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Is this Christian organisation trying to convert kindergarten children now that laws limit their role in Victorian state schools?

The teaching of religion in Victorian primary schools was reaccessed earlier this year after a 2014 report found Education Department guidelines were being breached by Access Ministries.

Lara Wood, the CEO of the Fairness in Religions in School, said the organisation was now targeting children as young as three years old.

“They’re planning to move their indoctrination and proselytising into childcare centres and kindergartens in order to find a new mission field,” she said.

“They’re no longer allowed to use the schools to do that.

“The management of Access Ministries, some of them are personally aligned with other groups and those groups are extremely evangelical and have a philosophy that in order to produce a ripe harvest you need to aim lower which means you need to aim at very young children.”

Access Ministries spokesman Rob Ward said the organisation was not doing anything wrong.

“We’re not pushing it down anybody’s throats or proselytising or any of the things that we’ve been accused of,” he said.

“Parents have asked for it and the childcare centre is responding to the request of parents.

“Some parents came to the centre and said ‘do you offer, amongst a range of optional programs we can sign kids into and out of, do you offer any type of religious instruction?'”

“The principal of the centre then contacted us and said ‘can you help us?’ And we said we probably could.”

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  • What happens at home is far more influential in how a child lives and what they believe as an adult, so the program that Access Ministries is running for such young children is probably a waste of their resources.

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  • I can’t see an issue with this as long as the parents are permitting this.

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  • I’m surprised that parents would ask for religious instruction in a pre-school or kindergarten. Surely at that age it is a parent’s role to give religious instruction (if that’s what they choose).

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  • yes hard to say what’s right. i will let my kids learn about it but i don’t necessarily believe. i think it is just apart of education and learning about the way of life. Everyone is so sensitive about everything these days and the kids will not be taught to celebrate easter and christmas as well, in case it offends someone.

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  • No real issues here from me.

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  • 3 year olds are like sponges. I hope they are not ramming it down their throats

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  • If people are requesting it, whats wrong with that? A lot of friendship issues are easily and very gently dealt with through religious based programs. If its optional, then it sounds ok. Its not like there aren’t a lot of religious schools, hospitals and charitable organisations that unquestioningly provide help and support to both religions and non-religions within our communities.

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  • Lke ga

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  • That is totally wrong. But when it comes down to it, the child’s biggest influences are at home. So I’m sure whatever they’re brainwashed with at age 3 is soon forgotten with age and over ridden by what’s done at home

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