I sometimes get an email from Primal meats (I have no affiliation with them). The writer – the owner of the business (a farmer) is a thinker – but not a Christian. But she sees many things wrong in the way we live and reflects on them. I found one of her recent posts food for thought.
The writer starts by asking: It’s interesting to me that currently, the idea that kindness is the ‘master’ virtue is at an all-time high. As protection is synonymous with kindness it’s not hard to see how we believe that protecting people from all harm should be the ultimate aim of modern society. What about the forgotten virtues of resilience, courage, temperance, honesty, tenacity, creativity and self-responsibility? When did these get downgraded? I thought this a good question for parents, and especially Christian parents, to consider: how has this need need for kindness (think safety) manifested itself? It is now completely kind to shield your child from all danger. Yes there are of course dangers that Christians want to keep our children from - e.g. immorality, but those of us who remember the day all laughed when they put soft tarmac in children's playgrounds, not realising that this was actually symptomatic of a deeper issue. Just think, now it also completely kind to make sure that your child has nothing but a childhood of bliss, just fun all day long: no hardships, no struggles; no correction as discipline is not kind and no failing for that is unkind - and so qualifications have become meaningless as 'all must have prizes'. Instead, non stop entertainment is promoted: especially, technologically based 'fun'. The culture around us shouts it powerfully, continually, from the media to the adverts for WIFI that come through the letter box: Just enjoy yourselves - worry about nothing - we will take care of your food and your health and your money - we will keep you SAFE! Increasingly, over many years now, our parenting ability has been downgraded. It is now completely kind to send your child to nursery/childcare as s/he will be better off there (think 'safe' - from you) than at home, despite the fact that your child will be deprived of God-given, loving relationships that can only be developed in the home and which are so fundamental to proper development of body, mind and soul - which was a previously well established fact - as God ordained them to be. And of course we are being told that it unsafe for children to be educated at home - think 'unsafe' as 'they cannot see your child or indoctrinate him/her. The writer goes on to ask if it is true that kindness is better than the other virtues. This is a another good question that Christian parents need to be asking. She compares livestock kept in barns and fed grain to those allowed to be natural, exhibiting their natural behaviours, and comparing differing ideas of what constitutes ‘high welfare’ – i.e. being safe but living a non-existent life (as in ‘caged’ animals) – or learning to live with the risks and the relative better health and quality of meat for those animals allowed to be proper animals (as they were designed to be, we would say) – she says: 'We talk about animal cruelty in the sense of ‘not being looked after’ but totally ignore that these animals basic genetic program is to be reared outside on diverse pastures all year round - insect bites and cold nights included. We are now being offered a future of technology where we will hardly need to think for ourselves let alone have to drive ourselves or worry about inconvenient concepts like staying fit and healthy or developing a resilient mindset - we will be monitored, medicated and protected - It’s for our own good you know! Should we keep backing away from the scary and dangerous world full of stressful situations, people voicing opinions that might insult us and having to eat well and stay strong so we don’t get sick? Well, I say; thanks but no thanks. I’ll take the hard road and painful life lessons that are the road to wholeness. It’s in the strain, pain and discomfort; the hard work and extreme challenges; the grief and despair that humans actualise their potential. There’s a reason the best cup of tea with cake is after a hard day in the mountains. Why do we get a feeling of true satisfaction and genuine happiness after landing a deal that required months of skilled negotiations? Why seeing the bluebells in spring after a dark winter can lift your spirits so much. Without hardship the pleasures are meaningless. So let’s learn from the hairy hardy cattle who live outdoors through the winter on regenerative farms. They are hardy and resilient and thrive on natural forage, their deep guts and thick coats keep them warm and dry. They know where to shelter in the woods and find the nutritious plants they need for optimal health. They feel a part of the herd and know their role. They are relaxed but alert. They are thriving, not just comfortable and surviving. It got me thinking. Thinking about God's Word. How have we come to think that people and especially children need only kindness of the kind that takes the very essence of what it is to be human and created in God's image away from them? Kindness that robs them of loving relationships - a picture of God's relationship with us - as they are encouraged to be in a virtual world much of the time - as if that can ever replace real relationships. Kindness that robs them of correction (E.g. Proverbs 22:15, Ephesians 6:23) and so leaving them at the mercy of the emotions that rage in their souls and which have the capacity to destroy; both things that the Bible tells us our children need and Christian parents are exhorted to provide for their children. How did we come to believe that it is kindness to spare children from hard work, when hard work reaps many rewards, including the benefits of rigorous use of their minds for study? The lack of ability to work hard leaves youngsters bereft of real knowledge and at the mercy of all who would deceive - of whom there are many and of whom we are warned time and again in Scripture. Or what about the Kindness that tells children that the only purpose of their existence is to be entertained and have fun (see the dangers here)? The list could go on much further. How did we come to this place? We could start in the Garden of Eden, when Satan made those grand promises to Eve: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3: 