I had heard of Teen challenge in passing while discussing Mercy Ministries with a friend. They mentioned that they were operating a drug and alcohol rehab centre in New south Wales. I didn't think much more of it, being distracted by Mercy Ministries blogging.
Then the two topics converged in a google alert.
If you though Mercy Ministries was bad well ... take a look at this series of posts at the Daily KOS linked through this blog:
teenchallengecult.blogspot.com
and then this site
http://www.teenchallengeexposed.com/
As I read through the South Australian Teen Challenge site I am reminded of a somewhat more amateurish Mercy Ministries, note in their section on counselling:
Counselling
[source]
Counselling is available at most centres. We are not a "professional" service, in the sense of academic qualifications. Most of our counselors have learnt their skills the hard way. They are effective, efficient, confidential and full of the Holy Ghost
Well I guess at least they are honest.
Apparently they are also linked with Hillsong.
| Share this post : |  |  |  |  |  |  |
6 Comments:
Good work, Sean. With the screws being turned on outfits like Teen Challenge, Mercy Ministries and the Church of Scientology, one thing is becoming clear. The Interwebs are pwning fundies, cults, and authoritarians.
Are Teen Challenge granted tax-exemption in Australia? I wonder how many taxpayers would be happy about being forced to subsidise such an organisation.
"They are effective, efficient, confidential and full of the Holy Ghost" substitute shit for holy ghost and they might end up being correct!
"learnt their skills the hard way" - while I am not one to po-poo skills learnt through living life and to put skills learnt academically or through good training on a pedestal I tend to not put much 'faith' as it were in so-called counsellors who just wade in and start doing 'helping' people without really knowing what they are doing- despite what a lot of lay people think a lot of damage can be done to fragile psyches and battered minds through people who just want to 'do good' - especially those who 'do good' in the name of some deity or other and have no real basis in skill or knowledge of how people's minds work or how to be careful about altering the way those mids work.
AV,
Just looking into Teen Challenge at the moment. Their seems to be a marked difference between ech of the Teen Challenges in Australia and I read that they are not all part of the same organisation - Teen Challenge Queensland looks professional and tends to hide its nature, while the South Australian one is quite blatant.
The was an article called wake up Australia that left me in no doubt of their intentions in relation to democracy - I wonder if ASIO monitor these guys.
Psychodiva,
I am beginning to think I am a little paranoid, however in addition to finding info on these loons -
I discovered that a local branch of the Assemblies of God are offering "christian counseling" to domestic violence victims and that these victims seemed to be encouraged to stay with christian counselling even when free secular counselling is available.
In addition to this, a friend was been preached to by a local taxi driver who is also a minister -he stated that that was why he got the job.
Same friend went to a doctor who instaed of asking her about her illness, asked if she was married and whether she went to church as he said he knew of a very nice one.
And then of course there was the advert for a reiki practitioner also offering counseling.
Are they coming out of the wood work or what?
"Well I guess at least they are honest."
Not if they claim to be "effective, efficient, confidential". And as psychodiva has already commented; they're full of something, but I'm willing to lay down money it isn't the Holy Ghost.
SEan - you are not paranoid lol- there is a thing that happens - like when a woman loses a baby / miscarries - she suddenly notices that there are babies all around her- everyone has one except her- what is happening is that you are more aware of it than before- that's why the old feminist movements etc used to use 'consciousness raising' as a first step to changing things- because if you raise the consciousness of somebody to the existence of a problem they start noticing the problem that has been there all the time - but unnoticed!
what you are doing - very well if my opinion counts for anything- is raising consciousness about these things by posting about them on your blog.
Post a Comment