HOMESCHOOLING and TV - The TRUTH
-by Andrew Strom.

A lot of parents today cannot work out why their teenage children
turn out the way they do. The parents may go to church - they may
in fact be quite dedicated Christians. And yet many times their
children are reaching 14 or 15 years old - and they are rebellious
and obstinate - with worldy friends and worldy attitudes, etc. A lot
of these young people will leave Christianity as soon as they can
after High School.

So what is the main cause of all this? Why are the children going
down a path that is the very opposite of what their parents teach?

Well, I believe there is one huge question that makes all the
difference- WHO is ACTUALLY BRINGING UP THESE CHILDREN??

Yes, that's right. The parents think that THEY are the ones who
are raising these young people. But I want to tell you - it is often
not the parents at all. These kids are actually being raised by the
SCHOOL and the TV and their FRIENDS and their MUSIC and
their VIDEO GAMES, etc. The parents still have some influence -
but it is a "minority" influence. They are allowing all these other
things to 'preach' to their children all day - and raise them in the
ways of the world. And the comparitively small amount of time
that the child now spends just with mom and dad hardly makes
any difference.

By the time they reach 14 years, it is usually all over. The television
and the worldly kids at school are dominating their attitudes and
their world-view. Mom and dad hardly make a dent. Their favorite
musicians, TV shows and school-friends are deciding their values -
and most parents simply allow it all.

No surprise then that the children are sullen and rebellious and
demanding when they reach their teens, is it?

So how do we avoid this trap? Simple. -Don't allow the Television
or the School-place to raise your children! Raise them yourself!

I have noticed that the effects of school are not so serious at the
Elementary level. It is when children reach Middle School age
(ie. 11 years or so) that it seems to really kick in. So what is the
solution?: HOMESCHOOL your kids! And kill the television dead!
(-Do both things from a young age if you can).

You may have noticed that what Television feeds our youngsters
is getting sicker every year. Even the News has been found to
have a very detrimental effect on young people. -It twists their view
of the world. Do you know what the basic motto of TV News is?- "If
it bleeds it leads" - no joke! -GET RID OF IT!

Today's TV and media are infecting our entire culture with sex,
violence, humanism, sickness and depravity. Not only that - we
are broadcasting it to the whole world and ruining their societies
as well! -ENOUGH ALREADY!

Do you want the television to raise your children? Do you want
their values formed by commercials on TV? (-Which is basically
what is happening). And what about the School's values - are
these Christian? No way! Do yourself a favor. Cut these things off
and take back the raising of your children. You won't regret it.

Send feedback to- prophetic@revivalschool.com

So what will you do?

What you're saying is true but there's an often unpreached factor here as well.. Children need there own personal experience with the Lord. We have a responsibility to tell them. Again l'm back to Jacob having to hear from God himself. Not just what Abraham and Issac told him. But his own personal revelation.

Jesus saved me utterly by his grace and mercy when l was 8 years old sitting trembling and weeping in a bath tub. He delivered me from the enemy and l was washed and set apart. It changed my heart forever even though outwardly at one point l was following the ways of the world. I didn't know a thing but as Shekel has so lovingly called it. He was leading me by the hand even though l didn't know a thing.

Let's encourage our children to seek what's already been given. Let's teach them what it means to be saved and we won't have to always fear they will be swallowed by the world because they will be confident of what they have in them to resist. They will then be empowered by that reality and their purpose as believers.

How do we tell them? At the right opportunity... When the Holy Spirit prepares the way...we sit down and look them in the eye with love and let the Holy Spirit roll out. Then over time, at the right given moment, ordained by the Spirit, we refresh it so when they walk the road they will always be expecting to meet Jesus.

We teach our children to watch this way. In so doing they will be expecting to meet Him at every turn. And they will see him for themselves. We won't have to always worry by regulating every single thing they do. They will WANT to see Jesus. They will look forward to every single day as the possibility of an encounter. (I feel like the Lord is in what l'm saying and l'm learning from the Lord as l speak.)

I have been thinking about this for some time. We go to Church on Sunday and then we wonder why our kids are having problems.
Look at the TV shows that are on. Look at the TV commerals that are on all day and night for the childern to watch. Even the magazines in the stores.
I am feeling we have lost our mind set, and its killing our purity.
In school we are teaching our childern if you have feelings for the same sex than you need to explore it to be happy.
The childern are watching tv alone. Have you ever notice that you feel even more lonely and isolated after a night of solitary tv because there was no real human contact. I am finding childern are lonely because they are left to raise themselves.
We are very much into homeschooling but there is another problem. We are helping to raise childern that is not ours at the moment. So we are having to abide by the rules of the state. The state said they must attend a pubic school no matter what.
We can control what they see on tv and in magazines. We can show childern with our actions that some one cares all the time.
I am wanting to homeschool the ones we have but we cant.
For the ones that can please do so.
Kim

You guys are right. I'm sorry that you have to send the kids to a public school. At least you can try to offset the worldly influence, but it's pull and influence over them is tremendous.

