In God We Teach follows the story of a high school student who recorded his history teacher proselytising for Jesus.
In Kearny New Jersey, student Matthew LaClair recorded teacher David Paszkiewicz preaching about Jesus. An avowed “anti-Darwinist”, who places god before all and concludes academic freedom includes the freedom to preach and not teach, at one time Paszkiewicz informs his history students:
He (Jesus) did everything in his power to make sure you could go to heaven. So much so that he put your sins on his own body, suffered your pains for you and is saying ‘please accept me, believe’.
You reject that and you belong in hell.
During a high school christian club meeting Paszkiewicz allows students to articulate the fundamentalist view that immorality thrives through “endorsing” evolution. One student suggests that people would, “… grow cold and empty. You grow cold to people with disabilities. You grow cold to an after life. There is no after life. Why not do what you want? Why not steal? Why not assault people?”.
Paszkiewicz calmly tells the student attendees;
The world doesn’t understand this but believers do. Teaching Darwinism, is something that’s going to take peoples eyes off of god, especially Jesus Christ. […]
It may be against the law to teach Creationism as fact, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
With the town backing the wayward teacher, Matthew LaClair does what clearly had to be done to defend the right to public education and the separation of church and state.
An excellent documentary by vic Losick. Read more at In God We Teach or visit Vimeo.
“The one we serve (Jesus) is the same yesterday, today and forever. And his purposes (converting humanity) will not be thwarted!” (Forward Together Rally 2011)
“What really matters is seizing the God-given opportunity we have to reach kids in schools. Without Jesus, our students are lost”.
“It’s important that the church recognize its commission is to make disciples. Our young people need Christ”.
“What a commandment, make disciples (of school children). What a responsibility. What a privilege we have been given. Let’s go for it!“
Our vision is to reach every student in Victoria with the gospel. Join us and help transform this nation for God.
ACCESS ministries (2008 – 2011)
This March 1st, ACCESS ministries will be in VCAT fighting charges of religious discrimination against non Christian children.
Through their evangelical proselytising to the Victorian “mission field” – the “God given open door” – as CEO Evonne Paddison boasted, ACCESS aimed to convert students to Christianity and “have a full time chaplain in every school”. For years, until parents acted against this obscene monopoly ACCESS openly boasted that it “leads the church in it’s mission to reach students and school communities in Victoria and beyond with the transforming love of God and His son, Jesus Christ”.
ACCESS will “model Christ’s love without discrimination”
The disturbing fundamental theology in the Statement of Belief that controlled ACCESS ministries’ thinking also included the extraordinary claim that ACCESS personnel “form part of God’s presence in the school”. Committed to the Apostle’s creed, Nicene creed and Athanasian creed and the Old and New Testament documents, ACCESS affirmed it’s faith in the Trinity and “recognised the pastoral needs of people and that these needs are to be… addressed”.
Statement Of Belief
Paddison, who believes primary school children in public schools should be taught that their life in eternity has already begun, seeks to:
…promote the same marks of discipleship for young people as those that the Bible presents to us. But of course, in a way that is appropriate and contextual to them. The first step in becoming a disciple is clearly believing, but so many of our young people have never heard the gospel.
Her vision of a brave new Christian world is repugnant in it’s open plot to exploit the emotions of in-need children:
We have to reflect the relationships of the persons of the Trinity in our relationships in Christ’s new society. As we develop this perspective in our encounter with students we will tap into their longing for belonging and acceptance that has grown out of a world of divorce and division. What really matters is seizing the God-given opportunity we have to reach kids in schools. Without Jesus, our students are lost….
Initially blaming those nasty atheists and Fairfax for negative press and criticism from mainstream Christians, the supernaturally guided leaders of ACCESS viciously hit back. Evonne Paddison, Bishop Stephen Hale and the only woman I’ve seen smirk at a parent’s distress – Rev. Denise Nicholls – took to basically telling Victoria to shove it. Legislation gave them the right and fundamental zealotry was on the menu. The problem was, according to Paddison:
…a deliberate attempt by the media to start a faith war – to divide Christians against other Christians; faiths against faiths; congregations against congregations…
It’s sensationalist journalism – find a schism in the foundation, a rat in the ranks, report the division and watch the Letters to the Editor or the news blog implode with atheistic comment. [….]
