Thatmom has an excellent post about racism on her blog. I just commented:
Karen, thanks so much for this post. You've expressed the issue so well --- and you've inspired me to take a more "organized" approach in teaching my children about racism.
I am deeply grieved that certain homeschooling circles have shown themselves to be a haven for racists. It reminds me of the accusations leveled against the "Christian Day School Movement" years ago. Apparently when more and more schools were integrated by busing in children from different communities and ethnic groups, some churches quickly started their own private schools in order to be able to continue keeping their children isolated from other races. When I was in college and a friend of mine heard that my younger brother attended a church school --- and that I worked at that same school --- she was upset that I would participate in such a racist institution. I was shocked because this is the first time I'd ever heard about the racist beginnings of some church schools. Our own church school was quite diverse; in fact, I was able to quote the statistics off the top of my head because I had just finished an ethnographic study of the school population.
Fast forward quite a few years. When we first began homeschooling, two of the women in our small but growing ISP/support group were concerned that they were perceived as doing something that was "white". While they never felt anything but loving acceptance from us, it bothered them that the homeschooling movement was seen, especially by outsiders, as a mostly white, middle-class phenomena. I would hate to think that, for some people, that might be its main attraction.
May God have mercy on you. In your haste to defend our brothers, you have spread a trail of lies, deceits, knowing and unknowing falsehoods, gossip, slander, and wickedness. Do you ever read your Bible? Do you have one? I cannot believe that a professing Christian would write this anti-Christian, anti-Christ, and anti-biblical shlock. Your blog is one of the most amazing wastes of time on the internet. Even Muslims are more united than this. No wonder Christians are converting, you and your lying friends make me want to commit suicide. You are like a whitened sepulchre. You have a lot written about your "fall to grace" yet you refuse to extend even the shadow of a benefit of doubt. You speak things as if they were facts, plain for even a mentally disabled person to see, and yet, as a doctor and somewhat learned man, I have not "traced the dots" anywhere but to the depths of your own hate-filled, gossip-loving, flame-mongering minds. The most amazing thing about all of this to me is that you don't honestly seem to care if you've offended these men, or your God. I have probably wasted my time, and I can only pray that you will come to repentance later on.
ReplyDelete"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand"
I wish you had elaborated. I'm not sure what brothers I am, in your eyes, defending in this post. I also wish you had pointed out what you believe to be lies in what I wrote. Do you find it difficult to believe that homeschoolers are capable of racism? Do you find it difficult to believe that, almost two decades ago, homeschooling was viewed as being done by mostly white people?
ReplyDeleteWho have I slandered? What men have I offended, besides you?
I'm sorry that you do not have the courage of your convictions and that you did not sign your name. I'm also sorry that you wasted your time on my blog.