The most dangerous thing at this afterschool meeting of the Good News Club at Chestnut Ridge Elementary School in the Churchville-Chili school district appears to be the game of blindfolded dodgeball in the gym.
But members of another local group, the Young Skeptics, will tell you that Good News is dangerous and should not be allowed to hold its meetings in a school building. And they’ve been speaking with Churchville-Chili schools Superintendent Lori Orologio to press their point. (Orologio declined a request for an interview. The club merely uses a school building, she says, and is not sponsored by the school.)
The Good News Club is a ministry of the Child Evangelism Fellowship. Club members meet with groups of children in various settings, including schools, for Bible lessons. According to CEF’s website, the meetings include songs, memorization of Scripture, games, and other activities.
“The purpose of the Good News Club is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living,” the website says.
But Kevin Davis, a Churchville resident, says that the club indoctrinates children who are too young to understand what’s happening. The club tears down children’s self-esteem by telling them that they are sinners who deserve death, Davis says, and then sells the children on the club’s brand of Christianity.
Katherine Stewart, who has written a book critical of the Good News Club, calls it “faith-based bullying.”
“It’s very, very sin focused,” Davis says. “It’s first telling them, ‘There’s something wrong with you, inherently.’ And then selling you, ‘Hey, by the way, I’ve got the cure. You can have it for free, but you have to do what I say.'”
Davis helped form the Young Skeptics Club in the Churchville-Chili district to counter the teachings of the Good News Club.
“Our focus is not proselytizing or telling kids what to think,” he says. “It’s trying to help them learn how to think. Our focus is on critical thinking, problem solving, giving them a safe space to ask questions about what they’re learning.”
But Moises Esteves, vice president of Child Evangelism Fellowship’s USA Ministries, says that the Good News Club’s message is positive — that God loves them — and that schools are happy to have the clubs.
“If the accusations were true, then the clubs should be disappearing,” he says. “The opposite is true. Over the last 12-13 years, attendance has grown steadily. The reason it grows is because the kids love the club and love the message of the club.”
The Child Evangelism Fellowship has two Good News clubs in the Churchville-Chili school district. The second is at Fairbanks Road Elementary School.
Approximately 215,000 children participate in Good News clubs in the US, Esteves says, and there are more than 62,000 clubs worldwide.
The Good News Club is able to meet in schools thanks to the outcome of a 2001 Supreme Court case, Good News Club vs. Milford Central School in Milford, New York. In a 6-3 ruling, the court said that barring the Good News Club violates the club’s First Amendment rights.
But court ruling aside, Davis says that the club’s teachings violate the Churchville-Chili school district’s Code of Conduct, which says that every student has a right to a school environment free of harassment and bullying.
Davis’ own spiritual journey is interesting. He was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school through eighth grade. He became a born-again Christian in college for a short time, and now considers himself an atheist. He learned about the Good News Club through a Rochester-based atheist group.
“We don’t fundamentally have an issue with religious instruction,” he says. “I feel that there are plenty of lessons in the Bible that are good for teaching morality, for teaching compassion, and molding the way a child looks at the world and teaching them empathy. It’s the tearing down of a child’s self-esteem to rebuild it the way you want it to be built that we have a problem with.”
Seven-year-old children are not equipped to make a major life decision, he says, such as whether to become Christians. And children do not differentiate between what is taught in a school building by a teacher, he says, and what is taught in the same building by a leader of the Good News Club.
And teaching a literalist view of the Bible is also teaching, for example, that creationism is fact, Davis says.
Esteves says that the club does indeed teach creationism and that he doesn’t apologize for it.
“The Bible teaches it, and that’s who we are,” he says. “We’re a ministry that teaches the Bible.”
He knows that elementary school children are ready to commit to Christianity, he says, because he did it when he was 9. But if they’re not ready, Esteves says, the club doesn’t force them.
“All the decisions are always between the child and God,” he says. “We don’t do any kind of coercing or manipulation. That would completely defeat the purpose of people desiring to follow Jesus out of their own initiative.”
Parents have to give permission for their children to attend the club’s meetings, Esteves says, so there’s nothing sneaky or subversive going on.
And that’s the key point, says Dr. Eric Caine, chair of the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry. American society has always let parents decide how, where, and when their children receive religious education until the children are of age, he says. And the Good News Club essentially sounds like an extension of Sunday school, he says.
“I always worry about anything that’s judgmental about people’s behavior at a time when kids are too young to judge,” Caine says. “But that’s a general worry, not specific to religion or anything else.”
The bottom line, Esteves says, is that atheists want to shut the club down because they oppose Christianity.
“We desire to share the love of God and tell about Jesus to the boys and girls all over the country,” he says. “The United States Supreme Court said, ‘Yup, you can do that in the public schools.’ So we continue to do it. The opposition, I’m sure, will continue, as well.”
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2015.
