Sunday school for Aussie atheists?
I can think of very little that better highlights the difference between the USA and Australia in terms of culture and Christianity than this opening paragraph from Al Mohler's blog:
Incongruous as it sounds, atheists are now organizing Sunday Schools. TIME magazine reports that many non-believing parents are concerned that their children are not adequately grounded in secular thought and feel left out of experiences like Sunday School that are common among their friends.
I don't think many Australian parents feel that they have to buttress their children against an engulfing and prevailing Christian culture. Nor have I met many Australian kids who feel they are really missing out by not going to Sunday School (though they are, of course). Instead, most of them would probably say, “Oh, is there a church in my area? I didn't realize people still go to church.”
No doubt there are parts of the United States where the Australian experience is more what the pastor and his congregation deals with (though, perhaps not in Dr Mohler's part of the country). But I can't imagine secular Sunday Schools springing up in even Australia's most ‘Bible-belt’ regions.