Who Says…We Don't Have A Problem? (Part 3)
Part of the series Who says...
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2015-05-04.
We need to redefine our Christian perspective and redeem what we have lost through ignorance and cowardice.
Everything ultimately becomes political. Although we all try to keep our specific allegiances private, we do have a corporate responsibility to keep our politicians and bureaucrats honest. We need to be politically active for our sakes, for our children's sakes and our grandchildren's future. This blog is to encourage you to do just that.
Bible Reference: Hosea 4:6
In this third and final installment questioning the existence of home education problems, I want to get down to the real issue regarding what I think creates these problems in the first place, which can be summarized in a single word... ignorance. By and large, our population has become so ignorant of issues, so disconnected with truth and dependent on government, we have come to see government as central in all things, effectively allowing government to control our lives. But, first things first.
The title uses the word “we”, which needs to be addressed. Although home education is not restricted to any particular faith structure, it can be safely stated that the majority of those engaged in training their children at home come from a Christian world view and so it is especially to this audience that I make this address. This is not to disqualify anyone but to establish perspective.
Many years ago, there was a slogan that said "public education works". It seemed at the time that few were ready to question this assertion of "fact"! What did the statement actually mean? When, how and who did public education work for? As many times as I may have asked, the only response I got was either nothing at all or a perplexed query as to why I questioned the slogan, in the first place! I offered the possibility that education was a multimillion dollar industry that seemed to work well for everyone involved excepting two groups, namely students and caring teachers, but this was usually met with disapproval.
Indeed, public education, supported by media biases and church “ear tickling”, does work, if the objective is to direct people to think, believe and behave in certain ways. The best way to be able to control a population, be it national, provincial, local, church or community is to advance nothingness as meaningful and have people focus on this rather than to encourage them to be properly informed of real issues. From the Christian or “church” perspective, that would mean to keep people ignorant of biblical truths while advancing error in its place. This is not to accuse all groups of having evil motives, but one has to be aware of the fact that, on average, most people subscribing to the Christian faith have a very rudimentary understanding of what that faith is and not only display an elementary knowledge of biblical principles but are likely not to be able to clearly articulate, exactly, what the Christian faith actually is. In fact, a study done in 2013 indicated that, on average, atheists were better able to articulate the Christian faith than professing Christians! (see "An abysmal ignorance of the faith is Christendom's common disability") Once again, I do not want to paint all groups with a single brush, but to bring to light the fact that there are a lot of things being advanced as "Christian" when it is, in fact, not biblical and therefore unchristian.
So where does this ignorance lead us? For one thing, ignorance of facts allows any group to be easily manipulated. Preying on ignorance with a generous dose of fear, guilt and faulty information, especially misquoted and misapplied scripture, can and does create a compliant population that not only demonstrates ignorance but also the associated characteristic of dependency on others to do the job for them. Christians, depending on others to “come to the knowledge of the truth” on their behalf, set themselves up to be deceived and enslaved, as they have no real measure by which to ascertain whether the “truth” presented is indeed true. Once dependent on others to do our work for us, we develop a sense of entitlement, laziness and worst of all, cowardice when challenged or faced with opposition.
In general, this would be what has caused the home education and private school communities to be in the “hot water” they find themselves in. Purposeful attempts to keep us from having a good grasp of political issues, along with a lack of a good knowledge of biblical teaching, creates an environment in which we mistake submission for subjection. In submission, we are the slaves of what we obey and can be easily led down the wrong road back into bondage. When subjecting ourselves to others, the well being of the individual takes second place to the welfare of the community at large and real courage is evident. This should come as no surprise. Ignorant cowards do not make good leaders! It’s time we have a look in the mirror and ask ourselves what we are willing to give up to be true ambassadors of Jesus Christ. Ignorance of biblical directives would be a very good place to start.
Who say’s we don’t have problems in home education? Those that are ignorant of what is going on and those who can only benefit from perpetuating the ignorance.
Thanks to all of you who did get acquainted with some of the most pressing current issues and for getting involved in the campaign to let our representatives and civil servants know that we are not willing to be excluded from the public arena. Even though some in "leadership" positions may have been complicit in advancing or wrongfully ignoring these issues, we can be assured that we have at least given voice to our concerns. Remember to vote on May 5!