Random News Stories

[Junkenstein]

Worth a look:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/08/christian-home-schooling-dark-side

Several decades ago, political activists on the religious right began to put together an "ideology machine". Home schooling was a big part of the plan. The idea was to breed and "train up" an army of culture warriors. We now are faced with the consequences of their actions, some of which are quite disturbing.

According to the Department of Education, the home schooling student population doubled in between 1999 and 2007, to 1.5 million students, and there is reason to think the growth has continued. Though families opt to home school for many different reasons, a large part of the growth has come from Christian fundamentalist sects. Children in that first wave are now old enough to talk about their experiences. In many cases, what they have to say is quite alarming.

When he was growing up in California, Ryan Lee Stollar was a stellar home schooling student. His oratory skills at got him invited to home schooling conferences around the country, where he debated public policy and spread the word about the "virtues" of an authentically Christian home school education.

Now 28, looking back on his childhood, it all seems like a delusion. As Stollar explains:

"The Christian home school subculture isn't a children-first movement. It is, for all intents and purposes, an ideology-first movement. There is a massive, well-oiled machine of ideology that is churning out soldiers for the culture war. Home schooling is both the breeding ground – literally, when you consider the Quiverfull concept – and the training ground for this machinery. I say this as someone who was raised in that world."

Too frequently, Stollar says, the consequences of putting ideology over children include anxiety, depression, distrust of authority, and issues around sexuality. This is evident from the testimonials that appear on Home schoolers Anonymous, the website that Stollar established, along with several partners.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

There's a pretty depressing documentary about that, somewhere. I saw it a couple years ago, I'll try to dig it up.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Grown kids on the talk circuit telling the world what their wacky parents tried to grind into their heads and talking about acquired disorders might create a decent sized backlash. Should be interesting to watch.

Sucks that so many people had to get screwed up to make that happen, though. 

[Cain]

There was also a case recently where a German family tried to claim asylum in the US, citing religious persecution in Germany...because German law doesn't allow them to homeschool children with their batshit insane beliefs.

The DoJ chucked the case out, and are now being accused of religiously persecuting Christians by putting them in Gay Atheist Muslim deathcamps.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

From another angle: possible result of "HOMESCHOOL IS BAD, MOAR PUBLIC SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE!!!1!" ??? 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I think I might be thinking of "Jesus Camp", which is well worth the watch.

http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

No escape for these kids even when they go away in the summer. *shudders*

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

People have been homeschooling children with their wacky beliefs for as long as there have been wacky beliefs. The thing that makes the Fundamentalist Christian ones so alarming is their degree of organization, the money they have backing them, and the political goals they have for their children. Check out Patrick Henry College.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

No escape for these kids even when they go away in the summer. *shudders*

Jesus Camp isn't about summer camp. It's about the entire Christian Fundamentalist education movement, from preschool to politician college. Their goal is to raise Fundamentalist Christian "policy makers", and they have a lot of money in it.

[P3nT4gR4m]

I got tricked into going to jesus recruitment camp when I was little. Didn't fall for it even a little bit. The guys running it (mostly teachers at my school) all seemed like a bunch of complete hippy pricks. Some of the other kids bought the shit, tho. Found it kinda horrifying. I was 13 or 14 years old at the time, not as jaded as I am now but still pretty cynical. This was, like, totally brainwashing.

Of course none of us had been brought up, since birth, with the bullshit.I imagine it would take a pretty strong will to not get sucked into that vortex of fail. 

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

Yeah, I was only ever churchified during summer sessions, with a group of not-quite-friends from the same below-poverty-level social strata. It was billed as a 'treat', basically a cheap version of Disneyworld and Six Flags and other FUN places that kids with parents who weren't deadbeats got to go. Totally was not even a cheap version of fun.

And no one wants to hear the story of how that ended. 

[The Good Reverend Roger]

And no one wants to hear the story of how that ended.

Wrong.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

And no one wants to hear the story of how that ended.

Wrong.

 

[P3nT4gR4m]

And no one wants to hear the story of how that ended.

Wrong.

Seconded. 

[Golden Applesauce]

I came into contact with those people, briefly, when I was homeschooled for 7th/8th grade.

They were scary as fuck.

Fortunately, they never tried to recruit me, just used me as an example for their children for what not to do.

Yeah, I was only ever churchified during summer sessions, with a group of not-quite-friends from the same below-poverty-level social strata. It was billed as a 'treat', basically a cheap version of Disneyworld and Six Flags and other FUN places that kids with parents who weren't deadbeats got to go. Totally was not even a cheap version of fun.

And no one wants to hear the story of how that ended. 

You can't give that intro and then refuse to tell the story.