The City Newspaper seems to have glossed over the deceitfulness and manipulation inherent in the Good News Club’s practices. While it’s true that parents have to sign a permission slip to have their children attend, the slip does not explain what’s being taught. It’s a benign-looking presentation, simply stating that the GNC teaches lessons from the Bible. What they’re NOT telling parents is that they teach a specific brand of Christianity that most Christians do not subscribe to. They’re teaching fundamentalist Christianity and Biblical literalism. As Esteves admits, they’re teaching creationism along with that. That means that the GNC is undermining the children’s science education by teaching them that evolution is untrue and that the earth is not as old as geologists would assert. Does the permission slip say that? NO. Does it say that the GNC is telling their children that they’re inherent sinners worthy of death? NO. Does it say that they’re teaching a literal view of the Bible that contradicts the education they’ll get from real teachers? NO. The GNC is so secretive that they will purposely mislead parents in order to get them to send their kids, and does not share their curriculum outside its organization. Why the lack of transparency? If the GNC was proud of what it teaches and there’s no psychological abuse or intimidation, then why not share the curriculum? There are the questions that should have been asked in this article.
If you are a parent of a child in the Good News Club, it’s time to start asking questions. Is your 7-year-old emotionally mature enough to recite the Prayer of Salvation and evangelize to his/her friends on the playground? Because that’s exactly what the GNC is asking kids to do. Most first graders still want to be cowboys and princesses when they grow up, not little soldiers for Christ. They’re in no position to make the life decisions these volunteers are pressuring them to make.
Here’s a great example of the lengths the GNC has gone to in order to protect their secrets. This semester, they tried to prevent outside observers from sitting in on GNC sessions (which are required by law to be open to the public) by attempting to intimidate them and even calling the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department to try to prevent them from attending:
http://dividedundergod.com/2015/03/27/good-news-club-discovers-its-harder-to-intimidate-adults-than-children/
-Kevin Davis
Kevin is absolutely right about the nature of these clubs. They prey on the young an entice them with rewards to recruit their friends. If any of their friends do not go then they are told that friend will go to hell.
There are a couple very good documentaries about this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aISnyA6k5Io
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNwPj6RsMFg
It’s regrettable that this article dismisses the abusive nature of the Good News Club in the very first sentence without, apparently, having investigated the content of the Good News Club lessons. Had Ms. Carrie Fien dug below the deceptive marketing of the club she would have found lessons that overwhelming emphasize a child’s depraved nature and include lessons directed at children as young as 5 years old which state, “You have earned death – separation from God forever in a terrible place of punishment.”
This is why mental health professionals that are familiar with the Good News Club’s materials have declared their methods of emphasizing the child’s deficiency as “very traumatic” and “incompatible with mental health.”
No, the most dangerous aspect of these meetings isn’t the dodge ball. The most dangerous aspect of these meetings is that many of these defenseless children will endure lives of guilt, shame and fear as a result of the psychological abuse of the Good News Club.
It’s regrettable that this article dismisses the abusive nature of the Good News Club in the very first sentence without, apparently, having investigated the content of the Good News Club lessons. Had Ms. Carrie Fien dug below the deceptive marketing of the club she would have found lessons that overwhelming emphasize a child’s depraved nature and include lessons directed at children as young as 5 years old which state, “You have earned death – separation from God forever in a terrible place of punishment.”
This is why mental health professionals that are familiar with the Good News Club’s materials have declared their methods of emphasizing the child’s deficiency as “very traumatic” and “incompatible with mental health.”
No, the most dangerous aspect of these meetings isn’t the dodge ball. The most dangerous aspect of these meetings is that many of these defenseless children will endure lives of guilt, shame and fear as a result of the psychological abuse of the Good News Club.
Why not have parents rotate attending these after school meetings to monitor what’s being taught to their children?
If the parents have a problem with the teachings, they are free to opt out, on behalf of their own children.
Atheists, as parents, have a right to spread their beliefs to their own children just as well; after all, that’s what freedom of religion is about.
Too bad if Christans offend Atheists with their teaching, as well as too bad if Atheists offend Christians in their teachings. Where are we, in Iran or Afghanistan?
@Don Sherman: Most parents aren’t able to attend meetings at 3:30 pm to monitor what’s being taught to their children. Most of them are working during school hours.
Spreading beliefs to your children is one thing. Sending your children to attend a group that uses psychologically abusive practices and attacks a child’s self-worth under the guise of “fun, games, and bible stories” is another.
Like I said, I don’t have a problem with religious instruction generally. I have a problem with the tactics of the GNC: attacking children’s self-worth, misleading parents, and a complete lack of transparency (for good reason).
Kevin, it’s hard to believe that not one parent can monitor those children at 3:30 PM because, as you say, they are working. Most parents would be very concerned with these accusations and would check them out.
If you have a problem with GNC, then don’t send your children there. You may have a beef with their tactics but if they’re not breaking any laws, what do you hope to accomplish for disagreeing with them? A slander or defamation of character law suit against you?
@Don Sherman: I didn’t say that not one parent can monitor. I’ve been to meetings and there have been parents there, but they’re always the same ones, and they don’t monitor the whole meeting; just the end. I was responding to your suggestion that parents rotate attendance by saying that’s not always possible. I would absolutely encourage parents to attend and see what goes on. These people need to be under the microscope, and that’s why I, like many others, speak out against them. I’m doing my part to raise awareness.
