There are weeks when I want to grab my husband, children and grandchildren and sail off to an uncharted island, cocooning us away from the rest of the world. Needless to say this idea has serious downsides including that I have yet to effectively grow anything in a home garden and that this voyage would render my library card useless. I’m not even sure that Google Earth, let alone government satellites still allow for the existence of uncharted islands.
Nonetheless, the desire to block out a confused world remains strong. After hearing of the president’s “evolution” on same-sex marriage last week, one of my son’s friends told me that among his peers are those who have strong religious beliefs. They agree that following God’s word on organizing both families and society leads to more successful and long-lasting results.
But, and this is a big but, they also believe that if they vote according to those beliefs, they are not good citizens. Years of higher (mis)education have convinced them that a Marxist can take his views into the polling booth; an atheist can vote his convictions; someone who believes that his cactus tells him how to vote can follow his plants’ imagined conscience, but that the good citizenship forbids one to take religious beliefs into account when voting. These are intelligent, personable and well-intentioned young adults. They are also abysmally ignorant as to the foundations of America (while waving diplomas that inform them that they are superbly educated).
I would like to think my son’s friend misunderstood his peer’s comments. I fear he did not. Years ago, a very bright graduate student told me how shocked she was to discover that the wording of the First Amendment to the Constitution, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” did not mean that Congress was forbidden to show any respect for religion.
If I had an island I could ban ideologically biased newspapers, manipulative books, TV shows or movies and teachers with an agenda. In the real world, however, these influences are pervasive. The onus is on each of us to articulate to our children ideas which are so fundamental that we assume they don’t need to be stated. Unless we make sure that our input is paramount we risk our children’s opinions being formed by other.
AMEN!!! I always enjoying reading your post. They are full of passion, wisdom and insight which parallel G-d’s Word! Shalom Susan!
Indeed, touché and bingo, Mrs. Lapin.
When I was 12 years old, my mother, who served as private secretary to a US congressman, gave me the gift of Masters of Deceit by J. Edgar Hoover, detailing the ideals, practice and dangers of communism. I read it several times. Clearly the book supported the statement by one of our Founding Fathers that whoever will not be ruled by God will be ruled instead by human tyrants. Today it seems that many former communists have either gone underground and taken shelter within our own government or molded their “progressive” ideology.
The much vilified (but also much heard) talk radio host in my metro bailiwick is fond of saying: ‘The relentless task of the Left is to undermine and wipe away the imprint of the Judaeo-Christian imprint on our American civilization because we are not supposed to worship God. We are supposed to worship Government,’ or words to that effect. Hasn’t an organization ostensibly pursuing “Civil Liberty” long been active toward this goal? One is reminded of the good Rabbi’s lesson on evil Nimrod, bricks, and the Tower of Babel. Regrettably, since the “demise” of the godless society of communism in the east, today’s kids no longer know about Marx and Lenin, the Iron Curtain, about Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the USSR, socialism, communism or totalitarianism, and are too mesmerized by their i-pods and electronic gadgets, gizmos and toys even to care.
Neither do the kids know about “panem et circenses” (bread and circuses) and the fall of the Roman Empire from WITHIN. Today the US has “panem” (welfare) and “circenses” (a decadent entertainment industry without limits). Our high school Latin teacher showed us films about the Fall of Rome, depicting the advance of marauding barbarians while toga-clad citizens on the steps of the Senate chanted: ‘Increase the dole! Increase the dole!’ Gimme, gimme, gimme.
You are a highly literate and eloquent lady. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us on TCT and in this column. And thanks to your husband the Rabbi.
Educating our children is primarily, wholly actually, the responsibility of the parents. However like your musings a few weeks ago about Ari and a speech he attended there seem to be a plethora of willful idiots. Being well read and educated is not about letters following ones name rather is is about taking the time and willingness to learn beyond the limits of the slanted newscaster, media, educators, professionals, and even at times religious leaders. If we fail to teach our children not only how to read but how to think and discern not just the message being professed but the motivation behind it we become responsible supporting that which we oppose. Train up a child is more then pick up your cloths, it’s hide God’s word, and with it His ways, in your heart that you spirit will be so immersed in truth that when fallacies come along not only can you recognize it but your spirit will also resonate a check in your being causing you pause. Satan has been working overtime to lie to the current generation that this great country was founded on God and God’s principles by removing not only accurate history but the idea that freedom of religion is taking all Christianity and mentions of God out of government. As in the garden of Eden, truth is twisted to a lie with little effort but returning to truth takes courage and faith. Unfortunately fear of what ideologues will ‘teach’ our children in college has become an excuse to prevent Godly men and women from attending, and possibly changing college environments. If we as parents train our children well, by the time they are young adults they should be well grounded and armed to counter lies such as there is no place for God and Christianity in the polling booth or the fabric of who and what is the United States of America. Unfortunately there are many willing idiots raising children with the idea that when the are older they can decide what to believe, then they go to school where many are willing to fill in the missing information from the parents with ungodly ideas.