What is “IVP”? Invisible Pink Unicorns (guessing that would be “IPU”)?
You’re absolutely right. Hey, it was late. I should have been in bed.
Ah. Well I only brought them up when asking other posters if there is actually a line they would draw in what is taught in the school beyond the actual subject matter.
I find it interesting that NO one (besides me obviously) has taken a stance on that. I suspect most here after ranting at me about the First Amendment can see a comfortable way to say some things they think would be beyond the pale.
That or they are uncomfortable actually stating that absolutely anything goes as long as it is not outright illegal (hence my use of IPUs to see if they thought that would be ok to illustrate the absurdity of that position IMO).
Easier to not take an actual position on that I guess.
I think a couple people did say that pretty much anything goes as long as it isn’t illegal. I don’t actually like the idea of teaching kids that the IPU (got it right that time) rules the world, but they’re not my kids. I don’t actually like the idea of kids growing up with no teaching about God at all, or with negative teaching about him, but they’re not my kids. I don’t have a right to tell their parents what the kids should learn. Now, if that’s going on in a public school, that’s different. But that’s not this conversation.
But if I don’t want somebody telling me what I have to teach my kids to believe, then I don’t have the right to tell anybody else. And if all you were doing was venting in this thread, telling us you don’t like it, that would be fine. But you want to change it. You want to give somebody power to tell people what they can (or can’t) teach their children about faith. The only way to do that is to give that power to the state. And that seriously violates the first amendment guarantees of freedom of religious exercise. You keep saying they can teach it in a class set aside for the purpose, but you don’t see that that limits the free exercise of religion. You want the state to be able to tell people how and when they can express their beliefs.
And you still haven’t demonstrated any conceivable harm. “Muddled thinking” isn’t gonna cut it, and you haven’t even shown that.
I think I did show that there is some harm via teaching Creation in a Biology classroom. I noted that I thought saying something like, “No Creation in Biology but it is ok in Geometry” seemed to get silly and would be a bit of a loophole.
However there was a stance taken here that since evolution or creation are really not important things for most people it doesn’t really matter and does not constitute a harm. I happen to disagree with that.
Essentially kids going to a church where they teach creationism in Sunday school and a public school get both stories. I’d think that would be perfectly acceptable in a private school as well. If they choose to stress evolution as a theory I’d have no objection as long as the kids were given a working understanding of evolution.
I don’t think private schools should be given a blank slate to teach whatever they please. There needs to be a line drawn that respects religious freedom and parental rights while also considering what’s best for society and the child. We already do that in several areas. I don’t see why private schools should be an exception.
I find this statement offensive in the extreme…basically you are saying that we are being disingenuous or lying to make our point.
Probably about half of the people arguing against you are atheists. I’m sure none of them care whether the religion being taught is Christianity, Satanism, or anything else…they don’t believe in any of it, anyway.
As far as those who do believe in some kind of God, I can only speak for myself. My opinion about this is that my religious feelings have nothing to do with it, because they are private. I would like to have the freedom to worship my own way, and teach my children my own way, and I feel completely comfortable allowing others to do the same. As part of the community, I am an American, with allegiance to the Constitiution and the rights of my fellow citizens first.
OK…I’ll state it. In terms of additions to the basic curriculum, absolutely anything goes as long as it is not outright illegal. Those believers in IPUs are more than welcome to teach their kids all about it in their private schools.
Can you give a reason for why you disagree with that…one that demonstrates harm other than “it’s something they should know?”