08.07
There is a strain of argument that sometimes crops up among Christian parents who oppose homeschooling. Actually, they may not even oppose it. Sometimes they just don’t want to homeschool their kids, but they feel like they have to defend that decision to homeschooling parents. Regardless, the line of argument they use goes something like this. “I don’t think it’s right for Christians to pull their children out because we need to be salt and light to non-believing kids in public school.” I’ve heard this argument a lot, but I don’t think the people who use it fully understand what they’re implying. A good example is a letter to the editor from a recent issue of The Old Schoolhouse magazine:
It saddens me to think that a Christian would say to pull children out of an environment that could show others Jesus. I attended a public school and led some of my friends to Christ; if Christians just stay amongst themselves, who will be the example? I think in this day and age it is up to us to show others Christ in our actions and daily lives; how can we do that if we act like we belong to some “club” no outsiders allowed? This is why nonbelievers do not want to be part of our religion, because we are unreachable. I am glad that Christ did not live his life that way and chose to live among the “sinners.”
My child attends public school and I agree that some things are not ideal, but neither is life. My job does not cater to my religious preference, my gym does not cater, the sports arenas do not cater, and I am showing her that like Christ you have to work around these things and let them know by actions and grace who is your Lord and Savior. I think as Christians it would be better to start getting involved in our school programs, run for a seat on the board, attend those meetings, [and] help decide the curriculum and books that are to be purchased. Write your congressmen and senators; let them know how displeased you are. Why should we let the “nonbelievers” always decide what is best for our children?
I think the operative word in the hilighted portion above is “my”. You are an adult. Your child is not. The analogy doesn’t work. A more appropriate analogy, using the work example, is that you wouldn’t let your child go to the firm Christmas party. A child isn’t mature enough to handle that type of environment, and they aren’t mature enough to handle half of the stuff they hear in public school chit chat either. It’s like my buddy said: “if being socially mature means my 11 year old sex texting his fifth grade teacher then I’m fine with being ’wierd’.”
When you make this argument, what you are saying is basically: our children are school missionaries who happen to do some learning while they are there. If this is your argument, I think you need to explore the full ramifications of that. How old is your child? Seven or eight? If they aren’t believers yet then the argument is null. If they are, how long have they been Christians? Are they equipped to handle the burden of mission work and education? How do you get around the severe restrictions the state places on prosyletizing on public property? These are all important questions that need answers.
But wait. Maybe you don’t mean it that way. Maybe you don’t mean that your kids are actually being “salt and light” in a biblical sense. Maybe you just mean that your kids are somehow less corrupted than other kids in the school and that the other kids will notice that and somehow be influenced by it. Well, that’s a stretch. If that’s your argument then what you’re saying is that your kid is Ghandi. Just let other kids observe and stand near them and the goodness will somehow rub off and take effect. I’m sorry. That just doesn’t cut it for me. That’s a weak argument. Forcing a child to be taught un-vetted, state controlled curriculum in a socially corrupt, religiously oppressive environment for eight hours a day, all under the guise of “influencing” other kids is not a sound judgement of the pros and cons.
I’ve said it a hundred times that I am not going to tell somebody else how to educate their children. That’s a highly personal and family-centric decision. But I will gladly point out bogus arguments, red herrings and straw men. This is one of them. There are lots better arguments than this one out there.
