No more JW religious classes in schools!

by fair dinkim 15 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  purplesofa

  The WTS has decided not to put Jehovah's Witnesses through the courses required to get the certificate.

  thats really sad............I guess if everyone volunteered to pay for the courses themselves the WTS would have been ok with it.

  We don't have those classes here in the states, and I am not sure exactly how they have it setup there ........but it sounds like such a good idea.........those kids must at least feel not so ostrasized to have their religion taught in mainstream school.

  What a way to witness to so many more doing it in the school system.....

  I have Australian friends.........and it seems like Australia is so much more geared to rearing children and making them feel secure........ie. the special attn for single mothers.......the kids seem happier there to me.

  It is time consuming and stressful for many parents to teach children and some just are not good teachers at all........like me!

  purps
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  jwfacts

  I agree with Blondie that they can't put someone through worldly education after saying how unnecessary it is (unless it is for their legal team). Also the WTS is not going to foot the bill.

  I never had scripture class as a kid. In the school I went to there was only me and my sister, and so they did not think it worth the effort. I used to have to sit like a Nigel in the library.
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  geevee

  It is a good thing that they have to stop it. I remember having to sit in the teachers staff room with my paradise book you know the nice orange one and read to ourselves while the rest of the class had their religious instruction. Who were the nerds? What did the class learn that was so shocking for us? May be how to think for themselves?
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  ozziepost

  Official NSW Government policy on SRE (Special Religious Education):

  https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/curriculum/schools/spec_religious/PD20020074.shtml
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  ozziepost

  What may be at the heart of the WT position is that under the Education reforms, a religious organisation sponsoring school scripture must have accredited teachers - this is for child protection purposes.

  It seems the WTS aren't prepared to "put their money where their mouth is" as regards protecting children. But we knew that, didn't we?

  From my experience, bodies of elders were never really enthusiastic about nominating "publishers™" as school scripture teachers and so I s'pose the Australia Branch have taken the easy way out and, putting a 'righteoius gloss' on the situation (Parents have the responsibility to teach their children.) have taken the approach that it's best not to be in it.

  Compare this with the Anglican Church position who have well-thought out accreditation procedures:

  For Scripture teachers training is vital if we are going to continue reaching out into schools. The 1990 Education Reform Act requires that SRE teachers be equipped by the religious denominations for the task. It is an awesome responsibility and an incredible joy to nurture and teach them in this formative time of life. Youthworks offers three training options for developing your understanding of this important ministry.

  Option 1 - The Accreditation Pathway Anglican Youthworks runs a series of courses and workshops that lead to a Certificate in Children's Ministry - known as the 'Accreditation Pathway'. However, course recipients may choose to stop at either of the two minor certificates along the way (the Helper Certificate or the Basic Accreditation Certificate).

  Call your Regional Advisor for more details or to customise a course for your group. Alternatively, go to 'Course Calendar' to view upcoming courses in your region and costs or download the PDF under Downloads to the right of this page.

  A summary of the 'Accreditation Pathway' is listed at the bottom of this page. Visit 'Course Fees' for costs associated with organising and running the courses yourself and other alternatives.

  Who's looking after the children? Who's interested? Not the WTS clearly.

  As a footnote, in our church we have no shortage of people, bothe male and female, volunteering to be used and to give their time to be appropriately accredited.
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  Hellrider

  When I was a kid, from the 1st - 6th grade, I was excused from the religion-classes (back then in the early 80s, the subject was called "christianity" even, so there was absolutely no way I could participate, lol ). The only problem was, there was only two JW-kids at my school, me and my little sister, and she was three grades under me. So basically, I was on my own, those classes, and I`d hang out in the playground, sitting on the swing, all alone, with no supervision. I guess the school didn`t see it as their responsibility, as there was only one kid, myself. If I had been a rebellious kid, I could have easily ran away from school, get hit by a car, beaten up by older kids or whatever. I always used to feel like a real dork when I left the classroom for those classes. I was "special" (blaaaah), and no kid wants that, they wanna be like everyone else. By the 7th grade, my dad had died, and I started having the religion-classes. I was no longer that "special" (thank god).