My wife and I have been homeschooling our children from birth. Our daughter is 8 and our son is 6. (Actually, my main job is math. Cathy is the stay-at-home mom with an accounting degree who does most of the other subjects. I'm a broadcast maintenance engineer.)

It is our desire to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Our greatest joy will be to see them give their lives completely over to Jesus Christ. May we be the Godly examples they need.

This decision was a no-brainer. We wholeheartedly agree with the topic article of this thread.

Our kids are best friends and playmates. We see more love between them than the largest number of children out there who are carted off every day to different classrooms, different settings, and different peer groups. Yet, for all the home time, they can make friends with any child, anywhere.

Anyway, homeschooling is a decision I know we'll never regret. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

In Christ,

Mike

That's great Mike. It sounds like you have a wonderfully blessed family. What you & your wife are putting into your children will likely impact generations. God bless you all.

Yes, I do agree that homeschooling is a good idea...I homeschooled my oldest son through his high school years...He did so much better on the one on one....My youngest son starts high school next year and I may home school him as well...
The TV is terrible....in everything it mentions some from of sexual content even on cartoon network...

Things other that God has a majority of kids attention.....

Don't worry Kim...Your children will be salt if you teach them how to be kind and be a friend to the friendless. I had two boys.. One was always proclaiming his faith. The other...more reserved hung out with kids that didn't know the Lord. He was one of the ones that behaved himself almost always. Responsible, hard working and strong of stature. He knew how to call a spade a spade and stayed away.

Trust God with your kids. Teach them kindness. Explain it to them young. Many of the hurts that come through school come from this. If you can teach them kindness and minster to their bruises they'll be ok.

I always knew where my kids were. They had freedom...as long as l knew where and with whom. They usually got to go do. My husband was a firm hand they didn't choose to cross. I'm too soft. He was to hard but l guess it worked out right. They made it. Even with all the influences of todays world l've got petty darn good boys.

I understand Miki what you say. Our 3 childern are grown now and are active Christains.
From the 10 years since the last one was in school here is a big change I have notice. Drugs given to childern!!! Childern are active in the school than lets give them a pill so they wont bother us in the class room. Oh, their depressed here is another pill so they are not depressed anymore. It goes on and on.
When my childern went to school they got 3 recesses a day. Now, one if it is not rainning. No one can understand why they cant set still in class so we had better medicate so they will stay calm.

Now I have to tell a quick story that happen yesterday.
Our 7 year old and I was driving down the road and he got real quite! He look so serious and I kept saying his name over and over. Finally he look up at me and said "I just ask Jesus to come into my heart and live". He said "I ask him to forgive me of my sins and I feel so happy now, why"? This just happen out of the blue.
Kim

OH WHAT UNEXPECTED JOY!!!

Praise God!! I'm so happy for him and you! I've got tears in my eyes, probably short out the keyboard. Thank you, Jesus, so much.....

Your sister in Christ, Angela, gotta' go get the Kleenex..

God has blessed us.
I do wonder what would happen if I could home school the guys.
Kim

Praise God Kim! He is so good. Your boys are blessed to be with you.

I do believe homeschooling is the thing. Remember our children are the adults of tommorrow.

The secular/Pharisee/atheist world wants to destroy the family. They start at school. Ordo ab Chaos is their motto. It makes sense for them to attack our children at school when we are not watching. It's so subtile that even the teachers (some of them being born again themselves) don't even see it. It's gradual but effective!

My son is rebellious, angry, ***** (forget the expression) but he wakes up angry, demanding his clothes... he wants brand name food, the best, luxuries that I can't afford right now...
He committed his life to Jesus 4 years ago but he don't want me to talk about Jesus...

Make sure that you pray for your son. A lot. All the time. It is tough to deal with. I would suggest that you read James Dobson's book 'Bringing Up Boys' and also 'The strong Willed Child'. You'll find them helpful. I'll be praying for your son. God bless, David

My daughter has the books you speak of. I would encourage reading them also. I think I will also.
Kimi

Greater is he that's in me than he that's in the world.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Be encouraged young people.

