Child evangelism foundation - who are they?

Gibs

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate forum for this thread (mods - please move is you think its in the wrong place). I did consider some of the religious forums but what I have to say is not in support of religious issues and is concerned with what appears to a dodgy approach re evangelising children in Ireland.

The stimulus for the thread arises from an unsolicited booklet that arrived in my door entitled "The Wonder book: Illustrated Bible Stories for Children - Answers to tough questions". The booklet is written in a comic-book, child-friendly style and is clearly directed at children. It is published by an organisation called the "Child Evangelism Fellowship of Ireland".

I won't bore you with too much description of the contents of the booklet. Essentially it intersperses brief snippets of biblical stories with exhortations to accept Jesus as your personal saviour. The tone and content are quite fundamentalist and suggest that only Jesus can prevent you from being lost.

So far, so unremarkable, eh? Well, this is where it gets a bit dodgy.....

Inside the booklet there is a card that invites children to join the "Wondersearch Club". On this card, children are asked to give their name, their address and their age, and also are given the option of getting more cards if they need them for "others to sign up for the club". This information is filled in and is then to be posted to a Freepost PO Box number in Dublin.

There are several issues that concern me:
1. Who are the "Child Evangelism Fellowship of Ireland".
2. Why are they sending unsolicited invitations to children around the country to join a club, whose purpose is unspecified?
3. Why do they want children to send personal information to a PO Box number in Dublin?
4. Why is there no parental involvement in any of this?
5. Is it appropriate to allow the evangelism of children without parental consent?

Has anyone else received this kind of thing in the post? I have asked the neighbours and they all got one; other friends of mine have also received one.

Perhaps I am being overly suspicious but I really find it objectionable that some organisation, no matter how well-meaning, should send unsolicited mail encouraging children to give out personal information, without first notifying the children's parents. Not only that, but the children are being encouraged to join a club, the purpose of which is at best unclear, and at worst is to convince them to accept a particular world and religious viewpoint. Again, without any parental involvement sought or acknowledged.

I find the whole thing very dodgy and I would love to know more about this organisation. A quick Google on them shows that they are originally from Missouri and operate in 150 countries. They also appear to use some fairly unsavoury tactics in their efforts to get into schools in the US, based on the notion that they are entitled to do so and will take legal action against any school that dares to question their right to do so.

Anyone else come across them or their literature?

sunbeam

There was an interview a few weeks ago on Liveline with a member of this group who was running bible study sessions for kids from a caravan. He was going around to housing estates in Cork I think, and had done so for many years.

He had fitted cameras in the caravan had a clear plastic door-screen after the guards had expressed concerns about what was going on in there (they seemed happy enough when he showed them the tapes). Seemed sincere, but in my opinion rather naive and misguided in his evangelisation efforts. The locals didn't want anything to do with him and his caravan was frequently stoned.

While I have very strong reservations about what he was doing, the attitude of some of the people who came on the show to confront him was deplorable e.g. 'We have our own religion here, go back to the north you stupid protestant' sort of thing.

He gave the impression that the booklets were being sent to the parents to give to their children if they deemed them suitable and said that they planned to distribute a copy to each household in the country before the end of the year. They haven't arrived here yet.

dr_manhattan

" Perhaps I am being overly suspicious but I really find it objectionable that some organisation, no matter how well-meaning, should send unsolicited mail encouraging children to give out personal information, without first notifying the children's parents. Not only that, but the children are being encouraged to join a club, the purpose of which is at best unclear, and at worst is to convince them to accept a particular world and religious viewpoint. Again, without any parental involvement sought or acknowledged."

Damn straight, and I second that: it really pisses me off that, despite the number of "connected deaths" with religious fundamentalism, nobody treats it as a serious problem.

And I'll tell you this too: if a mosque were to indulge in this type of behaviour (which, to the best of my knowledge, Islam does not do ever) we'd have people out on the streets. If the Hare Krishnas or any other so-called minority religion did this the words "cult" and "brainwashing" would be on every christian's lips.

Having said that, aside from agreeing strongly with you, I've not a lot to add. It's the biggest problem with fundamentalist christians (and all fundamentalists) - if you oppose them, stand up to them, try to stop them, then you are giving them their wet dream. Every fundamentalists dreams about preaching in the desert, among the heathen, amidst the slings and arrows of the unenlightened.

Oppose these people, and you will give them their dream. Take them to court and you'll only give them more followers. Legislate against them, try and keep kids safe from crazy religious poison, and you'll make them martyrs in their own eyes. It's a big problem, IMHO: and it's why fundamentalism has such a grip in the east, and why it used to have such a grip right here.

ANyways, my 2 cents ;-)