The Nones will be discussing abuse of Homeschooling by Creationists like Ken Ham as the top speaker at The Texas Homeschool Coalition’s Convention Houston this August. He will be hawking AIG’s brand of Creationism to families that think that it is right to deny evolution. Yes Creationists do still exist in large numbers especially in Texas. Ham saw my blog about him, and went on his Facebook and encouraged people to bring their kids, so they can hear the “truth of God.” We will have Vic Wang of Humanists of Houston on to talk about what can be done about it. We also have Neeley, secular home schooler from Secular View, on joining us to talk about the stigma this creates for the majority of well meaning homeschoolers. Link to the live stream at 12:00 PM CSTon Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSezCRaItjw
Answer to Ken Ham on Homeschooling and Creationists
I’m homeschool one of my four. That’s because she has special needs that the local school refused to meet. We found a private school that specialized in kids just like her and while it was very difficult financially and took an hour commute four days a week, it was wonderful. Unfortunately, it closed due to lack of funding because 1. they wanted to retain the right to start the morning with a class prayer and 2. the public schools argued that they were already providing the services needed and therefore should not have to share funding.
When I took her for vaccinations one year, the nurses could not believe I homeschool AND got my kid vaccinated. They literally believed all homeschoolers were anti-vaxxers.
I stopped attending certain family events because all I hear is what an awful thing I’m doing to my poor child. This comes from people who never see my child more than once a year anyway and couldn’t actually care less about her. (Not to mention the fact that their kids didn’t grow up to be the most well adjusted people ever.) They certainly don’t know what is best for her, but they met someone who had a cousin who’s ex was homeschooled and that kid was messed up! Anymore I like to ask people who say things like that if their lack of critical thinking skills and reliance on availability heuristic is the fault of their public education.
Oh, they hate that.
Then again, theists hate it when after they’ve told me I’m going to hell I tell them they have an imaginary friend.
I have a relative who homeschools her four children, and she was all up in arms about the UN possibly approving a United Nations Disabilities Treaty a few months back. This treaty would have given the disabled around the world access to airports and schools, and promoted respect toward the disabled. It was modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act and would have no affect on Americans because we already are covered by our Act! It would have helped the disabled worldwide who are stigmatized or left out. Of course, Rick Santorum and other fundamentalists ranted about how approving the Act would give the UN too much power and then they could take away homeschooling in our country! Yes, the connection was that vague. How in the world can someone jump in logic from the United Nations helping the disabled in other countries, to wiping out homeschoolers in America? Such is the “logic” of fundies, and the UN Disabilities Treaty was not approved due to the panic of homeschoolers across America and the backing of the religious right in Congress. I am sure my relative felt relieved and felt that she had protected her four children from the outside world once again. I pity the children.
My bipolar dad forced the family to say the sinners prayer when I was nine. We started homeschooling from then on. It was hell. I was beaten and raged at everyday. I didn’t learn anything about math or history beyond the American revolution. I just had creationist and right wing propaganda crammed down my throat. I was constantly ridiculed by other kids. I was alone a lot. I had suicidal thoughts for the first time when I was eleven. I thought when I went to Bible college I’d meet a bunch of people like me but I didn’t. I was just as isolated and made fun of there as I was at my youth group.
Homeschooling is bad. It’s white trash. Its only understandable in instances like the commenters mentioned where you have special needs children or there’s some other extraordinary circumstances like your kids are child actors or something. The homceshooling movement was invented by RJ Rushdoonie who was a christian reconstructionist; someone who believes in reconstructing America so that it is a Christian nation. Homeschooling is supposed to cause public schools to go bankrupt and allow christians to brainwash their kids at home. Everyone should be in a school with a bunch of kids the same age as them.
Looks like Ken Ham is worried about this.
I don’t understand why y’all are so set on attacking Christians. I’ve never met a vocal atheist, so this is kind of new to me seeing you guys attacking Creationists. The atheists I’ve met never screamed at me that God doesn’t exist, they just calmly asked if I could prove that He does. I can’t prove the existence of God, so obviously I don’t have a leg to stand on. But I don’t go around attacking people who believe differently than me. I really just don’t understand why Creationists are an atheist’s problem.
We’re not attacking Christians. We’re speaking out against the spread of lies and distortions as scientific fact, when creationism has nothing in common with the basic scientific method.
Yes, I take that approach when discussing things with Christians or other theists, with the added angle that faith and divine revelation are worthless as a foundation for a worldview. It’s not just that I don’t accept un-evidenced assertions about Bronze-age mythology; I try to convince people that they’re wrong to do so, as well. There’s a big discussion to be had about epistemology, which most Christians aren’t equipped to have.
As for your last point … creationists are an atheist’s problem because they affect our society. The creationism movement is damaging scientific education in this country, and that’s having an impact on our country’s ability to compete on the world stage. I don’t want to be surrounded by people who rely on ignorance and dogma to make their decisions. Creationists vote, too, and they’re helping fuel the anti-science stance of the Republican party. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we have a big political problem right now, in America. One of the two primary political parties has gone completely insane. I want to have two functioning parties.
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