Alas, Blue Cross, the warning comes too late. My daughter attended her first “Sunshine” indoctrination session today and is hooked, not on the god element, which barely got a mention—this mob is far too surreptitious to be up front—but on the fact that all her friends are going and it’s “fun”. And here is the really objectionable Trojan horse, these despicable bastards seduce young girls via the shallowest of means, by appealing to, and indeed nurturing, their vanity; what young female is going to refuse the attentions of a glamour sorority? But it doesn’t stop there; my daughter told me that the kids were asked first who had mobile phones (this upset mine because she doesn’t), and how much they mean to them. Then three of the 6! Women “teachers” present, that were married, flashed their rings (wedding rings) and were each asked how much these meant to them. Need I go on? The innocent subjects of these sickening exercises are being packaged into nubile stereotypes—obedient wives and brides of Christ! Oh yes, of course it’s really all about building their self-esteem, I imagine!
BTW I am feeling the “bad father” guilt thing, but when the form came home about this vile crap there was absolutely no mention that it had anything to do with religion. In any case, I would not have stopped my daughter from going, any more than I stop her going to RI (to be with her friends). Herein I can claim moral superiority to these deceitful and dangerous airheads: my daughter is encouraged to use her own mind, that is to subject the things I or anyone else says to her own healthy scepticism.
This cannot stop here! I encourage every thinking parent to take a stand and make a noise!

Indeed Squeers.. this must not stop here.. the rumble of resistance is becoming a roar!
Once more I implore you all to visit the site..
http://www.australiansecularlobby.com
Watch the movie..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8h4JJYDTfo
And the international version which is attracting hundreds of supportive emails from across the developed world.. the underdeveloped world.. even the undeveloped world..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r8ESBkr128
How far does this need to go.. Geneva?

As a teacher of comparative religion in a high school, I find my students come to classes because they are interested in ideas and hope to travel - as it is an optional subject for Years 10-12 where I teach.
My classes cover the four Abrahamic faiths and we visit their places of worship, as well as the Indic faiths. We are lucky to live in a multi-cultural society so we can visit them and they can visit us. Studies indicate clearly that there is more fear of Islam where people know nothing about the faith so we attend Friday prayers, meet Muslim students at the university and meet the imam at our local mosque.
I'm all for Religion in school as long as it's Comparative Religion and in today's society, I see it as a core subject.

squeers, that's a really depressing story. not sure i'd do the same in your situation, but i admire your approach.

pedr, i think most or all of the posters here would agree with you, that an introduction to comparative religion is beneficial. (i'd add, i'd like it also to be compared to an absence of religion). the question is, is there anyone here other than mander and Captain Preachy who condone the sleazy and deceitful indoctrination currently being practised? the answer seems to be no.

Pedr Fardd. In regards to "comparative religion". Once you have decided that an "intelligence" exists apart from the body then it is virtually open slather for fairy tale study in the class room. Why stop at the Abrahamic religions? How about Wicca? what about Cargo cults, Sun worship, Ancestor worship, Scientology, Moronism (sorry can't spell) ...the list of delusional practices is almost endless. A far better idea would be to study the causes of religious beliefs, the nature of delusion, the psychology of superstition and the history of the development of religious thought. Comparing religions is like comparing models of Fords and Holdens without a knowledge of engine mechanics.
For instance, how many of these Queensland Proselytizers and Evangelists have the faintest idea of the demonstrable history of Christianity?
Let us not encourage rubbish thinking by seeming to be reasonable and calling "religious studies" by use the euphemism "comparative religon".

I followed up Pericles' post on the Scripture Union ‘Father of the Year’ angle, finding this link below where SU says clearly that it expects its ‘Father’ to be of exemplary character with no ‘potentially comprising (sic) problems related to drug or alcohol abuse’: http://qldfatheroftheyear.org.au/terms-rules/

Imagine my absolute horror, when I reached for The Googles to enter ‘Tim Mander referee’ and found someone called Tim Mander had enjoyed a life ‘based around my next grog binge’ as he gambled, boozed and smoked his way through life! Even marijuana gets a mention in this confessional: http://www.changinglivesonline.org/timmander.html

I was mortified! Is this the same exemplary Scripture Union 2005 Father of the Year who wants to be trusted with ‘the kiddies’?

I reached for my Blue Card to touch to ward off any unwanted thoughts.

Is our Tim then simply a ‘reformed smoker’, keen to proselytise his adult awakening to all and sundry, and deaf, as only a reformed ‘anything’ can be, to those who have never felt the need to smoke, so no-support-needed-thank-you-very-much?

Or gave up smoking at age 11 when it became ‘bleeding obvious’ that this was a mugs game for people who enjoyed smelling like a pigsty and, prior to becoming a drug addict, continued because they were swayed by their, equally smelly, peers as they all worked at following a made-up character played by an actor called Marlon Brando?

Understandably, from the innocent stupidity of youth, had they confused all and thought Brando’s character was a living man, not just a story to learn from?

Such is life, as a child, but some of us grow up without the strutting props and flying buttresses that SU flogs.

Is there a parallel here with the Jesus story?

What further shock-horrors would these born-again school chaplains SU employs unload in a similar confessional, as those who have infiltrated our state schools with their Sunshine-endorsed ‘foot in the door’ sales pitch purge their sins?

Never mind the obsession-riven Christian mentors Geoff Wilson encourages to wander, free as a wafting daffodil cloud, throughout Queensland state schools, gathering up our children, Pied Piper style.