No matter what it takes, God’s got a plan and he’s gunna bring it to pass, he’s Sovereign. The devil is “a living enemy” who (apart from tormenting Christine with temptations of “flesh”) “would want to undermine us as people”. People are “the helpless sheep”, saved by God.
No matter what it takes… Paddison herself at the Forward Together rally, 2011, said:
We know with absolute certainty that our message and the centre of our faith remains the same. It remains firm because the one we serve is the same yesterday, today… forever. And his purposes will not be thwarted.
True to form the plan rolls on. But ACCESS seek to deceive Victorians with a shuffle and edit of their website. Once front and centre, the creepy statement of belief is off side. The “transforming love of God…” mission, which is simply believer code for “convert”, has been slashed down to, “Transforming the lives of young people and their communities”.
This video features Elizabeth Stuart, a mum who is not fooled by ACCESS’ moving of chairs. Looking at changes over time, as usual the truth to ACCESS ministries’ intent comes from their own mouths. Having already made the preemptive move to make classes opt-in rather than compulsory and opt-out, ACCESS and the Victorian Education Department are seeking to convey the impression they are not discriminatory.
Sadly they have no intention to change, rather to extend their reach into private schools and internationally. Arrogantly, when challengedthey offer no solace.
There is less than 1 per cent of complaints against school chaplains across the whole country which is absolutely minuscule. The future welfare of our kids is at stake here, we believe it’s that serious and not only will we be fighting it but we have 30,000 statements of support from parents and supporters of the program.
John “necrophilia” MacKay. Remember that nickname used by the British Centre for Science Education. Because just recently the world weary evolution denialist, and one time accuser of necrophilia, Satanism and witchcraft against the personal secretary of Ken Ham (of Creationist Museum fame), John MacKay of Creation Research was “educating” Aussie students.
He was invited to Gympie State High School at their chaplain’s behest. MacKay doesn’t just teach Creationism but also teaches via his biblical wisdom of Genesis, Romans, Corinthians, Paul, Matthew and Mark that homosexuality is a sin and that marriage must be of one man and of one woman for life. MacKay has no theological, psychological or proper teaching qualifications. Much like the chaplain that invited him.
But don’t worry! Tim Mander assures us chaplains are just as good as professional counsellor’s, in managing the high risk, self harming and prone to suicide group of students who may be struggling with sexual identity. MacKay can always distract them with his hatred for feminist “clones” or his belief that Satan’s pet project evolution caused 9/11. Or wax lyrical about the Aussie Creation Museum he wants to build.
Education QLD have, of course, defended his invite and lecture.
MacKay is an original co-founder along with Ken Ham and Carl Wieland of the Australian Creation Science Foundation – CSF. Then onto that dumping ground for all things offensively impossible, Answers in Genesis. Ham later set up AiG, USA. There was a consequent falling out in early 2006 over international kinship and the meeting of business standards. The US and UK teams shot through keeping the name AiG. This left the Australian, NZ and Sth. African branches to become Creation Ministries International – CMI.
Erstwhile buddies of the now-in-jail creationist Kent Hovind we might get an idea of their habits for earthly legal compliance. The real reason for falling out was money. Money made from selling magazines and dirty tactics over distribution list control. A solution was made after the US court of appeals for the 6th circuit ordered CMI and AiG to arbitrate over international affiliates and copyright, in April 2009. Nonetheless before this occurred, CSF (AiG) and John MacKay (CMI) fell out seriously due to the aforementioned dynamics. Things got a tad bizarre. Which, given the crackpottery these guys make up for a living is perhaps expected. Back in June 2007 Duae Quartunciae wrote;
In brief, MacKay started accusing a CSF staffer, Margarent Buchanan, of witchcraft, Satanism, and necrophilia with her dead husband. There was never the slightest basis for these accusations; apart from “discernment” by MacKay. MacKay made an ultimatum that either that woman left, or he did. This was a problem, because MacKay was so important to the group; but in the end MacKay resigned and went his own way. He was also excommunicated from his own Baptist church for the whole affair.
