I've had a few friends send me this, and then in catching up on Martin Looper email I see that someone shared it there as well!
It's being so widely shared because it's so delightfully true!
August 22, 2008
August 21, 2008
August 20, 2008
Assumptions
Assumptions might be good when one is playing Clue, if it's based on information already acquired or information needed... but assumptions in other arenas is a dangerous slippery slope where hurtful leaps in logic can lead to sin!
The Rebelious Pastor's Wife has a great post today on assuming and where it can lead. I believe it's worth your time to read it!
The Rebelious Pastor's Wife has a great post today on assuming and where it can lead. I believe it's worth your time to read it!
August 10, 2008
Who is your homeschool guru?
Originally published 7-22-08, then removed for editing, forgotten about and now returned.
Rumbling around in my brain for some time now has been some thoughts that may seem random, but to me have connecting dots.
The first is “Who is your homeschool guru?”
Having been a very active part of the Christian homeschool community for the last 10 years, I am constantly amazed at the guru worship that is evident all around. Are people so hungry for someone to follow who “speaks to their heart” or voices their own thoughts that they behave in adolescent idolatry? It’s scary really to think that some of the “bigger” names in the movement can have such an impact. And doesn’t that bother the “gurus” a little bit when they get past their ego rush? What happened to discernment and individuality? Now I’m not advocating being a maverick in every aspect of your life, but when it comes to our children, if you chose to follow a guru…
… is that replacing the government telling us what to do to with having the guru telling us what to do?
I’m all for listening to folks for new ideas and considerations, but to blindly follow simply because so-and-so said so, that’s frightening! I’ve always been more of a gleaner, choosing which aspects suit our family’s needs and personalities. The fact that so much of this revolves around various renderings of the LAW is a bit difficult to stomach, because there is such freedom in GRACE!
When I try to think about it in terms of the three uses of the law, I have to remind myself that isn’t the end of the conversation about it. No matter how you use the law, the end results should be to point you to the salvation offered by Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the grace freely offered in that.
The second is, and in some cases ties into the first, “Online Friendships.”
Although some folks are fairly cautious about their online “relationships”, I see another aspect of guru happening here that I feel warrants some consideration. The gurus mentioned above share certain aspects of their life with the public. For public figures I think this is ok. I believe they deserve a certain amount of privacy, unless that privacy is hiding something that would affect what they proclaim in public or is a lie (I’m thinking of Ted Haggard-types here.) But without knowing that person IN REAL LIFE, and even sometimes then, we don’t know what they struggle with or what their real life is like. What is presented to you is what they want and chose to present to you.
The same can be said of online friendships. What you see is what is presented on blogs, via communities such as Facebook or ning or other electronic means. It’s not the whole picture, it’s what people choose to share.
Let me share with you from my own personal experiences.
The first year we volunteered for our state homeschool convention I was so excited. We were going to have the opportunity to have more personal contact with the speakers because as committee members we had access that attendees don’t have. We were going to have the opportunity to mingle with the speakers via the relaxation areas available to us and the meals that we would share. In this aspect, we kept running into a particular speaker who had brought along his 3-year old son. Every time we ran into this man when he wasn’t speaking, he was on his wireless computer preparing the last few parts of his talks, or checking email. He didn’t engage his son in any kind of conversation or pay attention to him. In fact, more than once I or another lady actually cut this child’s food up for him and made certain he had what he needed (napkins, spoon instead of fork, a drink). Now his dad was grateful and said thanks to us, but it didn’t change that he had his eyes glued to the computer screen. I do not know how or why this speaker was in the position of being glued to his computer screen. Perhaps events prevented him from being as prepared as he would have liked and he felt a responsibility to give it his best shot for his workshops. Perhaps serious and consequential business or family concerns were keeping him from interacting with the child who was present with him. I don’t know these other factors. All I know is that from all appearances at this conference, this man was not practicing what he was sharing in his seminars. He was displaying the exact opposite. This spoke volumes to me. I tried not judge him, for I didn’t know what was going on to make him behave that way and I’ve tried ever since then to give him the benefit of the doubt that this somehow wasn’t an indication of the “norm” for him. But then a couple of years later he was a speaker again and this time brought a daughter with him. The behavior pattern unfortunately was the same. And I’ve tried once again to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it is very hard for me to do that after the second time.
