Godless Woman: Christians Leaving Public Schools

Friday, January 2, 2009

Christians Leaving Public Schools

One News Now is reporting that Christians are being urged to leave the public school system.

This sounds like a pretty good idea for a variety of reasons. First off, we might actually be able to teach real science in the classroom without them butting in and wanting their pseudoscience Intelligent Design BS given equal time.

Second, there might actually be a real sex ed section in health class that hasn't been watered down by the religious nuts who think that abstinence only education actually works. It is about time that public schools taught teens about STDs and how to protect themselves. This education is critical because, as all of us rational people know, many teens are having sex.

Third, classes could have honest discussions about social issues such as homosexuality, assisted suicide, and abortion, among others, without it turning into a argument of what each students invisible friend thinks about the issue.

There are only a few draw backs that I am seeing to this whole plan. First, the fact that public schools wouldn't get as much money because their student population would decrease. Also, since there wouldn't be as much money or student there would be a lot of teachers out of jobs. Although, many of the Christian teachers may go to Christian school since they would be in need of more brainwashers so maybe it would all sort of even out.

What do you think?

Comments (14)

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ignored_ethos 41p · 845 weeks ago

I would agree and add that if a large majority of Christians started a school system outside of the public school system it wouldn't be long before they would want taxpayers to support it.

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Jack 119p · 845 weeks ago

This is simply part of the long plan Christians have had to destroy public education and replace it with factories for turning out religiously indoctrinated children who cannot think for themselves. Sad.

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Poodles · 845 weeks ago

There is one other problem I could see with it. If religious children are kept together isolated from the outside world they do miss out on meeting other different kinds of people. And while it may not do most of them much good to mingle with kids who are different from them, a few may learn that despite what their religious leaders tell them, perhaps different people like atheists and homosexuals aren't so bad because they know a few of them from school.

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Dave · 845 weeks ago

I write only to suggest a change in one phrase you used in your blog. I work for Compassion & Choices, which supports death with dignity for terminally ill patients. Because language we use often matters, may I offer the phrase "hastening death" in place of "assisted suicide".
I'm very happy to find your blog page.

1 reply · active 845 weeks ago

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Goddless_Woman 43p · 845 weeks ago

For future posts I will keep that in mind, thanks for your input.

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deleted609912 88p · 845 weeks ago

I remember reading some time ago about a campaign to get Christians to move to South Carolina so they could somehow create a Christian state. Well, good luck to them...

1 reply · active 845 weeks ago

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Jack 119p · 845 weeks ago

Yeah, I'm still hoping for that. Hell, there'd be like 30 of us here in Mississippi if all the Christians moved to South Carolina!

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Michael_White 36p · 845 weeks ago

My secondary school was mostly brilliant. However we did have this eccentric Christian group visit our year who were promoting abstinence. The worst part is that they kept hidden their religious identity and distorted the science behind contraception. I would love to see these people disappear http://www.challengeteamuk.org/

1 reply · active 845 weeks ago

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Larro 73p · 845 weeks ago

I went to the link and found a bunch of reference to "saving sex for marriage". We all know marriage is a religious institution.

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freethinkerguy · 845 weeks ago

As much as it would be nice to have a school system where you didn't have to put up with religion butting in and crapping up science, health education and discussions of social policy, I worry that in the long run, it'd worsen the schism between believer and unbeliever. The isolation they inflict on themselves would let them dehumanize us further. And separation would allow the extremists would to take moderates over to their side. And I think that would be bad in the long term for us. Like that annoying brother, I think they're part of this human family just as we are and separatism won't help.

The other thing to keep in mind is that for every obnoxious "Brother Jed", there are 10-20 or more moderate to liberal christians, who believe but are not actively proselytizing and pretty much are at school because they have to be. What passes for modern day christianity is more modern humanism with (carefully chosen) bits and pieces of biblical theology (the "socially acceptable" parts). This was at least my experience growing up around major metropolitan areas in Texas. I was that "Brother Jed" then and I stood out.

I'm disturbed by the military rhetoric and naming. "Call to Dunkirk"? To help them return again on D-day? What is D-day supposed to be? When their theocracy-wishes come to fruition? Or is this really just saber-rattling?

You know, you almost have to wonder. Are evangelicals starting to feel like they're losing the culture war? We'll eventually get educated and tolerant and civil and the so-called "issues" won't matter. They won't be able to use them to make us hate anymore. Nobody looks at Elvis Presley's music and thinks it's "of the devil" anymore. But people seriously did in the 60s. And nobody seriously thinks (or at least publicly admits thinking) that we should go back to Jim Crow. Could it be that we're becoming sufficiently tolerant as a society as to make the evangelicals nervous? That this is a last ditch effort for them to attempt to grab power, by arousing a sense of nostalgia and anxiety about "back sliding"?

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Waldheri 58p · 844 weeks ago

I think this is a bad thing. I don't think the presence of children with Christian parents have caused the weak sexual and scientific education. It is Christian parents. If these children are home-schooled, they will never encounter people with different beliefs or ideas of ethics. When these home-schooled children have grown up, I fear the chance that they will share their parents' beliefs is higher than when they have interacted with various people with (potentially) different beliefs, who might shake their ideas a bit. In the long run, this would mean more opposition to secular ethics and the teaching of science that steps on the toes of creationists.

The video message is very... disturbing. "Our forefathers marched and bled and even died so we would not have to accept the kind of inferior, education that is currently inflicted on many minority students... The first place we need to march, is right out of the doors of those Christ-dishonouring, academically inferior, soul-killing government indoctrination centres". Add some videos from nazi Germany in, and you score FAIL on the fundamental scale.

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Scriptulicious · 842 weeks ago

Yes, this news is disturbing. I have heard James Dobson and others tell parents to either home school or put their kids into private Christian schools. As a public school teacher, I feel sorry for the kids so removed from the classroom. Though the teacher may have less pressure from parents in some cases, the student is often deprived of the strongest impetus for critical thought. A shame...

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im_pinoy 64p · 651 weeks ago

They really have to discuss this further before implementing this. There will be pros and cons if they will put sex education. You have your point that for them to have a knowledge about sex education and they will be able to protect themselves from STD's etc . if that's the case the teacher should be professional enough on how to handle students in preparing discussions like this.

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Eric · 489 weeks ago

It's a great idea. All Christians need to leave and take their major tax base with them to fund their Christian schools. This will give the liberal, secular humanists the final say in public schools they've always wanted. I'm sure the public schools will turn a product worthy of McD's.

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Friday, January 2, 2009

Christians Leaving Public Schools

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