Update:There is just so much offence oozing from MacKay’s conspiracy cum religious zealotry rant of a web site it demands mention. Follow climate science denialism – “Climate Fraud as Aussie Govt ( June 2011) accused of blatant climate lies… Climate taxes comingAussie Prime Minister and atheist, Julia Gillard, is increasingly confident… recent studies of Pacific Islands have shown the islands are remaining stable in size or even growing….” [Accurate explanation] Lilly Fossils: “Sea lilies… have joined the ranks of living fossils which deny evolution and point to Gods creation ‘after their Kind’,… useful in dealing with the widespread belief that fossils take millions of years to form.”
Or Untold secrets of planet earth: Dragons… real powerful, “documentable”, defensible connection between the dragons of ancient times and the dinosaurs we know so well from fossils…Secrets never before published – over 20 new examples of dinosaurs in ancient artwork... More on fossils: “Geologists like to explain this (mixtures of fresh/salt water and land plants) on the basis of a perpetually moving delta and flood plain river system which lasted for millions of years. However mixed marine plant and fresh water species are far easier explained as (Noahs) flood debris.”
Everywhere is Donate, Donate, Donate. But perhaps the most disturbing given this chap is in effect passively supported by the education department coupled with Mander’s bold claims of needed and wanted chaplaincy, is this link between Brevik and Charles Darwin via the invented term “kill or be killed”. Darwin’s theory says no such thing. MacKay is insulting students in the most offensive way by claiming Darwin’s brilliant theory can be reduced to the rubbish of creationist simplifications and Social Darwinism.
His claim is clear. Teaching evolution is teaching students to kill or be killed and this is what guided Brevik. Thus the barbarism of literal biblical fundamentalism with genocide and virgin rape at Gods command is the answer. This nutter isn’t just an anti-science warrior, he has a crafted mock up moral objection to a gross misrepresentation of reality. What a bonus for our students.
Screen Grab from Mackay's "Creation Research" Home page
MacKay is the self described “International Director of Creation Research”. He’s actually the founder presumably diverting into this after CMI. You can follow a link on MacKay’s site – in the above screengrab – to a rather insane article claiming that Brevik didn’t claim to be Christian but rather “Darwinist”. It then proceeds to quote Brevik’s claims of being “100-percent Christian”, whilst inferring “Darwinism”. However, I may be biased and don’t want to tarnish John’s image. John MacKay can do that himself. Indeed he has offered his wisdom in creationist publications and online. Creation News 1997;
… the declared feminist desire to be able to clone humans, so [women] could dispense with men…
On cloning;
Can you imagine the results of feminist-controlled cloning? A planet full of cloned female offspring whose similar physical characteristics would react identically to the same conditions, i.e. get sick at the same time, have the same monthly syndrome, wear the same face, like the same colours and fashions. Such feminist clones would bore themselves to death at the same predictable age.
MacKay’s Creation Research website in the UK wrote about the 9/11 attacks on March 22nd, 2002;
…believers should not be surprised when things like this happen … The root cause of this increasing violence is sin – sin which is rooted in the refusal to glorify The Lord as the God who created the universe.
In recent western culture this refusal has been built around evolution and the denial of a god of any sort.
In April 2006 his website proposed;
Satan has only recently begun introducing evolution to Third World countries in order to destroy missionary enterprise. Let’s get in first with our spiritual armour on and provide Third World missionaries and others with the weapons to do battle against the subtleties of Satan as he seeks to undermine confidence in God’s Word and missionary enterprise.
Coming on top of the ombudsman report of demonic possession beliefs in at least one chaplain, reports of fundamentalism and “covert” conversion, documented misleading of Australians over school acceptance, ignoring parental concerns, excessive evangelising, irrelevance to multi-faith schools and the Australian Psychological Society damning the programme as damaging to students, this is now quite ridiculous. Business as usual then.
Losing In The Lucky Country 