The other thing I have to share that I think helps represent these points involves someone I know personally. Someone with whom I once felt a great affinity for her mind was sharp and inquisitive and we shared common interests, including volunteering with a homeschool support group together. But then, this woman began to change somewhat, I think she was, and is still, allowing that inquisitiveness to lead her into some dangerous thoughts and behaviors. That would be the best construction of the matter. But that seeking lead her away from the group’s purpose and she had to be removed. She didn’t like that and in her anger shared some truly heinous threats towards those who were still in the group. It’s not easy to be told to go away, and so I’ve tried to keep that in mind when I consider or remember what she said and did. Still, I don’t think the majority of us result to threats of such violence and perversion when we are hurt like that. Since then, this lady has chosen to misrepresent what happened, most often sharing that she simply was excluded for personality reasons (truly, if that was the case, that would have happened a long time before that as her personality wasn’t the easiest to get along with for ANY of the other people involved). She’s also presenting herself in a very pristine manner on the internet via her blog (and other electronic communities), that in no way reflects the reality of her life. When she talks about her clean house and how organized it is – that is a far, far stretching of the truth. Her goats actually live in the house with her family and there are regular goat “droppings” around this home, along with urination areas of regular usage by them, and I do not mean the toilet or any kind of designated area like a cat box – INSIDE the home! And as for organization, I know that means different things to different folks… but clothes, both dirty and clean that are strewn about the house, on the floor or furniture, with the same being said for dishes – with and without food on them, and papers and books everywhere… I’m trying to figure out whose definition of organized that is, because it’s not anywhere close to mine. To those who encounter this person on the internet, it appears that things are all honky-dory… but in real life… that’s far from the truth of it.
I remember back to my teenage years and when Elvis died. What a shocker that was… especially as word started coming out that his private life was not what his public image portrayed. So many folks, knowing what a huge fan I was, and still am, of Elvis’ kept asking me if I was disappointed in learning these more salacious aspects of what his life had consisted of. I wasn’t. Because although I did and still do enjoy Elvis’s singing, I never mixed that up with who he might have been in private because that wasn't my business. It was his talent that I enjoyed. I keep that thought in mind when I enjoy any singer, actor, sports figure: it’s their talent I admire. I believe that the Lutheran understanding of vocation has helped me with this.
The following posts can be credited for getting my thinking going on this (see that the first post is from 2006 and you’ll know why I claimed that this has been ruminating in my brain for a while!)
When Homeschoolers Stink -- I have to admit that I’ve been (and still am in some regards) on both sides of this issue. Being aware of it I pray, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will help me not be a stinker when my sinfulness is trying to exert itself.
Old-Fashioned Homeschooling -- I love that we each can homeschool in our own ways to meet the needs of the children we’ve been blessed with. This post spoke to my heart and says things so much more eloquently than I could! I hope you’ll read it. I especially like her comments about there being so many options available out there now and how that can be tempting to change to something *better* because we feel inadequate.
You Don’t Look Like a Homeschool Mom -- I love Jane’s comments about stereotypes because I’ve encountered them way too often! Perhaps because I don't fit the mold -- and don't want to.
Last thoughts for this post: How can we – as a homeschool community – be so attracted to conformity when not conforming is one of the essential reasons we chose to homeschool in the first place? I mean, one of the reasons I homeschool is because I want an individualized education for each of my children. An education that will suit their personalities, learning style and help them with their vocations in life.
Hoping for some dialog on this…
Rumbling around in my brain for some time now has been some thoughts that may seem random, but to me have connecting dots.
The first is “Who is your homeschool guru?”
Having been a very active part of the Christian homeschool community for the last 10 years, I am constantly amazed at the guru worship that is evident all around. Are people so hungry for someone to follow who “speaks to their heart” or voices their own thoughts that they behave in adolescent idolatry? It’s scary really to think that some of the “bigger” names in the movement can have such an impact. And doesn’t that bother the “gurus” a little bit when they get past their ego rush? What happened to discernment and individuality? Now I’m not advocating being a maverick in every aspect of your life, but when it comes to our children, if you chose to follow a guru…
… is that replacing the government telling us what to do to with having the guru telling us what to do?
