I am a Christian. My kids belong to God and they have been entrusted to me and my husband. I think children should be a part of the community, helping the community byt they are not the "property" of the community.
But the problem is that very many parents (i) fail to take responsibility for their children, (ii) abuse their children, and (iii) frankly don't care one iota for their children. So who watches out for the child in such situations? In former days, other members of the family would step in, or maybe the child would simply endure abuse. I can see why society/governments step in: It's to protect such children. But, as always, things are never black and white, and over-eager officials, especially when they're berated in the press for not stepping in enough in some cases, will overstep the mark. What's better: to infringe on the rights of a good parent, or to fail to help a child who suffers horrendous abuse? It's really not easy. A very real problem, though, is the influence of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and other aggressive atheists who claim that religious faith is simply a nasty form of the common cold - a virus to be eradicated. Their influence on society's norms, coupled with overzealous social workers, make a dangerous combination.
I might add one other thing: a church is a society of sorts, and many choose to delegate teaching, social activities, counseling, and even discipline to church leaders. That's not that much different from the lady in the video claiming that society 'owns' our children. Some churches think that way. It's part of the timeless political battle of where to draw the distinction between the right of the individual and the responsibility of society (or a church) in general. Different people have different opinions, and it will always be that way.
Very true. In our church we are encouraged to take responsibility for the biblical education for our children. Yse, they go to sunday school before worship service but that is just a seed planted. We (my husband and I) are to water and grow that seed. I do agree that we need to be watchful of how other children are being treated. There is a fine line between what you said about good parents and the parents who are abusive. We need to be, as a community, watchful for anything dangerous. I don't think that means that my children belong to the community though.
wow!! This country is in MAJOR trouble.. Used to be that most people believed that their children belonged to God who entrusted them to the parents to raise in a Godly way.. Once God is thrown out, then there's no solid foundation to stand on.. This is just another sign of the times..
Are you aware of changes in the law enacted a little while ago regarding nurseries and classes at church? I forget the details, but the person in charge must report to the authorities any indications of child abuse. Not reporting such incidents can subject you to jail time. Indeed, my wife had to give up running the church nursery over this. Should she be judged not to report an incidence of potential child abuse, she would be deported (since we are not citizens) - and we just couldn't risk that.
Yes I am aware of this. I don't understand what your response is getting at. I was agreeing with you that we should be watchful of other children and possible abuse and report it when necessary.
It was just something that came to mind as I read this thread, that's all. On the one hand, it's right to watch out for and protect children who are abused. On the other hand, it's inevitable that doing this will impact others. No matter how we approach the issue, someone is going to be affected.
When the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, one of the more consistently left-wing publications in the country, believes someone is going on a "bizarre collectivist rant", they must be as extreme as they come. It's clear that MSNBC's professor has very little support, so the video should not be taken seriously. Still, public schools have served an important service through the years, because not every parent is willing or able to assume responsibility for their child's education. The same is true for social services, who strive to help children in difficult situations (which are often not easy to spot). While I've always been a big proponent of homeschooling and individual responsibility, I do recognize the value of society in the sphere of education. Just like the church offers support and succor to the needy in its number, so does society.
You know, Steve, every time conservatives get up I arms about this sort of thing, the liberals just pooh-pooh it as no big deal and "not really". YEAH, REALLY!!! Yes, public schools are necessary in a free society. But THE PARENT needs to make decisions, NOT the government.
I think that to me this add gives just more excuse and latitude for an already predominant lack of personal responsibility in our country. I really don't see how continuing to encourage people to give up their personal responsibilities - in this case as parents of their children - can in any way improve this country. And this add isn't about abused children, it's about firming up the mentality that the gov't owns our children and we just basically give birth. It's ridiculous and scary.
It is super terrifying! It really is! I live in a little "community" if you will. Just a ton of duplexes smooshed together, really. I see kids from 3pm (when the bus drops them off) til late at night playing outside with no supervision. None. They play in the neighboring cow pasture, the gutters and sewers (no I'm not joking), and they just generally go wherever they want. I've had 3 separate parents knock on my door and ask me if I'd seen their kid because they said they were leaving with "such and such" and they'd be back later, and these parents didn't question it til and hour or so later when they realize that they don't know who "such and such" is, and their child is gone. One child was gone for 22 hours because the parent told him he could leave with a "friend" and he left with the friend's relative that lived out of state. I don't know where they found them but it was out of the city. They government is preying on the parents inability/lack of care in raising their children and enacting ridiculous laws and making outlandish declarations!
I think it all depends on what exactly a person means by this. If they think people should look out for each other, than that seems good. If someone notices a child that is not getting taken care of properly maybe they could report it or speak to the parents to see if they could help out. If a single mother is struggling, maybe a neighbor could let the kids come over after school until the mom finishes work for the day. On the other hand, if a person means the community is to decide how children are raised as a collective group, then that is a disaster waiting to happen. Aside from neglect and abuse, parents should be able to raise their children the way they see fit.
Oh, yeah, I agree that if we see a child who is being abused or neglected, we shouldn't turn the other way. But this lady I think goes way beyond that!
