Article about Christians students in Public Schools

I don't think the answer lies in homeschooling or not homeschooling. The answer lies in the Savior of the world. Of course how does that play out in our everyday lives? We should seek to live our lives for the Savior, to help our children see it day by day. I must admit that I am NOT doing everything I should be as a Christian homeschooling mom.

Here are things I need to do:

I need to set aside time to read the Bible and pray to God every morning. If I faithfully do that, my son will know (I won't have to shout it-it will just be).

I need to make sure we do family devotions/prayer/Bible reading together everyday, except maybe Sunday (because we go to church).

I need to talk about the everyday wonders of God. I need to be ever ready to thank God for every blessing-big or little.

I need to let my son know when I am asking God for help and not be timid about praying right then and there (even if we are in public).

I need to turn over my WHOLE life to God. This will speak volumes to my son (without me saying a word). This is a hard one, there always seems to be something I want to hold on to.

Even if I do this: it is still up to my son whether or not he keeps his faith. Living in a Christian home will help him, but no one thing can guarantee his lifelong faith. I wish there was that one thing, but there isn't.

I think this society is just so broken, it is hard to counteract the influences of the world. If you go too far--you shelter them from reality and they are unprepared. If you don't protect enough, you are letting them know it doesn't matter what they do.

Why isn't there a formula?

 

I sometimes wonder if it is God's answer to our prayer or we just make ourselves think it is. I am not just referring to homeschool vs. public school. This happens in my life. I think I hear from God about what I should do, only to feel conflicted--is this me wanting something so much that I am convincing myself or is it really God?

But, I agree-it is not my place to tell others what God wants them to do or not do.

 

I can relate to the point. On a related note, I can recall incidents in life where a strong-willed person pretty much quoted their opinion in a public prayer, implying that their view was God's will and asking for everyone else to accept it - as if quoting an opinion in prayer cloaks their words in holiness.

My only suggestion on this is to stick close to Biblical principle, keep the matter in prayer, and doors will open up. One of our elders once told me that there is no single 'right' door; one of life's blessings is that we get to choose from among several possible doors. In the end, God's will is always done.

 

A difficult topic when like mommix3, my kiddo's are headed back to PS.

Now, just to talk specifics (statistics) my older girls went to Public school (although the younger went to christian school through 4th grade) and both are still Christians and I believe could pass the "christian test" mentioned in the article.
I had my own dry spell in my 20's and I am not sure that an exploration of ones faith is the same as "leaving christianity" even if it looks like it. On the other hand, there is really not much hope if they don't really understand christianity in the first place.
I do agree that rhetoric is important and not taught.
The middle school library has banned Tom Sawyer but has those horrid teen romances...(nothing to do with Christianity...but)
My daughter was willing, on tests in science (to an outspoken athiest teacher) to write for essays...the answer you want is...and then end with; but the REAL answer is God created it. She did fine, grade wise. She had a "cadre" of kids in that class to sit with and they all argued with him.
We also discussed the Ayn Rand books that were required in High school...and that while she was against communisim she accepted the main tenent of marxist communisim which was athieism.

 

Yes. Sometimes questioning and exploration is a positive thing. God is willing to answer our honest questions.

I was also frustrated with Ken Ham's book about youth "leaving" the church during college, when they join organizations like Campus Crusade or Navigators. While they might not attend a formal "church", I don't consider these young people as "leaving" the Church at all! They just chose to worship in an alternative setting temporarily. I also don't consider those who attend a "home church/fellowship" as having "left" the church.

 

Very interesting. My S-I-L. and I had a discussion about this just the other day and she firmly set in the belief that her girls need to be salt and .light in their school. There is nothing wrong with that per se, but they work so late each night that there is no way to counterbalance what is being fed to the girls each day in school either. I can already see a huge difference in the way my girls treat others and the way her girls do. Really makes you think about the "little" things that get overlooked.