This is not as simple as “if you don’t like them, don’t send your kids.” There’s a bigger issue here. I’m concerned for the welfare of the children in my community. If you were aware of someone doing psychological damage to children in your neighborhood, are you saying you wouldn’t want to do something about it just because it’s not your kid? I also have concerns over horrible rankings of scientific literacy in the US. Groups like the GNC who are teaching kids creationism and undermining their science education contribute to the scientific illiteracy in this country.
And slander/defamation only applies when what is said is not true. We have plenty of evidence that what we allege is the truth.
Apparently, the Good News Club’s mission includes spreading illiteracy. The use of “disciple” as a verb is described in reputable dictionaries as “archaic” and “obsolete”. (See second paragraph at http://www.cefonline.com). I’d wager that whoever wrote that was the victim of intellectual inbreeding, also known as home schooling. People like this have no business “teaching” anyone’s children, not even their own.
@Don Sherman: I would add to what Kevin said by pointing out that as concerned community members and parents, when we have on separate occasions tried to observe the proceedings, we were barred completely; barred from large portions of the meeting; and had the police called by the GNC in an attempt to keep us out. And what did the Police conclude? “…there was no evidence that [the observers were] performing any criminal actions or that [their] actions were contrary to district policy.”
These attempts to cloak the behavior of the club came after the club deceived both me and the school district about the actual lessons being provided. Fortunately Kevin and several other concerned citizens were willing to stand up to the GNC’s deception and intimidation, and we can tell you with absolute conviction that the GNC is engaged in psychological abuse of children. Whether you choose to believe it is up to you.
Kevin and Dan- ” Fortunately Kevin and several other concerned citizens were willing to stand up to the GNC’s deception and intimidation, and we can tell you with absolute conviction that the GNC is engaged in psychological abuse of children.”
Help me out here; if all this abuse is going on with these kids, why are’nt these people (GNC) arrested, or why are’nt the parents, who allow this psychological abuse to happen be reported to child protective services?
If you have all this abuse documented, why are’nt you doing more, as a concerned group (Young Skeptics), to stop it ?
@Don Sherman: First, Young Skeptics isn’t in any sense going after the Good News Club. Some of the founders of Young Skeptics, along with other concerned residents, are doing what we can to address the GNC. As someone totally removed from the situation, you’re unaware of anything we’ve done or are working to do. So please don’t assume we’re not doing all we can, because we are.
We’ve been regularly attending GNC meetings, gathering as much information as we can, talking to experts, and will be presenting our case to the school superintendent. That’s about as much detail as I’m willing to divulge to someone uninvolved in this issue. I hope that you can shift from arguing about something you’re uninvolved with, to showing empathy for the kids in our community and do your own research into the activities of the GNC. I suggest you take a look at the links and videos that have been shared in other comments on this article.
If you’re not affiliated with any particular church, you’re not donating cash. Churches need to fight this trend just like any other business. What better way than to scare the crap out of our children?
“The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.”
http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-o…
So the “Young Skeptics” has determined that the Good News Club is dangerous and wants to stop them by preventing them from using a school room to meet in? I guess if the “Young Skeptics” (supposedly formed to counter the Good News Club) can’t win people over to their way of thinking in a competition of ideas and ideology, they want to deny them a place to meet. However, “In a 6-3 ruling, the [Supreme] court said that barring the Good News Club violates the club’s First Amendment rights.” CASE CLOSED, Young Skeptics. If you don’t agree with the message of the Good News Club, don’t attend. I’m curious, where do the “Young Skeptics” meet?
Another thought: Since the “Young Skeptics” group is so good at deciding which religious groups are dangerous, perhaps they could assist the war on terror by exposing certain non-Christian groups that are engaged in radicalizing their members.
@Bart: This is not a competition of ideologies. (Young Skeptics does not teach an ideology and has nothing to do with religion) Like I said in the interview, I don’t have an issue with religious instruction. It’s the methodology that we take issue with. Using psychologically abusive tactics by stripping down a child’s self-worth and threatening them with hell, only to sell them their brand of literalist Christianity as the cure is fundamentally damaging to the psyche of a child. The other problem I have is that teaching children something inside the walls of a school that directly contradicts what they’re taught in their classes (creationism) undermines their science education and can have lasting effects throughout their education. It’s very difficult to be successful in the sciences if you don’t accept science.
The one gentleman said that the club is bullying the kids into some kind of wierd belief. Let me point out, that we do not go to their club to try and un- settle their kids. I was there at Fairbanks one day when the skeptics group came in. They said nothing butjust sat there and observe. A number of parents and kids felt very intimidated. They did nothing to verbally annoy me. They were quiet. But none of them smiled at all. What is their agenda? Ours is to tell the Good News that Jesus loves us. We are happy because of our brand of Good News gives meaning to life.
Mr. Bailey, you asked ” What is their agenda?” I’m not part of the Young Skeptics organization, but I’d guess their agenda is to observe HOW you deliver your message to children. There’s a gentle way, and there’s a sick way (involving fear and negativity). The Good News cult is apparently using the sick way, and that merits observation, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes your operators.