I’m all for listening to folks for new ideas and considerations, but to blindly follow simply because so-and-so said so, that’s frightening! I’ve always been more of a gleaner, choosing which aspects suit our family’s needs and personalities. The fact that so much of this revolves around various renderings of the LAW is a bit difficult to stomach, because there is such freedom in GRACE!
When I try to think about it in terms of the three uses of the law, I have to remind myself that isn’t the end of the conversation about it. No matter how you use the law, the end results should be to point you to the salvation offered by Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the grace freely offered in that.
The second is, and in some cases ties into the first, “Online Friendships.”
Although some folks are fairly cautious about their online “relationships”, I see another aspect of guru happening here that I feel warrants some consideration. The gurus mentioned above share certain aspects of their life with the public. For public figures I think this is ok. I believe they deserve a certain amount of privacy, unless that privacy is hiding something that would affect what they proclaim in public or is a lie (I’m thinking of Ted Haggard-types here.) But without knowing that person IN REAL LIFE, and even sometimes then, we don’t know what they struggle with or what their real life is like. What is presented to you is what they want and chose to present to you.
The same can be said of online friendships. What you see is what is presented on blogs, via communities such as Facebook or ning or other electronic means. It’s not the whole picture, it’s what people choose to share.
Let me share with you from my own personal experiences.
The first year we volunteered for our state homeschool convention I was so excited. We were going to have the opportunity to have more personal contact with the speakers because as committee members we had access that attendees don’t have. We were going to have the opportunity to mingle with the speakers via the relaxation areas available to us and the meals that we would share. In this aspect, we kept running into a particular speaker who had brought along his 3-year old son. Every time we ran into this man when he wasn’t speaking, he was on his wireless computer preparing the last few parts of his talks, or checking email. He didn’t engage his son in any kind of conversation or pay attention to him. In fact, more than once I or another lady actually cut this child’s food up for him and made certain he had what he needed (napkins, spoon instead of fork, a drink). Now his dad was grateful and said thanks to us, but it didn’t change that he had his eyes glued to the computer screen. I do not know how or why this speaker was in the position of being glued to his computer screen. Perhaps events prevented him from being as prepared as he would have liked and he felt a responsibility to give it his best shot for his workshops. Perhaps serious and consequential business or family concerns were keeping him from interacting with the child who was present with him. I don’t know these other factors. All I know is that from all appearances at this conference, this man was not practicing what he was sharing in his seminars. He was displaying the exact opposite. This spoke volumes to me. I tried not judge him, for I didn’t know what was going on to make him behave that way and I’ve tried ever since then to give him the benefit of the doubt that this somehow wasn’t an indication of the “norm” for him. But then a couple of years later he was a speaker again and this time brought a daughter with him. The behavior pattern unfortunately was the same. And I’ve tried once again to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it is very hard for me to do that after the second time.
The other thing I have to share that I think helps represent these points involves someone I know personally. Someone with whom I once felt a great affinity for her mind was sharp and inquisitive and we shared common interests, including volunteering with a homeschool support group together. But then, this woman began to change somewhat, I think she was, and is still, allowing that inquisitiveness to lead her into some dangerous thoughts and behaviors. That would be the best construction of the matter. But that seeking lead her away from the group’s purpose and she had to be removed. She didn’t like that and in her anger shared some truly heinous threats towards those who were still in the group. It’s not easy to be told to go away, and so I’ve tried to keep that in mind when I consider or remember what she said and did. Still, I don’t think the majority of us result to threats of such violence and perversion when we are hurt like that. Since then, this lady has chosen to misrepresent what happened, most often sharing that she simply was excluded for personality reasons (truly, if that was the case, that would have happened a long time before that as her personality wasn’t the easiest to get along with for ANY of the other people involved). She’s also presenting herself in a very pristine manner on the internet via her blog (and other electronic communities), that in no way reflects the reality of her life. When she talks about her clean house and how organized it is – that is a far, far stretching of the truth. Her goats actually live in the house with her family and there are regular goat “droppings” around this home, along with urination areas of regular usage by them, and I do not mean the toilet or any kind of designated area like a cat box – INSIDE the home! And as for organization, I know that means different things to different folks… but clothes, both dirty and clean that are strewn about the house, on the floor or furniture, with the same being said for dishes – with and without food on them, and papers and books everywhere… I’m trying to figure out whose definition of organized that is, because it’s not anywhere close to mine. To those who encounter this person on the internet, it appears that things are all honky-dory… but in real life… that’s far from the truth of it.