 

In response to Steve's incest example, I believe EVERY life is brought into being at conception through God's will. Sad as it is, He had a plan that only those aborted babies could have fulfilled. Each of us is given our own special purpose on earth that no-one else is given to accomplish. That is what is so scary and sad about abortion, we are taking it in our own hands to extinguish the beginning of one of God's plans. I don't want to drag into a discussion on abortion, but I really felt a heavy burden to put this out there

 

I love statistics. I do. And I quote them often, but people are not statistics.

I went to Christian PreK-then went to PS K-12. My parents never took me to church (except on Easter) never read the Bible to me, never did devotionals, never prayed (except over holiday meals). But my parents were "Christian" and I said I was too. I believed in God, knew the story of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. I thought that made me Christian.

I started attending church and I got saved in my early 20's, on my own, not by any leading of my parents. So-I wouldn't fit into this study very well at all would I?

That being said. One of the reasons we homeschool is for this very reason. You can't teach your child on thing at home then send them for 8 hours a day to be taught something else and expect them to walk away with your values/morals/worldview. When my son went to school-we were so rushed int eh mornings we had no real time together. It was get up, get ready, go. (he ate breakfast at school) He got on the bus around 7am-got off the bus around 3:45 pm So I had him from 4-8 (bedtime) there was an hour for homework and an hour for dinner and a bath. So that left 2 hours a day of free time. SO I should feel that with Bible study? After all day at school with only a 20 minute recess and another hour of homework once he was home? So....

Just let the government school mold him all week and I can take the weekend to try and undo what they did?

I know-preaching to the choir on a homeschool board.

Just my 2 cents

 

Sonita,

I agree with the article for the most part and what you say also. There are no guarantees, but I want to stack the odds in his favor KWIM?

I think sometimes people put a responsibility to save someone that simply is not theirs. There is only one Savior. He can work in people's lives whether they grew up in a Christian home, a Muslim home, or orphaned, or whatever. HE alone saves. That doesn't mean that we throw our hands up and give them to the public schools, but in the end it our children's choice to follow God or not.

So statistics are there to help us see what is better perhaps, but not to cling to for the direction in our lives.

I was once listening to a sermon when a pastor quoted some kind of statistic about boys who grow up without fathers going to prison in greater numbers than boys with fathers. My son's father has been virtually non-existant in his life. I wrote down on the bulletin, "you are not a statistic" and showed my son. He isn't a statistic and I don't ever plan on believing that for my son.

 

PS is not public enemy number one! Many fine Christians teach in public schools, and thank God for them. It's just that, for some children, parents can do a better job at home. That's not universally the case.

Say, for example, that parents are simply lousy teachers and don't understand the materials they are teaching. Let's also say that most of the teachers in the local PS are fellow Christians who attend the same church as the parents. Why ever shouldn't these parents put their children in the local PS?

There are plenty of other examples: music programs is a case in point for us. Our youngest son is a wonderful tuba player, and he wouldn't get to play except in PS. For one, we couldn't afford to buy the instrument.

This is why I believe the decision to homeschool is not always right or always wrong. It's one of several options to be considered, and it depends on the family situation. It's frustrating to read an article by someone who believes we should all follow his call to boycott PS.

 

Yes, many are-but even if they are-they, in most cases, are not allowed to teach Christian morals, values or pray with students or read the Bible or retell Bible stories to any of the children in their classes. It's not allowed. They may be the finest Christians, teach Sunday school, go to church 3 times a week, read their Bible daily, Pray without ceasing, but according to our PS rules and laws, their students should never know what religion they are, they certainly can't choose to use a Christian based curriculum in their classroom.

This is not to say that PS is wrong for everyone and you're a bad Christian if you send your kids to PS. Every family is different. Every child within a family is different. But, we shouldn't close our eyes to the fact that PS are teaching secular humanism and Christianity is strongly discouraged in many of our nations PS.

No, PS isn't all bad, but it is getting worse (academically and from a Christian standpoint) and we shouldn't ignore that.