Are you surrounded by the Giant of the world's system? Don't forget David! When God is with you no weapon formed against you will prosper.

Stay humble and kind and seek his face daily and he will guide your steps in all his ways and his Spirit will not depart but be made known to all around you.

Don't underestimate yourself but hope in the Lord...your strength and redeemer.

Don't worry if you don't have the right book or the right school. God is mighty to deliver those with a heart set after him. He'll fight the battle for you and you won't have to ascribe to the worlds ways to win.

No you won't!

Submit yourself to the test and the fire and God will cause you to bear fruit in due season. Trust and believe. God wants to use you in that maze of confusion they call the public school system. It's not that hard to get good grades. Just remember, God will help you understand the things you aren't getting if you keep you're heart true to him... In Jesus name we pray it for you.

Farewell to Daycare

It breaks my heart to see you go to
daycare thrice a week,
You could stay home to play, but then,
no friend you'd ever meet.

so off you go with tear filled eyes,
and I am crying too.
I wonder if anyone would care
if I did not "share" you?

Would you grow strong and tall and
confident in social ways,
If you stayed on our dairy farm to learn and
work and play?

The kids are playing in the playyard,
full of screams and happy faces.
and they're all cute but I can see their
lack of social graces.

I think that you're special
but I wonder, do they know it?
There's so many in the classroom
it might be hard for them to show it.

You've never cared for coloring and
numbers are a bore.
It's not that you don't know them,
we've learned that and so much more.

We strive to be unique...to become our
own person,
When all our lives we're taught to
congregate and our "self" worsens.

Vacations and our get-a-ways
from people become precious,
As social pressures weigh us down
and we become pretentious.

We give and take, and take and give,
and give up more I find,
when we hire institutions to
achieve a "common mind".

So it might be just excuses
and wanting you with me,
but I see it as the bars we make....
and my son will be free.



leia

I have a 5 year old, who is both daycare and a christian based kindergarten - guess what - she is well adjusted, mature, confident, and has a faith in God that shines through! I do not believe for one minute that she is "suffering".

As for "home schooling" - it only works if the PARENTS are dedicated to it. I have a dear friend, a solid Christian who exemplifies the spirit of fundamental christianity - she decided to pull her children out of public school as she did not want them "exposed" to the rest of the world. The theory was good - in reality however, she was incapable of controlling and teaching on a regular daily basis which laid the groundwork for complacency to step in, and resentments to build.

Their peers are graduating in the next year, and have the ability to go to University and better themselves. Her "home schooled" children will not even qualify for a GED next year. In fact the entire experience has turned them totally off of school, and the mom's response is "God doesn't care if they are educated by societies standards" - what a bunch of bull - God wants His children to lead happy, fulfilled lives that are an outward reflection of His love and grace. This comes from taking part in the things that are necessary to get ahead, not turning our backs on them. God helps those who help themselves as well.

Personally, I think it boils down to waht is best for each child - if a parent is truly capable and educated enough to provide a SOLID education through home schooling, then that is terrific. However, if a parent is not, then that parent needs to find an appopriate school for their child - there are a lot of faith based schools out there these days - there is no excuse. And in the real world, parents have to work for a living, so homeschooling is not always a viable option. As a single parent, I would love the opportunity to be at home with my daughter, however, God has other plans for my life, and that is ok. It is quality time that matters, not quantity. I know a lot of stay at home mom's who plop their kids in front of "mommy tv" all day long. I hardly think they are "parents of the year" simply for being stay at home mom's.

I also personally think it is good for kids to be exposed to others, and to societies pressures - let's face it, as adults they are going to face it everyday - at least when they are kids we, as parents, have the opportunites to guide, teach and lead through example in order to give them a solid foundation as adults.

You said "I also personally think it is good for kids to be exposed to others, and to societies pressures "

It is very bad for the children to be indoctrinated into the anti-God anti-biblical philistine politically correct evolutionary reprobate homosexual and feminist and free-sex agendas that are being bombarded every year of their NEA controlled school curriculums. To deny these pervasive influences is naive at best. The example you stated of the homeschoolers that can't qualify for a GED are the exception. I know of a valedictorian here in a public school that couldn't pass the state exam to graduate high school even after 5 attempts. How can you defend government schools where teachers aren't allowed to have a bible on their desk, and God doesn't exist in the textbooks except when suffering and death is initiated in His name. Prayer is banned and the 10 commandments can't be posted and scriptural claims are treated as lies.