I remember back to my teenage years and when Elvis died. What a shocker that was… especially as word started coming out that his private life was not what his public image portrayed. So many folks, knowing what a huge fan I was, and still am, of Elvis’ kept asking me if I was disappointed in learning these more salacious aspects of what his life had consisted of. I wasn’t. Because although I did and still do enjoy Elvis’s singing, I never mixed that up with who he might have been in private because that wasn't my business. It was his talent that I enjoyed. I keep that thought in mind when I enjoy any singer, actor, sports figure: it’s their talent I admire. I believe that the Lutheran understanding of vocation has helped me with this.
The following posts can be credited for getting my thinking going on this (see that the first post is from 2006 and you’ll know why I claimed that this has been ruminating in my brain for a while!)
When Homeschoolers Stink -- I have to admit that I’ve been (and still am in some regards) on both sides of this issue. Being aware of it I pray, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will help me not be a stinker when my sinfulness is trying to exert itself.
Old-Fashioned Homeschooling -- I love that we each can homeschool in our own ways to meet the needs of the children we’ve been blessed with. This post spoke to my heart and says things so much more eloquently than I could! I hope you’ll read it. I especially like her comments about there being so many options available out there now and how that can be tempting to change to something *better* because we feel inadequate.
You Don’t Look Like a Homeschool Mom -- I love Jane’s comments about stereotypes because I’ve encountered them way too often! Perhaps because I don't fit the mold -- and don't want to.
Last thoughts for this post: How can we – as a homeschool community – be so attracted to conformity when not conforming is one of the essential reasons we chose to homeschool in the first place? I mean, one of the reasons I homeschool is because I want an individualized education for each of my children. An education that will suit their personalities, learning style and help them with their vocations in life.
Hoping for some dialog on this…
August 9, 2008
Things I Never Thought I'd Say as a Mother
Ok -- so the kids are a bit squirrely today...
Michelle whoops, I mean Esther shared how her guys got silly with underwear the other day. She's got pictures!
We had a similar situation here earlier today, however, it involves girls and bras.
R went upstairs and grabbed one of the more sturdy bras of K's and put it on. As she came downstairs to show me that it looked like she actually had breasts, she was pursued by K who wanted her bra back.
After a few chuckles of the "midget" with boobs, I told R to give back the bra. This didn't happen. Instead a tug-of-war on the floor with K trying to regain possession of her bra occurred, with R doing raspberries to keep K away. R was running out of breath, though, so she plotted an escape and ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut! Then, the mother of this wild tribe was heard to say, very sternly,
"Take the bra off!"
Not wanting to be left out, S, after all was said and done, got in on the action as she tried to hike her sister, K, up the stairs on her back and was encountered by the now wild R, said, "Do not touch my boobs! Do not even touch them, I am not kidding!"
We had a similar situation here earlier today, however, it involves girls and bras.
R went upstairs and grabbed one of the more sturdy bras of K's and put it on. As she came downstairs to show me that it looked like she actually had breasts, she was pursued by K who wanted her bra back.
After a few chuckles of the "midget" with boobs, I told R to give back the bra. This didn't happen. Instead a tug-of-war on the floor with K trying to regain possession of her bra occurred, with R doing raspberries to keep K away. R was running out of breath, though, so she plotted an escape and ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut! Then, the mother of this wild tribe was heard to say, very sternly,
"Take the bra off!"
Not wanting to be left out, S, after all was said and done, got in on the action as she tried to hike her sister, K, up the stairs on her back and was encountered by the now wild R, said, "Do not touch my boobs! Do not even touch them, I am not kidding!"
