By NOEL MURPHY
A CHRISTIAN education agency will visit Torquay to figure out how sexually explicit Biblezines were handed out to sixth-grade children.
Students at Torquay College received booklets claiming masturbation and homosexuality were sinful and that revealing clothes invited sexual assault after graduating from an Access Ministries Christian education program last year.
The magazines also claimed condoms promoted promiscuity and safe sex was a lie.
ACCESS Ministries is an inter-denominational body providing Christian education and chaplaincy in state schools to more than 200,000 children.
ACCESS chief executive officer Evonne Paddison said the organisation would investigate the unauthorised distribution of the magazines.
“We understand that for a number of years the combined churches of Torquay have generously donated Bibles to those students graduating from the ACCESS ministries’ Christian Religious Education program. This was done with the permission of the principal,” Ms Paddison said.
“In 2013 this alternative material was distributed to a small number of students in error. ACCESS ministries wants to make it clear it did not authorise the distribution of this material.”
Ms Paddison said the ACCESS curriculum taught the basic beliefs of the Christian faith and did “not stray into areas of sexuality at all”.
“We are extremely disappointed that this has occurred and will continue to investigate how it happened.
“We work very hard to ensure that our volunteers, who give up so much of their time to serve school communities, are well-trained and equipped to treat all children, parents and teachers with respect.”
