Okay, so you are sayign that it is a good thing that I go over what the world is teaching and what we are teaching in comparision.. i want my kids to know what is out there but what the truth is as well, I knwo in my state for instance they teach a lot of falicies, but my kids do hear about these things so I want them to know what some people think, and what the bible says, and what this history book says, and remind them that all that is written in a book is mans view of it, uh ecluding the Word Of God, there, but that it is important to study it out and find out things that happened in history so we dont make the same mistakes they did. That is one of my pet peives too, I want to be sure my students ( my children or other) are learning what ever there is out there educationally to learn, I wont teach some theory that I just heard as fact though I teach it as theory, or a story. There are some storys of history that are just one mans idea of it, but having read some dairies of first hand studies we can tell what it was like in thier perspective too.. I think most of the people I have spoken with here at the spot use many differing ways of teaching the History of the WOrld more than I do even, and the kids who are being taught by them are learning far more than public school kids for certian, much more detailed studies in fact, but we appreciate the thread starters statement, because we realy do need to be on top of teaching things all subjects.
It's so encouraging to read this thread because of everyone's reasonableness. No matter what our personal views might be on these matters, expose children to all sides, let them challenge and think things through. If we tell them to accept something simply because we tell them it's true, the time will come when they challenge that - especially when they encounter other perspectives. If we present to them the facts and the various interpretations of those facts and to distinguish fact from opinion, they have the intellectual tools needs to succeed. I do this all the time with my children, even those now adults. Sometimes, as I pass through the room with a TV, they are watching the news. I'll hang around for a bit and challenge them to tell me whether they are watching actual news (raw facts) or opinion (commentary). These days, 99% of news programs are commentary. (My own interpretation of CNN is Commentary Not News.) In so many subjects, personal opinions and ideologies are trumping facts. It's very important to help our children see through the veneer of opinion to get to the facts.
Wow, i just logged on and I did not expect this, I do believe that I am not going to give my girls worldly views. I want my girls to know how the Bible and History are combined. A few months ago, we watched a dvd about history from vision forum. It was great to see how the bible and history were combined. My hubby and I learned that stuff that we had not learned in ps. I believe you guys were right, Christian History is good to teach our childern.
I do understand where you're coming from, and I applaud your respect for the Bible (and I know I'm going to sound unduly opinionated, so sorry), but there is a danger here. You can't teach science well when you have preconceived ideas. Science tells us the 'what', and faith reveals the 'why'. Science cannot prove or disprove the things of God, and the Bible is not a scientific textbook. Blaise Pascal, the brilliant scientist and eminent Christian writer, was adamant about this, and I agree with him. I'm convinced that any true student of science will eventually come to understand that faith and science are two sides of the same coin. Taken together, they allow us to see and hear God in stereo! Getting to that point may mean challenging the often trite and sweeping statements of some present-day activists, but so be it. It also means being open to all the evidence and latest theories. If our faith is real, there's nothing to fear. When we strive to see God in everything and embrace all the facts and evidence he's made available to us, he reveals just how beautiful and wonderful and creative he really is - far more glorious and sovereign than the latest Christian orthodoxy would suggest. We can't put God in a box. Instead, we can trust the tools of science to reveal more and more of his greatness. The apostle Paul knew this when he wrote to the Romans about trusting what we see around us because it all points to God.
Steve~very refreshing to hear a similar viewpoint as my own. So many people I talk to about this are one extreme or the other and it doesn't make sense to me. I personally don't see how science and the Bible contradict each other... I went to a private school. They taught us the earth is billions of years old according to scientists. They also taught us about a theory of a young earth that a few people came up with and how they came to believe that. My children went to a private school for 2 years before we started hs'ing last fall. They taught the young earth theory as fact and that all other data contrary to the young earth theory as bogus. I was NOT happy. We've had lots of very long discussions about it with the kids. But darn it, I send them to a Lutheran camp for 5 days and they come home totally re-programmed and closed minded to the possibilities. I don't complain because it is a wonderful camp and I love everything else about it.
I do think one can have a literal interpretation of the Bible and embrace Science and ancient history. But a literal interpretation of the Bible doesn't necessarily equal a belief that looks like x, y, or z. I teach my kids the difference between facts and opinions and use the Bible as a fact checker. Yet keep open minded about what the texts in the Bible can mean. My first year homeschooling was an eye-opener for me regarding the opinions and facts given in science. We studied dinosaurs because my son was really into them. I didn't know much about them because I was educated in Christian schools and things were glossed over. We looked at had secular and Christian books/videos and they both were full of opinions and little facts. Every few sentences we had to stop and ask "how do they know that?" and many times the scientific evidence was not there to support their supposed fact. And sometimes "facts" were build upon "facts" that were really opinions. I fully believe in the scientific method and appreciate the interpretation of the facts given, but I don't appreciate it when the interpretation is given as fact. In other words, if someone teaches a literal interpretation of the Bible doesn't mean they teach without an open mind. Our understanding of the literal words in the Bible may be incorrect and we explore all theories. I do think it is important to expose your child to all theories rather than present your own view as fact. At the same time I believe it to be just as important to teach the literal interpretation of the Bible.
And I agree with you completely. Like Augustine and others from the past, I happen to believe that Genesis 1 and 2 are figurative and not literal writing. Others take these passages literally. As you point out, this is OK as long as we retain an open mind, expose our children to all theories and opinions, and trust that our children will love God more because of this. Who knows: Maybe, because of taking this approach, our children will follow in the footsteps of Francis Collins - evangelical Christian, leader of the human genome project, and someone whose team has made considerable progress understanding (and maybe one day finding a cure for) various hereditary diseases. It's quite OK to be a prominent scientist and sincere believer. Faith and science are not at odds unless we make them so.
So.. is this a good time to mention , "Mystery of History" as an option for those who wish to include regular world history and Biblical history together?
I'd say it's a perfect time - to stop people like me from distracting everyone from the original question.
just had to tell yall, that man, you guys just had to tell me about "Mystery of HIstory" and yes I googled it and saw and not, I want to go buy it and change my history for my girls!! lol Wow, I looks reallly good and they would have fun! but now i can't so it will have to wait for next year.
Personally, I think history and Christainity are in perfect harmony. I think a child needs to know history from all sides to see God's true glory and power. God is great enough to use ALL people for His purpose. History is an amazing example of God's greatness. All history is pointed upward because God is the creator. Having said all that, you need to pick a curriculum that gives you a solid understanding of how history unfolds and effects worldview, ecomony, beliefs, and how we live our lives and what our influences are. Truth is the most important thing. God is always in truth. A child will not be done a disservice by being taught from a Christain point of view as long as the curriculum is solid. I also think a history text is not enough anyway and one needs to read many sources including historical fiction to get a feel for the time. Seek truth in all things and truth will find you in return. Steve...(whenever I type Steve I have keep hitting an "r" after...so if I ever call you Stever..lol...it's not me being silly it's a typo..not making up a nickname)..anyway I love your point of view. Start a thread on science and christianity....I know it's a hot topic on some levels but honestly, it's nice to see Christians who are not afraid to say science does bring glory to God. I used a secular science program last year and saw God on every page.
