I think I learned a whole lot from this experience, too.
“his teachers lied to him”
“fighting an uphil battle against the intolerance”
“I don’t think daycare or schools should teach kids complicated morality”
“Brainwash them when they’re young”
“a hard time undoing all the damage they’ve done”
“I wonder if they have started on the hellfire and damnation yet”
“hate language”
“away from those evil people at once”
“the hate they are teaching him”
“homophobic attitudes”
“hate mongering”
“then actually be SURPRISED that he’s being taught to be an intolerant bigot”
“I think what they have taught your son is deplorable”
Wow. Just…wow.
And all because a little boy was told that marriage in the Bible is between a man and a woman. And despite those of liberal religious persuasion, there is naught besides this type evidenced in there anywhere. It, then, is hardly deserving the hysteria above to say such. Western culture has maintained this ideal for 2,000 years, so, again, hardly a shocking thought, one would think.
So who are all the self-righteous among you being so gosh-darned tolerant of? Those who disagree with you? Quite obviously not. QUITE obviously not. Those who agree with you? Hmmm. Just so.
So. Take a good look at yourselves, folks. Just who, exactly, is being intolerant and judgmental, and bigoted and hateful? The christian who stands by God’s word in declaring a standard of right and wrong (whether or not you agree with that, your open-mindedness should recognize that Biblically based morality is neither homophobic nor bigoted, at least if you properly understand the definitions) or those wonderful folk who decry any standard whatsoever (except their own, when they then turn their vitriol on those disagreeing)?
Based on the acidic display above, I’d have to say…those expressing such viewpoints have become that which they denounce.
Kettle, meet pot.
I cannot believe that no one has even thought of this possible resolution:
The next time a teacher tells your son that only boy-girl marriages are allowed. Teach your son to respond, (perferably in a jewish accent) " And they say we aren’t descendants of apes."
Even at an older age, kids can be remarkably discerning.
My daughter spent a year with me when she was fifteen. She made friends with a girl who was an atheist. Rather than raise a stink about it, I decided to let my daughter associate with her new friend and even bring her into our house. It turned out to be the best course of action even though she could have suffered considerable harm if she had not understood instinctively the fallacies of materialism. I knew that she was being exposed to drugs, alchohol, and sexual promiscuity through her peers in public school. So I figured that a bit of exposure to atheism wouldn’t do her any harm.
She looks back on her experiences that summer and reminisces fondly especially about her friend whom my daughter says was stuck in her rut more out of rebellion than anything. When questioned, the friend had no answers. And when confronted, she was always evasive. I’m grateful our young one had the good sense to think for herself.
From what I’ve seen Caricci say in response to the opinions offered here, she is an excellent parent and because she asks intelligent questions, she will find good answers. Persistence, after all, is a Christian virtue:
Well, yes. A church-run daycare center should indeed be telling children things that are in accord with the teachings of that church.
Without addressing the question of gay marriage, or civil union, or whatever one choose to call it, many, if not most, churches in this country (and probably just about every other country) are opposed to such a thing. Even if you don’t subscribe to the beliefs of a given church, you’re hardly in a position to object when an education institution run by that church espouses the teachings of that church.
Well, see, if you read along, you’ll see that I was told that the religious curriculum consisted of Bible songs and Bible stories. You’ll also see that the teacher, it turns out, spoke out of turn.
NaSultainne , I don’t want to be mean to people that posted, but you are right.
I did read along. And I still don’t think one should be surprised when a religious institution turns out to have a curriculum that goes a little deeper than Bible stories and songs.
As to the teacher speaking out of turn, I’m not familiar enough with Seventh-Day Adventist beliefs as opposed to those of Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists or whatever other brand of Christian there might be to know if that’s out of turn or not.
You don’t need to know that, LLM, because the beliefs of various sects is not what made the comment “out of turn;” it was “out of turn” because it wasn’t endorsed by the preschool, as CARICCI knows because she talked to them about it.
And if I enrolled my child in a school that said “Bible stories, Bible songs, a little ‘Jesus Loves Me,’ that’s it,” I’d sure as heck be surprised by any curriculum that went much deeper than that – precisely because the institution said the curriculum wouldn’t.
Perhaps the school administraos simply felt that “homosexual marriage is a sin” is a Bible story? Y’know, Lot and his daughters and the Sodomites and all that.
I have always perceived Baptists to be fundamentalists along the continuum of mainstream Protestant sects. I guess my definition entails a literal belief in the words of the Bible and my Baptist acquaintencies have always confirmed that assumption. Of course more liberal Baptists exist but I bet there ain’t that many of 'em. That’s why I wasn’t suprised that your son was exposed to those values.
We yanked my daughter from a preschool due to a lying, dysfunctional teacher/owner. She was 4 and was close to her classmates. This was a year ago this week. She then started a saner preschool. It took her a month to integrate the transition, but then she did wonderfully. So it can be done, but what parent likes to pain their kid unless it is necessary?
I am Catholic and my children have been enrolled in a wonderful Baptist daycare that shows absolutely no evidence of intolerence.
This summer I had a lively conversation with the pastor and the youth minister about the wonderful literature that is the Harry Potter series. Belief in God doesn’t equal brainwashing and intolerance. Baptist liberals aren’t really few and far between, which anyone could find out by getting to know folks, instead of just speculating and making assumptions. It’s dismaying to see people who see themselves as open-minded speaking so hatefully!
I can think, and I believe in God. Some of the posters in this thread seem to believe the two are incompatible.
A quick websearch will bring up scores of examples. While you surely mean this in jest, I, personally, would hesitate to use this
even in passing.
Oh, and Caricci, I also agree that you sound as if you have things well under control with your son. Kudos to you for tackling it promptly and civilly.
Again, I don’t want to be mean, but it does remind me, Ellen Cherry , of when I came to realize that the Meathead had just as much to learn about life as his father-in-law Archie Bunker.
So unless they all agree on something, they shouldn’t make any declarations at all on the matter? That strikes me as utterly unreasonable.
Historians don’t agree on everything. Physicists don’t agree on everything. Evolutionists don’t agree on everything. Should these people be restrained from teaching their beliefs on the things on which they disagree?
Heck, not all atheists believe that it’s wrong to make declarations about morality. Does this mean that no atheist should take a stand on such matters?