Great Falls, Charley Pride and my Dad
Oh man! I just found this song and Charley mentions being in Great Falls!
And, yes, I know every word of this song, too.
And, yes, I know every word of this song, too.
Charley Pride and my Dad
My dad really liked Charley Pride. When we lived in Montana, dad moonlighted as a bartender and had occasion to work in a bar that Charley Pride was singing at.
Charley would help my dad put the chairs on top of the tables and sweep and mop at the end of the evening. Dad said no one else who sang ever offered to or did help out in any way like that. But Charley, having been in the Air Force himself, knew Dad had to get home to sleep for his Air Force day job.
So, in honor of my dad, here's a Charley Pride song that my dad liked. BTW -- I know every word to this song since I heard it so much as a kid! It's a nice love song.
Charley would help my dad put the chairs on top of the tables and sweep and mop at the end of the evening. Dad said no one else who sang ever offered to or did help out in any way like that. But Charley, having been in the Air Force himself, knew Dad had to get home to sleep for his Air Force day job.
So, in honor of my dad, here's a Charley Pride song that my dad liked. BTW -- I know every word to this song since I heard it so much as a kid! It's a nice love song.
Random Recommendations
All week I've had these things rumbling about my brain, trying to connect the dots and then determining that I'd let you make those connections yourself.
First, as I referenced in my last post, I highly recommend this article from Touchstone Magazine about those who tout providential history. Certainly good food for thought there.
Secondly, on the eternal socialization questions that plagues homeschoolers, I recommend this blog post by Jane, and this one by Dr. Veith about Darwin and Dewey and their influence on American public education. This might lead you to want to learn about progressive education and how it lines up with a classical Christian education.
If you're interested in the Post Evangelicalism that is searching for a better way than what the landscape of religion has produced in recent America, I recommend this post AND its comments section. Invigorating conversation there.
Lutherans interested in the unionism being flaunted at a Texas youth gathering will want to read this post and its comments. WOW!
Finally, I thought I'd share this You Tube treatment of the song "Another Brick in the Wall." As R and I waited in the car the other day to pick up K from work, R said to me, "Play that homeschool anthem song, Mommy." Not being on the same page as her brain at that moment, I inquired, "What song?" R replied, "That one on your mp3 player. You know the brick in the wall song." My mp3 has Pink Floyd's version, it being a favorite song of mine from my teenage years.
First, as I referenced in my last post, I highly recommend this article from Touchstone Magazine about those who tout providential history. Certainly good food for thought there.
Secondly, on the eternal socialization questions that plagues homeschoolers, I recommend this blog post by Jane, and this one by Dr. Veith about Darwin and Dewey and their influence on American public education. This might lead you to want to learn about progressive education and how it lines up with a classical Christian education.
If you're interested in the Post Evangelicalism that is searching for a better way than what the landscape of religion has produced in recent America, I recommend this post AND its comments section. Invigorating conversation there.
Lutherans interested in the unionism being flaunted at a Texas youth gathering will want to read this post and its comments. WOW!
Finally, I thought I'd share this You Tube treatment of the song "Another Brick in the Wall." As R and I waited in the car the other day to pick up K from work, R said to me, "Play that homeschool anthem song, Mommy." Not being on the same page as her brain at that moment, I inquired, "What song?" R replied, "That one on your mp3 player. You know the brick in the wall song." My mp3 has Pink Floyd's version, it being a favorite song of mine from my teenage years.
Responsibility
My previous post today could be described as the irresponsibility of soundbites in the political realm. This post deals with responsibility, or the lack thereof, in a different way.
There’s a tired old, nasty assertion amongst some that pre-World War II Germany’s Lutheran population did not do anything, or enough, to stem the tide of the rise of the Nazi Regime and Hitler’s noxious policies that resulted in the horrific murder of multiple thousands of people. This is purely Monday morning quarterbacking from those who did not live in the times or are not learned enough about those times.
As absurd as these views are, unfortunately they can be pervasive and when uttered by those in a position of authority, such as a minister, they tend to hold more weight for those under the influence of such a minister. Then they are repeated until they are generally believed to be true. I believe in Christian circles this would technically be known as gossip, repeating something unsavory without verification. In our Lutheran Catechism, this is discussed in the 8th Commandment.