We need and have some excellent christian teachers there but they are forbidden from sharing the truth and speaking or teaching against accepted evils. They are also compelled to teach lies and anti God concepts.

I don't advocate christian teachers and administrators leaving, but the opposite. But to send children in supposing that they will be both mature and discerning enough to stand against the overwhelming tide of ungodliness and the liberal antichrist worldview and it's indoctrination is appalling. Do you really want our children to be educated by the philistines?

Do you think it is better to shelter them fully, and send them out as full grown adults into the world with no experience in how to stand up and defy peer pressure or the ungodlieness that exists? To me, that is sticking my head in the sand. I would much rather have a child prepared and have the chance to have taught and guided that child along the way as each situation arises, rather than have an adult child on my hands suddenly thrust upon the world and the ugodliness and not know which way to turn or how to cope with the pressure - and as adults living away from parents, they aren't going to be able to run home, they have to have the tools to deal with life.

It is a tough subject - of course as a parent my first instinct is that I want to shelter my child as much as possible, but I also know that as a parent it is my responsibility to teach scripture and commandments in my home, and I use the ungodliness in life as a teaching tool - this world exists and those horrible things exist and to pretend they don't is foolish. We are always faced with things we don't like - everyday when we go to work we are side by side with Christians, unbelievers, homosexuals, drunkards, deviants etc - and personally, I am just as kind to those people as I am to anyone else. That doesn't mean I condone them or their behaviour, it means that I recognize that they exist, and like me, they are sinners.

We have open communication in my house, any subject is open for discussion - if kids feel it is ok to ask questions, that gives us as parents an opportunity to put in some scripture and proper teachings, then these kids have the tools they need to fight the evil we face, or an opportunity to ask more questions and get answers and ideas of how to handle things. That doesn't mean that I am saying things like homosexuality is "ok" - it means if my daughter suddenly comes home and says "my best friend is gay", then we can have an open conversation about the subject, what the bible says, and how she can deal with it.

Jesus walked among the "non believers" - he didn't shelter himself from them - he used them as a tool to teach and guide those who loved him, and were eager to follow his path. At the same time, he was spreading the gospel and love of God to those unbelievers in the hopes they would repent.

ingraceigo, I understand how you feel. My childern went to public school and did great all three recieved scholarships. Our childern are raised up in Christain homes and know how to deal with problems as they arise. There are alot of childern that has not been raised in Christain homes. There are alot of the teachers that are not Christains and they are allowed to express their beliefs on our childern. If we have a child that will not set still in class then we must give them a pill so the teacher can take care of all the students in their class. Now we are teaching the child it is ok to use drugs.
Here is where the problem comes in. Now days we have to be P.C. in school. They are being taught that if they have sexual feelings toward the same sex then it is ok.
Yes, it is a great chance for us to talk with our childern about Christain choices. Here is my problem that I am facing now with our foster childern childern, they have NEVER been taught the morals of a Christain life. It is easier for them to accept the easy path and not the Christain walk.
At Christmas they only know about winter and only sing the songs that does not reflect Christ in any way. Easter, they are taught about the Easter bunny and not anything about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is a great way to teach the real meaning to our childern but when they havent heard about Christ till they are teenagers then about all we can do is pray for the child and show him what the Lords says.
I am learning and believe so much in the verse that said raise a child up in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Thank God we have raise our Childern in the way they should go so they will not depart.
Man this is a tough question for all of us.
Kim

Ingracigo,

You said " Do you think it is better to shelter them fully, and send them out as full grown adults into the world with no experience in how to stand up and defy peer pressure or the ungodliness that exists? To me, that is sticking my head in the sand."

Do you really believe that I or any other mature parent would suggest such a thing? The homeschooled children that I know are the best balanced school children that I know. Their parents would scoff at such a generalization being spoken of them. Do you really believe that you or any public school parent is more savvy and wise than they? That smacks of pride and elitism. Some parents have no choice or at least believe that they have no choice. But I firmly believe that except in a few cases it is foolishness for real christian parents to send their children to indoctrination camps for years. You may disagree with me calling the government schools that but you can't deny that the result is very accurate.

If you have no choice then do your best and I won't presume to tell you how to do it. But don't deny the obvious satanic assault on the souls of the nation's children and sing the praises of individual aspects of gov't school 'education' thereby clouding the reality of the issue at hand. Those schools are a primary entrance ramp to the broad highway that leads to destruction.

In the Garden of Eden the serpent said "Did God surely say?" In gov't schools the serpent's openly and boldly declare that what God says is utterly ridiculous, and teach secular humanism and a satanic worldview. You simply can't honestly deny this. They also determine society's viewpoint on homosexuality, corrupting the children and promoting fornication. Can you deny this?