4-5 .. and we could trace the battle between Satan and the church from the beginning through to this day, for that is where it starts, but for times sake, let's jump back to the 17/1800's when child-centred learning was introduced by the likes of Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712 -1778), Sigmund Freud (1856-1923), and John Dewey (1859 - 1952). who 'proved' through their anti-God theories of child development that parents and teachers could harm children (unkindness) by correcting them or trying to teach them. John Dewey is credited with being the founder of the 'progressive education movement' which totally moved education away from teaching the truths of the Bible and the pursuit of truth and the rigours of study that accompany that pursuit. The child was no longer seen as being made in the image of God, to being an evolved animal; a member of a 'group' who must be educated to fit into the 'group'. The wars slowed the progress of these ideas, but come they did and many in the land sighed with relief when they were over and 'won', and dropped their guard. Satan never goes to sleep. Eventually, these anti-God beliefs began to dominate every area of society. All members of society are now educated to belong to the 'group'. This includes education by the media/tabloids to all the other 'advice' that is meted out to us daily, telling us how to be 'kind'. We are all continually being 'educated' and we must recognise the power of the media to dictate thought in society: it is very strong. Maybe you remember 'Circle time' from your schooldays. It was presented to teachers as a way to control unruly behaviour - a means of being kind to the child to correct his/her 'unkind' ways. And they did it, many teacher's being totally unaware of the deeper anti-God motive. The idea? That all in the circle are equal. Anyone who had a belief that went against the group consensus was quickly squashed. The child learned that that behaviour was unacceptable. Sadly the child who said s/he believed in God was often quickly squashed too, by godless teachers. And so in these days we see this same idea being worked out. Any outside the 'circle' of society and do not agree with whatever narrative we are being told is 'true' is a threat to society and its wellbeing, and are essentially 'unkind' to that society. The truth is that they are a threat to Satan's aim of deceiving people into believing that there is no God, no sin and no judgement and no eternal death; the same message all along. He has used many tactics over the years since the world began, but the current strategy is subtle, aiming to deceive as many as possible. The message today is: these people must be discredited and seen to be a danger - including home-educators. All must conform, or have their privileges taken away. Where can you see that in society today? When society has anti-God beliefs, is it any wonder that pressure is on Christians to conform, or suffer? Can you see how easy it is for free speech to be squashed and freedoms to be removed. First the 'group' must be conditioned to think in the desired way (ultimately by Satan but using his servant in positions of authority). Then you can get the group to apply pressure on the dissenters to conform.. We can see this being worked out in the case of our freedoms to home-educate: 'It is not safe for children to be at home where we cannot see them', they say. They are currently in the stages of conditioning society to think in this way with high-profile stories of children abused 'at home'. Society is listening and soon we will feel the 'group' against us. Registration is coming fast as the first step to criminalising home-education. I fear that many of us (including myself) have been sleep walking and not understanding that the Devil is ever active. We should know the Word of God so well that we recognise the lies, but we thought we lived in a country where we did not need to worry about such things. We lived in peace, and relative security. We closed our eyes, as it were, to enjoy ourselves and our families. And here lies a big challenge and searching questions for us all. Have we been deceived in any way? Have we succumbed to the culture around us? Who do we listen to? Do we see the dangers of listening to the world? Do we think that as long as we go to church and read our Bibles and home educate, the battle is won? This has sure been a challenge to me! Are we preparing our children for the battle? What Christian virtues are we developing in our children? Are we doing all that we can to ensure that they reach their God-given potential to glorify him though their lives?
In closing, a final thought: Parents who keep children out of school to ensure they are not taught evolution or sex-education, must understand that evolution/sex education these days is not just a problem of a subject being taught, but now underpins practice in all areas, from government policies, to medical and educational practice - both subject content and how those subjects are taught. Evolutionary thinking, that is, how to behave for the good of society, is what many of us were taught in school and what is still taught to us by the media and Government and all the 'good' advice meted out to us by all and sundry, including being at the heart of the state curriculum including GCSE's and A Levels. Sadly, due to blindness, it is also in our churches, as the evil one has been working so subtly and many professing Christians do not see what was/is happening. Should you wish to read more on this subject, I recommend 'The Long War against God', by Henry M. Morris. Further reading: By Jessica Turpin: https://dailysceptic.org/2022/05/24/this-authoritarian-governments-education-bill-will-allow-local-authorities-to-force-home-educated-children-to-attend-their-own-failing-schools/ By Christina Eastwood: https://christianhomeeducation.weebly.com/blog/wales-again
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Welcome!After studying for an Early Years Specialism degree (B.Ed. Hons), and teaching in mainstream education, I home-educated my own children, after my husband and I were persuaded of the need to take responsibility for bringing up our children 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.' (Ephesians 6:4) We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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