Those folks need to do some serious study of history and bring light to their hurtful, untruthful, divisive arguments. Some might want to review the historical claims that President Roosevelt, the big and powerful leader of this “Christian” nation, along with other Christian leaders of free countries, did nothing to alter the course of the Holocaust machine, allowing much suffering to occur. Questions 5 and 6 from the Frequently Asked Questions at the National Holocaust Remembrance Museum in Washington, DC (which we had the privilege of visiting in October 1999) addresses these issues.
While, I’m at it, there’s quite a good article I commend to you by John Fea of Touchstone Magazine. The article considers the perils of providential history and those Christians who seek to assert that America is a Christian nation by that notion. History shows us that America was founded on the ideals popular during its formation, which includes a Judeo-Christian emphasis. One need only look at the formulating documents and those written in support of it or against it as well as the plethora of letters of those intimately involved to know that while one of the highest ideals of the formation of this country was the free exercise of religion, we are NOT a Christian nation. In fact, the idea that such a nation could be formed, I posit, would be abhorrent to those who put their lives and liberty at stake to form these United States of America.
It is sad to me to see our culture become so hedonistic, rejecting of the doctrines of Christianity, sometimes with the aid of those who work for the government (at local, state and national levels). But I have no illusions that this is a Christian nation, for it never was. The fact that as a culture our nation’s inhabitants exhibited Christian morals for a period of time does not mean that we were a Christian nation. To mix our theology with this is to misunderstand the concept of the left and right hand kingdoms and will lead to tyranny no different than what we see in the Middle East (or other places) with their mixing of theology and government.
I wonder if this is a doctrinal issue within particular Christian denominations? If so, I would heartily encourage them to study again the issues of the Reformation. It seems to smack of the old Pelagian (or semi-Pelagian) heresy whereby we constantly doubt ourselves and whether or not we've truly done enough to "earn" our salvation. Maybe that's a leap in logic...?
All this posturing about the sinfulness of men and the suffering and ugliness it has caused us since the fall of Adam seems to me to be such a waste of time. What does it benefit us? Too much navel gazing. Would we be up to the same type of scrutiny?
Here are some articles, links, etc. that may aid one who is looking into this:
The Institute for Creation Research has a short review titled “Hitler’s Evolution Verses Christian Resistance” about the book The Ascent of Racism, specifically discussing the Pastor’s Emergency League with mention of Pastor Martin Niemoller, and of which Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an active participant.
This link is from the series “Cambridge Perspectives in History. I recommend these shorter treatments of wider issues for high school students and beyond as a jumping off point for further study since they rely heavily upon original sources, documents, etc. and have little personal bias injected into the prose. The particular one deals with Pre-WWII Germany.
Gleichschaltung was the policy implemented in Nazi Germany whereby citizens were required to adhere to totalitarian control over all aspects of life, and where specific insertions of particular wording into church documents was required.
Both the “good” and the “bad” on Pastor Niemoller, probably most famous to those today for his poem “First They Came” quoted below:
When the Nazis came for the communists,I remained silent;I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,I remained silent;I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,I did not speak out;I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,I remained silent;I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,there was no one left to speak out.
There’s a tired old, nasty assertion amongst some that pre-World War II Germany’s Lutheran population did not do anything, or enough, to stem the tide of the rise of the Nazi Regime and Hitler’s noxious policies that resulted in the horrific murder of multiple thousands of people. This is purely Monday morning quarterbacking from those who did not live in the times or are not learned enough about those times.
As absurd as these views are, unfortunately they can be pervasive and when uttered by those in a position of authority, such as a minister, they tend to hold more weight for those under the influence of such a minister. Then they are repeated until they are generally believed to be true. I believe in Christian circles this would technically be known as gossip, repeating something unsavory without verification. In our Lutheran Catechism, this is discussed in the 8th Commandment.
