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-Caveat Lector- Church Accused of 'Brainwashing' Pupils
By Dominic Hayes, Education Correspondent, PA News
The Church of England was today accused of trying to �brainwash� young children into believing in God by getting them to pray after being put into a trance-like state.
The allegation, which the Church rejected, was sparked by advice from the Archbishop of Canterbury�s diocesan schools adviser to use what is known as �guided meditation� in primary education.
The National Secular Society demanded that Education Secretary Charles Clarke order CofE primary schools to stop using these techniques immediately.
But the Church said guided meditation had been used for hundreds of years � and was about opening children�s minds, not closing them.
The society�s anger was provoked by guidance sent to schools by Virginia Corbyn, the diocesan schools advisor for Canterbury which said: �Guided imagery � also called scripted meditation, allows the children�s imagination to act on a story or scenario provided for them by the teacher.
�In effect the children go on a journey in their minds, guided by the teacher.
�Everyone imagines, sometimes without even being aware of it � daydreams, fantasies and deliberate imagining are part of our lives.
�There is much anecdotal evidence that one result of using this technique is better discipline, and there are many reports of increased attention, concentration and involvement in work being undertaken.�
Mrs Corbyn said: �This technique, which is no more than evoking and seeing pictures in the mind, provides the chance to control that ability to imagine and to use the imagination to some purpose.
�Teachers have found that guided imagery has quietened and focused the children and made them more receptive.� Her advice also stated: �Detailed guidance is offered because leading a session of guided meditation involves skill and sensitivity, and may not be for everyone.
�The suggestions included in this section might not feel right for everyone � especially as they are most effective if the teacher joins in with the pupils.
�However, in a world where children�s imaginations have suffered in the land of the TV, computer and Playstation screen there are rich possibilities for re-awakening those imaginations using these suggestions.�
Like the �circle times� which are often held in schools, where children sit in a ring and talk about emotional issues, Mrs Corbyn stressed that guided meditation required �sensitivity and skill� as it could make some of them upset and they should always be given the opportunity not to take part.
The society�s executive director Keith Porteous Wood said: �The use of these brainwashing techniques flies in the face of everything the Church of England said about not using their schools to indoctrinate children.�
The report on expanding the number of CofE schools by Lord Dearing, who also headed the national inquiry that led to the introduction of university fees, recommended that church schools �are not, and should not be, agents of proselytism where pupils are expected to make a Christian commitment�, said Mr Porteous Wood.
�These documents show otherwise. What is being suggested in them is little short of systematic indoctrination.
�It is evidence that the Church of England, which is facing extinction from the indifference of the population, is trying to revive itself through the privileged access it has to vulnerable children in its schools.�
A Church of England spokesman said: �Church schools are not involved in brainwashing in any form, for brainwashing is an attempt to make children conform. We are about providing good quality education for around a million of the country�s children.
�All civilisations and all faiths have sought to help children not just to learn facts, but to explore their imaginations and their sense of mystery and wonder .
�For hundreds of years the practice of guided meditation has helped people open their minds and their hearts, as part of the process of educating body, mind and spirit.
�The meditation introduced in Canterbury diocese helps children to engage with Bible stories in a way that is meaningful to them.
�It opens their minds rather than closing them. It helps to develop the children�s capacity to think, reflect and meditate, particularly on spiritual and moral issues.
�This is a necessary part of every child�s education. Church schools are at the forefront of developing this.�
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