I think i can explain why they don't like the public school system. Just please keep in mind that I'm playing devil's advocate, because I don't actually believe this myself. (In fact this whole thread has an element of devil's advocate, because I don't actually believe a religious education is necessary to turning out religious adults. . . but I digress.)
It comes down to worldview. Christians tend to see all worldviews as fundamentally religious in nature, because religion is how people define their worldviews. So you can have an atheistic worldview, but if you do, that's still a religious viewpoint. According to this definition, a system that avoids teaching God is not simply areligious; it is teaching a different religion, which they've named secularism or secular humanism, depending on which theologian you're reading at the time. This is evident in various teachings throughout the school culture - everything from how to handle conflict to the geology and biology you mention - and actually results in changing the religious worldview of the students so subtly that they aren't aware of it until it's too late.
Parents who want a religious education for their kids believe that their worldview should be the foundation for absolutely everything that goes on in their school. A good example: the Catholic school I visited a few months ago (our school was evacuated due to a gas main breakage, and the catholic school down the road was our evacuation site) had "WWJD?" stenciled on all the pillars in the cafeteria. A Catholic teacher friend of mine has often asked how I handle certain ethical questions the kids ask "without playing the God card." These are examples of a religious culture and worldview at the school, that they want for their kids.
As for the rest of your comment: you're right that the trend towards dominionism in the US effectively precludes compromises such as this one. It might work in Canada, though - the dominionist ethic isn't nearly as over-reaching here.
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Date: 2006-08-17 09:48 pm (UTC)It comes down to worldview. Christians tend to see all worldviews as fundamentally religious in nature, because religion is how people define their worldviews. So you can have an atheistic worldview, but if you do, that's still a religious viewpoint. According to this definition, a system that avoids teaching God is not simply areligious; it is teaching a different religion, which they've named secularism or secular humanism, depending on which theologian you're reading at the time. This is evident in various teachings throughout the school culture - everything from how to handle conflict to the geology and biology you mention - and actually results in changing the religious worldview of the students so subtly that they aren't aware of it until it's too late.
Parents who want a religious education for their kids believe that their worldview should be the foundation for absolutely everything that goes on in their school. A good example: the Catholic school I visited a few months ago (our school was evacuated due to a gas main breakage, and the catholic school down the road was our evacuation site) had "WWJD?" stenciled on all the pillars in the cafeteria. A Catholic teacher friend of mine has often asked how I handle certain ethical questions the kids ask "without playing the God card." These are examples of a religious culture and worldview at the school, that they want for their kids.
As for the rest of your comment: you're right that the trend towards dominionism in the US effectively precludes compromises such as this one. It might work in Canada, though - the dominionist ethic isn't nearly as over-reaching here.