from Hacker News

I was trained for the culture wars in home school

by madao on 1/30/17, 7:39 AM with 54 comments

• by arghimonmobile on 1/30/17, 9:08 AM

  I personally attended an ultra conservative school of about 70 pupils all grades accounted for, based on the ACE system (see http://leavingfundamentalism.wordpress.com for a decent introduction), and while I thankfully managed to escape that scene many years ago (extremely lucky circumstances outside of my own doing), I'm afraid I clearly recognise the vision the author describes. I desperately hope that they are wrong, but I can imagine it being spot on all too well. :( FWIW I too don't have contact with my parents mostly as a result of this, and the level of mental gymnastics in otherwise intelligent and sincere folks is jarring.

• by cconcepts on 1/30/17, 9:53 AM

  Very well written. Although this article is quite emotive and could be considered an extreme point of view, I think it is important to read in order to understand the multitude of voices wanting to be heard in the current quagmire.

  I disagree with some of the assumptions made but nonetheless think this is a voice that should be heard.

  As a follower of Jesus (I have to be careful how I say Christian because of how loaded that term has become) I feel sad that the writer is marginalised as if it is something Christ would have done.

  That Jesus has been attached to a particular political agenda is particularly heartbreaking.

  Historically, when Christianity has gotten in bed with power it has been bad news for the essence of Christ and the humbling power of His work - I would argue this is because of the corruptibility of humans and not through something inherently wrong with Christianity.

  I'm sorry for some of the things being done in the name of Christianity but this is an intelligent, thoughtful community - please find out for yourself who Christ really said he was and don't assume that what some powerbrokers say in Christ's name is true - their interests are vested.

  I hope that HN continues its history of thoughtful, respectful discussion rather than the vitriol I am seeing elsewhere.

  EDIT: Spelling/grammar

• by kartan on 1/30/17, 9:17 AM

  High-quality free state-run secular schools is one of the most important social achievements. In that schools a new generation can grow and learn while minimizing radicalization. That new generation meets people from different cultures and religion since they are children and learn to accept the differences. This doesn't solves all problems, is not a silver bulled, but it improves society at large.

  I never understood why in the USA parents are allowed to radicalize their children out of society. Now I not just don't understand, but I see how dangerous is the situation.

• by qubyte on 1/30/17, 9:29 AM

  I was raised and schooled as a Catholic in the UK, and while that's nowhere near as malign as the religious groups mentioned in this article, the final paragraph really resonated with me. It wasn't until university that anyone questioned my beliefs. I patiently heard each argument out and responded with logical gymnastics (I now classify myself as a theological noncognitivist). It was only when a difficult event happened in my life that I began to really question my beliefs and they crumbled (a traumatic experience in itself).

  The author is spot on when they say that there's nothing you can do to convince these people. The beliefs are so closely held that changing them has to come from the believer.

• by angryredblock on 1/30/17, 9:46 AM

  Complete misrepresentation of homeschooling based on one person's anecdotal experience.

  "A single powerful person who is convinced of their own Rightness with no thought of introspection is dangerous."

  Indeed.

  Perhaps we'd be better served to stop vilifying an entire subset of the population and actually listen to the parents who have recognized that public education is broken and who are taking other measures to educate their children.

• by vedranm on 1/31/17, 1:23 AM

  There is a number of usual Left wing talking points which advocate violating freedom of association and therefore don't fit the classical liberal or libertarian world view [1]. Two more grave errors:

  >They know Trump is easily manipulated and will change his mind with the wind if it makes him feel more powerful and famous. Trump couldn’t care less about policy, a fact he’s made quite obvious.

  This is a very strong claim to make about someone whose every move in the Office thus far has been promised and rehearsed during the campaign.

  >The revolution has come and we are the resistance.

  I find this claim funny given that the Left has overtook the universities, the media, and Hollywood, and did so quite often using the tactics outlined in Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky [2]. (Even Hillary Clinton wrote about Alinsky in her thesis [3].) Only with the rise of the Internet could this stranglehold of power be challenged, was challenged, and Trump won.

  [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ln5bhcWcI

  [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_for_Radicals

  [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_senior_thesis

• by TurlochOTierney on 1/30/17, 9:37 AM

  Just flagged this by mistake. Fat finger error.

• by bambax on 1/30/17, 10:27 AM

  Why exactly is this flagged? Is it not "interesting"?

• by guard-of-terra on 1/30/17, 9:33 AM

  I think that Abrahamic religions is perhaps the worst thing that ever happened to Homo Sapiens.

• by probably_wrong on 1/30/17, 9:22 AM

  So... are we going to see any kind of evidence for this? Who's the editor? Who fact-checked the story? Or is a first person story by a political activist on a political website what we call "news" now?