I remember when we were first making the decision. It was SO scarey. There were so many great reasons to homeschool, and just as many reasons to NOT homeschool. We knew we would teach him about the Lord whether we homeschoolled or not, just as our parents did for us. We knew that public school has all the great resources to educate our child. We knew that we were ill-equipped for the task of teaching a talented child like Jonathan is. So why, did our hearts tell us that the BEST place for him was in our home being trained and led by ourselves?
I am not against public education. I grew up in the public school system as did my husband. In fact, his parents were school teachers. I believe when government allows the parents in a local community to decide for the local school how it should be run then we can have successful education that teaches students the principles of the society in which they live. The problem is, our government, specifically, the federal government decided to step in and tell communities how to educate their children. They took the power away from the people. Therefore, our school system began to reflect the ideologies of a few rather than the majority of society. Over time the children who were taught these new ideologies grew up to reflect what they were taught. Thus our society changed.
We, Beloved and I, realize that we want something different for our child. We want to teach him what we believe. We want to train up a child who is not conflicted by what he is taught in school versus what he is taught at home. We want those things to line up. We believe that God created the world. The schools teach in direct oposition to this belief. We believe that sin is SIN and that through God’s Word we can know what sin is. The schools as well as society teach that what I know to be sin is a lifestyle or even a disease/disorder, and that the people of our society must be tolerant of such sinful behavior or else we shall be deemed as haters. I want to train up my son to be able to defend the gospel of Christ by giving him the tools he needs to stand firm in the face of oposition.
I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard how people think I am trying to ‘brainwash’ my son. I have been given a responsibilty by God. Colossians 3:20,21, Ephesians 6:4, Isaiah 54:13, Proverbs 4:1, Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6:7, Genesis 18:19. If I turn aside from MY responsibility along with my husband then I fail to do what God has instructed me to do. Likewise, if I send my son to public school, you can be sure that he will be indoctrinated with the ideals that ARE being taught there. Evolution is taught as FACT, not the theory that it is. Doing so goes against the very laws of scientific research that is presented as ideal. Tolerance and socialism are taught as the ONLY way to live, yet, they fail to teach tolerance of the Christian religion. They are teaching a double standard.
I am NOT saying that ALL teachers are doing this. I know some wonderful teachers in the schools who are Christians and proudly and firmly stand by their faith. But, their voices have been on many occasion silenced for threat of being fired. I know of one teacher who was fired because he had a Bible laying on his desk. One student complained and when he refused to remove it, they fired him. I’ve had teachers tell me, they are afraid to say what they believe even when directly asked by a student. If we are so tolerant, then why would they have this fear?
I want my son to learn the truth from God’s Word in a loving, caring environment. I am sure there will come a time when he will question what we have taught him. It is human nature to do so. At that time we will lovingly help him to decide for himself what is truth and what isn’t. We will teach him to love all of mankind, regardless of how they choose to live, but we will also teach him that choice is given to us by God himself, and that if we walk by faith we can not condone sinful behaviors, but we still love the person. We will teach him that God created man with a purpose and that by fulfilling our purpose we have hope of eternal life. A society that has no purpose is a hopeless society.
Is homeschoolling easy? NO. It is hard work. Is is glamorous? NO. Many days, especially when they are young, you repeat the same thing over and over and wonder if you will ever get results. Is it rewarding? Yes. Everyday that you remember your goal. Is it right? Ah, that is a question only you can answer for your family. It is not for me to jdge your choice. But, I leave you with this verse from God’s Word.
Isaiah 54:13
“And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”
