Token Skeptic Podcast

Why do we believe weird things? What does feminine intuition really mean? How do you become an effective activist for science and reason? Are you ready for a monthly show that poses these questions and more? Tune into the Token Skeptic for a slightly more skeptical look at stories in the news, urban legends, good science, pseudoscience, and what makes popular culture pop. Hosted and produced by philosophy teacher and radio broadcaster Kylie Sturgess.

The Podcasts

Token Skeptic #123 - On Not So A.C.E - Investigating Accelerated Christian Education With Jonny Scaramanga

Jonny Scaramanga is an independent musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and teacher in Bath. He once attended an ACE school and questions whether the system has done the right thing by him and thousands of students world-wide, at "Leaving Fundamentalism".

His article "Fundamental Errors With Evangelist Schooling" features at the Times Educational Supplement site:

Visitors to Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) schools see how quiet classrooms are and how polite pupils are. You would be polite too if you attended a school where anything less than vigorous, smiling agreement with the teachers was seen as an act of rebellion. Rules were enforced with, if not a rod of iron, then a hefty paddle...

...Like all pupils, I taught myself from ACE textbooks containing information on core subjects interspersed with comic strips in which pupils with side-partings reminded me how good Christians behave. I sat in my "office", a small desk with high partitions separating me from my neighbours. Talking wasn't allowed, but staff were not taking chances. I went to the school as someone who loved learning, and left it seeing education as a necessary evil.

Jonny continues to raise awareness about the Accelerated Christian Education's influence world-wide, not only via writing articles and a book about his experiences at Leaving Fundamentalism, but through an engaging series of audio essays featured on the Pod Delusion podcastACE creationism and Word of Faith (episodes 135 and 136).

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Theme songs are “P&P” by Derek K Miller of www.penmachine.com and “Leap Second” by Milton Mermikides, of www.miltonmermikides.com. Please considering supporting the show via visiting Tokenskeptic.org.


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