Faith and Football - ALPHA.org

[gwendes]

All around our school are posters for a Faith and Football ( Faith and Football is a Portsmouth based project which gives children in poorer areas the chance to play football ) launch party.

 

This is connected to the ALPHA.org course.

 

Personally I think this is potentially confusing for young people and leads me to ask questions like why are they not just running a sports group without the religious content?

 

Why are there potentially huge philospohical questions on these posters like 'Is this all there is?' phrased in almost a rhetoric manner?

 

Would other faiths or groups be given such a large amount of space to advertise in our school?

 

I find the colourful fun-looking posters almost creepy...

[gwendes]

National Secular Society - How Alpha is brainwashing kids in our schools

"The latest edition of Alpha News, the propaganda magazine of the Alpha Course, has a couple of disturbing articles describing how Alpha, with its fundamentalist brand of Christianity, is being infiltrated into schools."

[farmerste]

hi there,

yes it is scary that people are trying to mix religion with sport, let alone an 'alpha' course with sport.

around me they offer a free meal if you wish to go and listen to this 'course'

[enjay]

National Secular Society - How Alpha is brainwashing kids in our schools

 

Is the National Secular Society really the most sensible organisation to quote on such a matter - of course they're going to have a negative view on it!

 

If people from a local church want to come and in talk to kids who have chosen to attend the sessions about the church, God and so on, who is being hurt? How is it different to a number of other speakers who come in to assemblies and PSHE lessons (attendance at which is compulsory) to speak about their organisation and what it does? Some charities have a heavily political viewpoint and may encourage students to write to MPs etc, so should we also object to this "political brainwashing"?

[TechMonkey]

".....propaganda magazine........disturbing articles........ fundamentalist brand....... infiltrated............"

 

Makes me imeadiately question the source of this article or the journalist. Sensationalism pure and simple.

 

Surely though it is better for them to be up front about it then advertise a football club and then **TADA** lay some heavy religion on you? All sorts of things are used to promote all sorts of other things. If you don't like it don't go. If there is something fundementally wrong with what they are doing lodge a complaint with the Head. If you feel strongly enough organise an alternative.

[MkII]

From my experience these are highly motivated & energetic people who use the excuse to promote their faith to have some fun. Kids aren't so stupid that they can't just have fun with it too. Of any activity kids are likely to get roped into I would trust this one more than most, and that's ignoring my own prejudices.