I came across this chilling misanthropic missive in support of home schooling.
The greatest pitfalls of public education are the humanistic philosophies taught at the expense of biblical truth, ungodly teachers and classmates seeking to influence our children, and the absence of spiritual or moral considerations within the educational process. However, those problems aren't isolated to the public-school setting (as evidenced by just a few minutes of television-watching).Within most of our neighborhoods--and even in some Christian schools--there are influences that tear at our desired spiritual standards. Christian schools, for instance, can sometimes be hotbeds for hypocrisy (when everyone claims to be "Christian") and legalism (when an overemphasis is put on external moral standards).
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... and so on and so forth.
So it is not just fear of public schools, or fear of society in general, but fear of fellow Christians. I had no idea.
Not sure what to do? Try praying:
If high-quality Christian education is available and affordable, that's usually preferable. However, carefully evaluate all the factors and options of your situation. Seek God's will earnestly (Ephesians 5:17) and couple that with strong, biblical parenting (Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20-21).
The colossians ... gotta love those guys. They were big in their day...
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The rest of the post has some measured tones:
"Also, some Christian schools lack the quality and depth of education that public schools can offerand that can apply even to the basics. Of course, thats not always the case, even when the neighboring public school looks bigger and more impressive than the local Christian school. Many times the students of Christian schools have significantly higher scores in nationally standardized tests than do their counterparts in public schools. To make an accurate evaluation youll need to make inquiries about the curricula, programs, teacher training, and comparative test results of each school.
Is it wrong to put your children in a public school? Not necessarily. Is it right to put your children only in Christian schoolsor home-school them? Not necessarily. It is a decision that must be made on a case-by-case basis, using biblical principles and prayerful wisdom to make a God-honoring choice. It involves knowing the Word, knowing the schools in your area, and knowing each of your children.
Remember that the ultimate responsibility for the proper education of your children rests upon youthe parentsnot the school or the church (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Ephesians 6:4). Those two institutions are vital to a childs overall development, but standards, convictions, and moral strength should be implemented at home. Not everything is necessarily good or high quality because it is called Christian, nor is everything bad just because it is under the umbrella of public education. Parents need to be especially wise and discerning in that important area."
If I were moving in to a new area I'd take the same steps in reverse order--assuming public school is best but not ruling out a parochial school, because the onus of good eduction is on the parents. I'm reasonably certain that the indoctrination and bias of a Christian school (all but the most godswopped ones) would not be beyond the ability of my family to put in context and make good use of. That they will admit the same (more or less) of a public school seems fairly reasonable to me.
Of course, the comments below that piece take violent issue with the poster's tone and suggestions. Burn him.
ice
So it is not just fear of public schools, or fear of society in general, but fear of fellow Christians. I had no idea.
Not that surprising to me, actually. This is something you'll see in all brands of fanaticism, religious or otherwise: the only people they hate more than unbelievers are the heretics.
I marvel repeatedly at how weak this god is that he cannot seem to get through to people. They blame school shootings on us "banning" this god from our schools, but isn't he purported to be omnipresent? Didn't he used to drop by in person in Biblical times? What happened to that god?
And it's always our fault, no matter what happens! This god never ever gets blamed for anything. What a magical, self-serving system they've invented for themselves.
HA! I home schooled because there was too much religion in the schools. One teacher my daughter had kept a Bible on his desk and called the kids stupid (I was there when it happened) because they didn't know Pompeii was a volcano. He also tried to hit her and when she defended herself by blocking his blow, he ripped the pentacle off her neck and the school suspended her.
After Columbine (and my children fit 8 out of 10 of the FBI list of characteristics of children who might be a risk to society) I took my kids out of school and educated them myself. Must have done okay, when we moved to California and they decided to get the pieces of paper that would let them get jobs, she got a perfect score in the Science pre-test and the instructor asked her if she had been home schooled.
Just saying, it's not only religious nuts who home school. Us plain old nuts do it, too.
For more insight into the dangers of education, read this horror story: Young Women Attending College Part I: A Personal Perspective