Those folks need to do some serious study of history and bring light to their hurtful, untruthful, divisive arguments. Some might want to review the historical claims that President Roosevelt, the big and powerful leader of this “Christian” nation, along with other Christian leaders of free countries, did nothing to alter the course of the Holocaust machine, allowing much suffering to occur. Questions 5 and 6 from the Frequently Asked Questions at the National Holocaust Remembrance Museum in Washington, DC (which we had the privilege of visiting in October 1999) addresses these issues.
While, I’m at it, there’s quite a good article I commend to you by John Fea of Touchstone Magazine. The article considers the perils of providential history and those Christians who seek to assert that America is a Christian nation by that notion. History shows us that America was founded on the ideals popular during its formation, which includes a Judeo-Christian emphasis. One need only look at the formulating documents and those written in support of it or against it as well as the plethora of letters of those intimately involved to know that while one of the highest ideals of the formation of this country was the free exercise of religion, we are NOT a Christian nation. In fact, the idea that such a nation could be formed, I posit, would be abhorrent to those who put their lives and liberty at stake to form these United States of America.
It is sad to me to see our culture become so hedonistic, rejecting of the doctrines of Christianity, sometimes with the aid of those who work for the government (at local, state and national levels). But I have no illusions that this is a Christian nation, for it never was. The fact that as a culture our nation’s inhabitants exhibited Christian morals for a period of time does not mean that we were a Christian nation. To mix our theology with this is to misunderstand the concept of the left and right hand kingdoms and will lead to tyranny no different than what we see in the Middle East (or other places) with their mixing of theology and government.
I wonder if this is a doctrinal issue within particular Christian denominations? If so, I would heartily encourage them to study again the issues of the Reformation. It seems to smack of the old Pelagian (or semi-Pelagian) heresy whereby we constantly doubt ourselves and whether or not we've truly done enough to "earn" our salvation. Maybe that's a leap in logic...?
All this posturing about the sinfulness of men and the suffering and ugliness it has caused us since the fall of Adam seems to me to be such a waste of time. What does it benefit us? Too much navel gazing. Would we be up to the same type of scrutiny?
Here are some articles, links, etc. that may aid one who is looking into this:
The Institute for Creation Research has a short review titled “Hitler’s Evolution Verses Christian Resistance” about the book The Ascent of Racism, specifically discussing the Pastor’s Emergency League with mention of Pastor Martin Niemoller, and of which Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an active participant.
This link is from the series “Cambridge Perspectives in History. I recommend these shorter treatments of wider issues for high school students and beyond as a jumping off point for further study since they rely heavily upon original sources, documents, etc. and have little personal bias injected into the prose. The particular one deals with Pre-WWII Germany.
Gleichschaltung was the policy implemented in Nazi Germany whereby citizens were required to adhere to totalitarian control over all aspects of life, and where specific insertions of particular wording into church documents was required.
Both the “good” and the “bad” on Pastor Niemoller, probably most famous to those today for his poem “First They Came” quoted below:
When the Nazis came for the communists,I remained silent;I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,I remained silent;I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,I did not speak out;I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,I remained silent;I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,there was no one left to speak out.
A beginning place to learn about the complicated Bonhoeffer who was martyred for his resistance to the Nazi Regime.
A rather extensive online database of matters concerning World War II.
The One?
Politics is an ugly business and it just seems to me that this particular election is riff with ugliness taken to a new level.
When I watched this video, I nearly puked. Obama is so full of himself. Being involved in politics I am aware that much of what the public hears is "sound bites" and snippets, but really... the language this man is using is abhorrent to me because it encompasses religious buzz words to describe himself and his campaign.
Kyrie eleison!
When I watched this video, I nearly puked. Obama is so full of himself. Being involved in politics I am aware that much of what the public hears is "sound bites" and snippets, but really... the language this man is using is abhorrent to me because it encompasses religious buzz words to describe himself and his campaign.
Kyrie eleison!
August 7, 2008
Reasons to Homeschool
Dr. Veith shares a very compelling exerpt on his blog today which he indicates is reason for concern for parents shuttling their kids off to college.
As I read it, it is unmistakably a very compelling reason to homeschool, too!
It is remarkable to me for its honesty. At least we know what we're up against, huh?
As I read it, it is unmistakably a very compelling reason to homeschool, too!
It is remarkable to me for its honesty. At least we know what we're up against, huh?
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