The NEA and their gov't schools oversight is helplessly corrupt and virulently anti-God. Do you deny that? They determine what goes into the textbooks and what classes and subject matter must be taught. Do you deny that? To deny any of the above would be intellectually dishonest. Do you want to deliberately ignore these truths and attempt to cloud the issues at hand by stating the rare successes that do occasionally occur? Do those rare exceptions exceptions make it ok to send nearly a whole generation of children to destruction? Do you want to be responsible for your influence on this thread helping even one parent make the decision to keep their child in a gov't school?

I am not radical as the casual reader might think. I just know the damage done to my own soul through public education, that set me back years in my walk with God and led me into sin that I wouldn't have ventured into otherwise, and it is so much worse today than it was is the 60s and 70s when I was in school. I see the destruction going on in the lives of the public school children that I know and love today. I taught my son the best I knew how and countered the teachings that he grew up with in the schools in the 80s and 90s. I see that some of it stuck yet he, like his dad, iis a public school product and for a dedicated christian parent the purification in his life is agonizingly slow, and sometimes imperceptible. Now my grandchildren are in gov't schools though they started in christian schools. Once again I'll do my best, but I'm not naive enough to think that history won't repeat itself. Their parents, meaning well, have the same discussions that you Ingraceigo have on this thread, apparently reaching the same conclusions. I am concerned and saddened. You don't know the influence that your reasoning has on others who are grappling with this issue.

One thing I have found here in Arkansas is private schools. You can get vochers for the school. I like this because you tax dollars will go to this school instead of the public school.
We are seeing more and more people here that's sending their childern to private schools and the parents thinks great. The childern get to learn on their own level instead of grade level.
Kim

This makes me think of something we learned in my Animal Biology course. The reason that you easily get sick when you travel to a different country is that your body is exposed to the unique diseases that are prevalent in that country. Your body was never exposed to those diseases so your immune system does not know how to fight the diseases. But those people do not get sick as easily with those diseases because they were raised in that environment and their immune system grew strong against the deseases. I.E., allergies: If you did not grow up around natural substances like cat hair, when you are around a cat as an adult, your body reacts differently because it does not recognize the substance. Your immune system attacks this natural substance because it was never able to adjust normally to it.

I was raised in a strong christian environment and I went to a public school. I was never exposed to the negative environment that is growing in schools. Because of my involvement in the church, I recognized the hypocrites in school and I avoided them. But when I came to college, I had lost my support system and I had to find support from people that I had never met before and who had grown up in completely different environments. Unfortunately I had never been around the types of environments that I was around during college, so I got myself into a lot of trouble that I have recently started to get myself out of. I was not prepared for what I came into. Though my spiritual side was pretty healthy, I knew absolutely nothing about this other world and only until I hit the bottom did I realize that it was indeed a different world.

Also, when I was in elementary school, I never wanted to leave school. I liked being there more than being home because my parents fought all of the time. There are a lot of children who don't have a choice to be homeschooled. There are a lot of children who don't get love anywhere other than school. That's originally why I went to college to become a teacher. If you raise your child in a strong, faith-filled environment, they might be an influence on a child who otherwise does not see that. It's almost selfish to say that your child is better than those who attend public schools and that you want to keep them sheltered. Your children are not your own, they are God's and they will do His work wherever they are placed. And most teachers became teachers because of these very reasons, because they love children and they believe that an education is important.

AGAPEanq,

You said "If you raise your child in a strong, faith-filled environment, they might be an influence on a child who otherwise does not see that. It's almost selfish to say that your child is better than those who attend public schools and that you want to keep them sheltered."

Firstly, no one, except you said anything about one child being better than another. As for your child being a positive influence in public schools, would you send a child who by nature and psychological developement is not mature into a carefully and covertly orchestrated learning enviroment (where the ones who call the shots at the highest levels have determined exactly how to indoctrinate all of the children under their influence, and that in the most liberal anti-God way) hoping that they'll not be influenced and be missionaries there? I wouldn't send a child into the sly lions to be light. They're not up to it. I'd hope that the adults were mature and discerning wise christians and let them be salt & light there to the children, though they can't legally express their faith to your kids. In simpler terms, send adults, not children to be 'missionaries' in gov't schools. It is a fact that 80% of christian children lose their faith in public education. I believe that the percentage of christian adults in public education (not as students) that lose their faith is very small. Don't use love for others as a reason to send children where most will be led to destruction.