evangelism Fellowship' tells me all I need to know; it's something I would not want anywhere near my children. I would not appreciate bigot's like these people proselytizing and terrorizing them with threats of hell or with their distorted brand of Christianity. They are not a group that is non-denominational like some claim; a lot of mainstream religions do not evangelize or are obsessed with sin and hell the way Fundamentalist's are. To tell a child that a baby who cries is committing sin is downright obscene. I have never had the highest opinion of most Fundamentalist's religions; but it is a good deal lower today. Such deceptive practices and tactics that are used on innocent children who are not old enough to determine what they want to believe; is about as low as one can descend.3 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Bringing Jesus Back to the Public SchoolsBy Gerard CoulombeThe Good News Club is about different but similar methods used by Evangelical Churches and their outreaches that go by different names to legally establish themselves and spread their beliefs in the public schools. They use the right to rent school space as available; and then; by extension and infiltration; cadres of Evangelicals legally walk through the public school doors that the Supreme Court opened to them to use for services so that they can grow their membership within the school community; one school at a time. With Jesus on their side and well indoctrinated in the methods of persuasion; those engaged in the task fear none who will deny their goal; which is to grow their numbers by bringing back the children of the lost sheep to the fold. This book describes a well-organized crusade to recapture the public schools; K-12; one school system at a time.