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| Is Home Schooling Inherently Dangerous? |
In a story published today by Western Journalism under the title "California Presumes Homeschooling Parents Are Child Abusers, Seeks Invasive New Restrictions" Becky Loggia reports,
As California lawmakers continue their track-record of controversial decisions, one announcement in particular has caused an outcry for its overreaching presumption: that all homeschoolers must also be child abusers.
According to The Washington Examiner, the plan set out by lawmakers would be to force parents into proving to the government that they are, in fact, fit to be a parent.
The homeschooling parent — per legal requirement — would have to meet the government’s required checklist via home visits, interviews, and other oversights, effectively increasing the burden on the parent to prove themselves parentally fit.
And many have expressed concern over stripping away the legally protected option of homeschooling and deeming it as absurdly unconstitutional.
The decision seems to be in light of the horrifying case of David and Louise Turpin who were registered as homeschoolers to the 13 children that authorities found chained, malnourished and abused.The Los Angeles Times posted an OP-ED with quotes like this- Abuse in homeschool settings is all too common, even if it doesn’t always make international headlines. Yes, you heard me right. Public school advocates, who have been literally overrun with teacher/student sex abuse and molestation cases are taking cheap shots at home school advocates and families concerning "widespread abuse." Regarding public school teacher/student sex abuse stories I'm talking about this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this (to mention but a few). You cannot make this stuff up.
I am not suggesting that most public school teachers are sexual predators (hardly); I am just trying to make the point that Liberals are hypocritical and that education, like religion, and gun ownership should not be determined/controlled by elected officials.
From my vantage point, various public officials want to control the hearts and minds of ALL our children/youth (via mandatory public education). This will allow them to teach the "virtues" of the LGBT movement (per this, this, and this), safe sex experimentation, Evolution, Liberalism, etc. Americans vote based on their ideology and value system so this is certainly about power and control. Liberals love to label religious private school and home school as "indoctrination" while describing what they do as "education." Christians ought to be able to see right through this regardless of how they choose to educate their children.
Before writing me off as a crazy "school choice" advocate I would read the news stories that have been linked in today's blog post (such as one of these: Don't Blame Homeschooling for Child Abuse Cases like the Turpins or this one- Homeschooling is not a Crime). Compare the rationale in these stories over and against the L.A. Times OP-ED and today's Western Journal story (see above).
Keep in mind that I went to public school from K-12 in Wisconsin, California, and Washington. Now granted public schools were different 20-30 years ago, but not entirely. Don't get me wrong...I had many wonderful teachers along the way who helped teach me how to read, write, and do arithmetic. I am thankful for many of my educators.
Having said that, during my Jr. and Sr. High years in California and Washington all of my history teachers were Liberal (anti-conservative). To them Ronald Reagan was an awful President. Had I been in class during the Obama years I know Mr. Obama would have been presented as the modern day equivalent of Abraham Lincoln. But beyond political differences public education certainly had it's anti-Christian moments. For example, my biology teacher in High School pocked fun at me in front of the class when my parents pulled me out of "sex education." In another school my favorite teacher actually asked me, "Why would you waste such good brains on that?!?" when I informed him that I was going to seminary after college in order to become a pastor-teacher. I actually did not take serious offense since by then I realized it was perfectly consistent with his unbelief and his anti-biblical worldview. If the God of the Bible does not exist and if Jesus did not offer himself in the stead of sinners and rise on the third day, he would be right. Paul makes this same concession in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (if Christ did not really rise from the dead).
At the end of the day today's story is about ideology (2 Cor. 10:3-5), parental rights, and the continued assault on "the freedom of religion." The secular state, led by the Democrat party, seems intent on mowing over anyone that gets in the way of their Liberal utopia. Be must be aware so we can beware.
