{photo credit Ashley at Pix-O-Sphere}
When we first left the traditions of church and began homeschooling our children, it made sense to use the same curriculum the church school used. It was what our kids were used to. Then after the first year we ventured out to select other Christian homeschool curriculum that was not so dogmatically based on evangelical fundamentalism, I even bought secular Math books, oh the horror! {sarcasm}
During this last year in the blogosphere, I have seen so much ridiculous religious belittling of those who don’t share the same views and I cringe when I see people blogging so harshly against those who embrace diversity in the homeschool circuit. Many people tend to think homeschool=evangelical-fundametal-hyper-reformed. Say it isn’t so….anyone? Anyone?
It isn’t so!!
Not all homeschool families wear coulottes, enforce courtship, or even believe in a 6-day Creation.
*GASP*
You mean there are Christians who believe in an Older Earth and Intelligent Design?
Yes!
And there are homeschool families who want to attend a homeschool conference that is diverse!
Diversity means that Atheists can speak in sessions for those interested and Pagans can speak about how they view life through nature for Science classes. And Christians can choose a non religious Science curriculum or even BioLogos if they want to!
“Heresy!”
Really? It’s heresy for homeschoolers to be Atheists or Pagans, as if “Evangelical-Fundy-6 Day Creationists” own the term “homeschooling” and can shun people from their conferences because of their out-of-the-box interests and beliefs?
The hoopla I saw about Ken Ham back in March and the comments on some blog articles about that circus was a bit much.
When I began homeschooling I read of many bloggers who felt that the Public School system was trying to dumb down our kids and do their thinking for them. But I see that happening in many “Christian” homeschool circles as well. Same tactics under a ‘god label’.
Many “Christians” have created their own version of Christianity through their various denominations and their insistent dogma over our kids, then directed towards parents through such conferences, has sent up a red flag!
Kan Ham may believe in a 6 day Creation, but that doesn’t mean all Christians do and just because some Christians entertain the idea that 6 days may represent 6,000 years (a day is as a thousand years) is a matter of interpretation and Kan Ham doesn’t own the King’s Ring to put his god-stamp of authoritative approval on anything he believes or his curriculum. He doesn’t hold the ‘biblical authority’ to Creationism nor does he hold authority over homeschooling parents and their children. I’m not out to degrade Mr. Ham, as he has the freedom to believe in a 6 day creation all he wants and so do you. Just don’t expect everyone to believe that his interpretation is the only “right” view and don’t assume people who believe in an Old Earth are “heretics” or “not really Christians”.
When a homeschool vendor begins belittling people who don’t believe the same, it’s then that I re-examine what materials to support in my purchase of them. When the spokesman of such a curriculum openly belittles people, while representing their company, I have to ask myself, “Do I want to support that kind of business and spokesperson?” Has Christianity forgotten that it’s more important to love than to be “right in their own eyes”? Is the Spirit of Christ, one in which we belittle people for not believing in the same interpretations of the Bible? Last I checked, Jesus was angry with the Pharisees for neglecting the needy and oppressing the people with religiosity. He didn’t condemn them for knowing scripture, he rebuked them for their blatant disregard for the lives of the people in favor of their “knowledge” of the scriptures.
When we fail to see who the scriptures point to and instead begin worshiping the scriptures (or your interpretations of them), then we have missed the whole point of Christ. Maybe some “Creationist 6- Day Believers” have made their creationism into a god.
He didn’t come to Anoint us with His presence so we could hold fast to an interpretation of the first “week” of creation.
So let your voice be heard so the Homeschool Conference organizers know:
- That not everyone believes in a 6 Day Creation. Offer more materials on varying subjects.
- We don’t want to see speaker battles and belittling of each other over interpretations.
- We don’t support vendors who resort to bullying other vendors in an effort to further their own product over the other.
- We support freedom for all, which includes the opportunity for each vendor speaker to present why they believe what they believe without fear of “witch hunts” for believing differently.
- We embrace diversity.
- Parents want to be respected as THE educational authority over our homes and children.
- Belittling someone’s beliefs is belittling the people who believe those things.
- We don’t want to invest our hard earned LIMITED incomes in this struggling economy to attend a conference where the speakers don’t respect the parents investment in such a conference.
- Homeschool parents don’t want the public educational system to be the educational authority in our homes, and we don’t want the vendors to think they are either.
Hold onto your freedom my dear homeschool parents, if you don’t, someone else will certainly take the reigns from you.
Think on your own “two feet”. Being a “Christian Homeschooler” doesn’t mean we want dogmatic curriculum, it means we want to live by FAITH, not by “evidence”, in the things we hope for.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see. (Weymouth NT)
I believe in Creation by faith, not by facts. Yet I pursue the study of Science by facts, and can see my faith within it.
