Homeschooling

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On Sat, 24 Aug 1996 11:14:52 -0500 "Robert J. Brown" <rj@eli.wariat.org>
writes:

>If this is really the case, then why did Jesus say "I knew you when
>you were under the fig tree..."  He was refering to the training that
>children received under a fig tree from the rabbis, who would reach up
>and pick a fig to give it as a reward to the student who answered
>correctly.  The students could not reach the figs themselves, hence it
>was a reward "from above".  
>
>But the point I am making is that the children were trained not only
>by their parents, but also *SCHOOLED* by the rabbis -- the local
>religious organization; extrapolate this into the new testament and
>you have scripture for church based schools.

Is that a basis for "church based schools" as you state or for Sunday
school and Biblical teaching in church gatherings.  Where else were we
instructed to teach our children in Scripture?

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 
Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and
when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
(Deuteronomy 6:6-7)  Also see parallel passages in Deut. 4:9, 11:18-21; Psalm 78:1-11.

This sounds to me like instruction to the family to be training their
child all day long.

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a
reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of
one's youth.  How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they
shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127:3-5) 

This tells us that children are a gift to us from the Lord.  They belong
to God but He has delegated the responsiblity to us for their training. 
We cannot relegate that responsibility to a public or a church school. 
That is not to say that we cannot utilize those types of schools (at
least in the area of church schools) without still maintaining control of their training.  But so many parents turn their education over to
others and that is the end of the matter.  They are not involved. They really do not know what is taught day by day and who is teaching it and
what their philosophy is.  This is sin in neglecting God's gift to us as
parents.

Ponder a bit about the passage in Ezekiel 16:20 -21 where we are told,
"Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had born to Me, and
you sacrificed them to idols to be devoured.  Were your harlotries so
small a matter?  You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols causing them to pass through fire?"

God judged these parents severely because they did not meet His
conditions for raising their children.  They gave their children up to
an idolatrous system which hated God.  We cannot sacrifice our children
to just such a system in our public schools today.  Obviously this does
not negate the Christian School as long as you still retain control of what your children are studying.

It is clearly the parents' primary  responsiblity to teach their
children, "so that your days and the days of your sons shall be
multiplied (Deut. 11:21). These commands to educate our children, of course, cannot be accomplished once a week at Sunday School.  It involves a comprehensive approach to education on a 'daily' basis.  The commands of
God should be taught to our children when we sit in our homes, when we rise up, lie down, and when we travel.  In other words, all of the time.

This comprehensive educational program is to be based on God's commands. 
Two of the goals of Godly education, therefore, are that children will
put their confidence in the Lord, and that they will keep His
commandments.

"For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel
which he commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their
children that the generation to come might know, even the children yet
to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that
they should put their confidence into God and not forget the works of
God, but keep His commandments." (Psalm 78:5-7)

Many other passages emphasize that it is the responsibility of the
parents to teach their children what God has done so that the children will not forget him. See Exodus 13:8,14; Joshua 4:20-22, 24.

To sum it all up, the responsibility is immense.  Parents must train
their children to think God's thoughts after Him.  A Godly education,
therefore, is learning not only to believe as a Christian (for
salvation), but to 'think' as a Christian.  Unfortunately, public
schools and some private schools are teaching children who believe as Christians to think as non-Christians.  Since Christian parents in the past
have neglected their duty to follow this comprehensive approach to
education, generations of adult Christians now apply ungodly principles
in their lives and work places while attempting to simultaneously think
as a Christian.  In essence, many parents are raising humanistic
Christians, many of whom are 'lukewarm' and not thinking God's thoughts
after Him.

Homeschooling provides the most successful way that parents can fulfill
their immense obligations in providing their children with a
comprehensive Biblical education and restoring and preserving their
families.  The goal of homeschooling is to raise children so that each
of them will "be diligent to present himself approved to God as a
workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of
truth."

Sending children to public school violates nearly every biblical principle on training and teaching our children given to us in Scripture.  It is
tantamount to sending your children to be trained by the enemy.  No
doubt that if Satan had his choice as to which school system you use he
will choose the public school system.