This is an interesting conversation that took place on homeschooling and whether public school is a sin. 
Another conversation took place on this thread where some who thought public school is not a sin, believed that sending a kid to an Islamic school would be a sin. What they don’t see is that what purports to be a secular education is really just as much a rejection of the lordship of Christ as any Islamic school would provide.
This website specializes in outlining abuses by police. Police abuse people of all colors for breaking unjust laws or sometimes for doing nothing wrong at all (Freddie Gray). Collin Kaepernick, QB for the 49ers, has been attacked for not standing for the national anthem in the last week, and conservative claws have come out. I want to go over some of their inconsistencies, and I don’t necessarily want to defend Kaepernick, but I want to ask my conservative friends this question: What does this country have to do before you stop singing its praises and pledging your allegiance to it? I hope you’ll think about it and answer that question for yourself, because that time has come and gone for me.
So I’m going to post some of the arguments I’ve seen against Kaepernick’s actions and respond to them.
To answer the question, you’d have to ask whether the wars we’ve fought recently are just wars. My heart is broken over that fact that the war in Afghanistan and Iraq are unjust wars and they’re wars we’ve lost. Americans have died and bled and will be affected for the rest of their lives for an unjust, unbiblical war, and it’s all been a waste, because we’ve been defeated. Iraq and Afghanistan were better off in 2001, and millions of their lives have been lost. Since it is an unjust war, I believe their death was murder. I take no pleasure in saying it. It’s terrible to think about, but I lay the blame at the feet of Christian pastors.
When we talk about just or unjust wars, we’re talking about justice. God determines what justice is. God’s law defines justice. Christians are the ones who have God’s law, and if they don’t teach what a just war is, then no one will know. Not only did they fail to teach what God requires for a just war, they were rooting for us to start those wars.
As far as how much money Kaepernick makes, that is completely irrelevant. Here’s what Bojidar Marinov had to say about that:
“Folks, most of the Founding Fathers were wealthy, and some were quite rich.
That didn’t stop them from saying that Americans were oppressed under the Crown, nor did it stop them from rebelling against that Crown . . . let alone from refusing to stand for “God Save the King.”
Just because a person is rich doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make any statements about justice.”
So, I don’t consider either Kaepernick or Glen Coffee to be a hero.
You obviously shouldn’t be bothered by someone praying, though many were. The problem for me with this meme is that it seems as though they’re saying that you should be bothered by Kaepernick and you shouldn’t be bothered by Tebow–as if standing for the national anthem is an equal duty to praying. If that’s what they’re saying, that would be blasphemy.
Here’s another argument I’ve seen (that doesn’t have a meme). Standing for the national anthem is our duty, because so many soldiers have died for our rights.
Did the soldiers die for our right to abort unborn babies? Did they die for our right to have the government steal from other people so that we can have Obamacare and public schooling and food stamps (socialistic redistribution of wealth)? At what point is standing for the flag an insult to their sacrifice on the battlefield?
Another argument I’ve seen over and over is if you don’t love America, leave it. There’s even a song about it:
It’s complete BS. Did George Washington love Great Britain or leave it? No. He threw off the shackles of his tyranny. Most of the founders were wealthy and powerful (like Kaepernick). They didn’t leave their country, but stood up for justice (which is a stand for what’s right and Godly). Who is saying the founding fathers are a bunch of wealthy crybabies? Shouldn’t they have just shut up and been grateful they lived in a country that allowed them to become wealthy?
Kaepernick says that black people are being abused by police. THEY ARE, and so are white people. It’s just that black people seem to be the only ones who care that they’re being murdered. Eric Garner was choked to death for selling loose cigarettes. The cops who murdered him faced no consequences. If that was the only instance of injustice, I’d be angry. But there are dozens of such instances of people of many colors.
There are some people who have 2 Chronicles 7:14 yard signs in front of their house. It would be interesting to knock on their door and see what they think about Collin Kaepernick. Most of them would start ranting and raving and foaming at the mouth about how disrespectful Kaepernick is. Rather than humbling themselves, and praying and seeking God’s face and turning from their wicked ways, they will arrogantly ignore Kaepernick’s grievance. That is the opposite of what this country needs.
Here’s what 2 Chronicles 7:14 doesn’t say, but which does typify most reactions to Kaepernick I’ve seen. As long as this is the case–as long as Christians behave like a bunch of statist idolaters, God will not relent in bringing His judgment as the previous verse (verse 13) says.
If my people who are called by my name will arrogantly ignore criticism of their country and tell anyone with a grievance to get out, I will heal their land.
The following is from Israel Wayne.
Is schooling mentioned in the Bible (and does God have an opinion)? Why YES! I’m glad you asked!
This is just one of many passages that should solifiy this issue, but in Ephesians 6:4 we are commanded:
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but instead, train them up in the nurture (literally, “Biblical counseling”), and admonition (the Greek word, “Paideia”) of the Lord.”
What does Paideia mean? From the Encyclopeida Brittanica:
“Paideia, (Greek: “education,” or “learning”), system of education and training in classical Greek and Hellenistic (Greco-Roman) cultures that included such subjects as gymnastics, grammar, rhetoric, music, mathematics, geography, natural history, and philosophy. In the early Christian era the Greek paideia, called humanitas in Latin, served as a model for Christian institutions of higher learning, such as the Christian school of Alexandria in Egypt, which offered theology as the culminating science of their curricula. The term was combined with enkyklios (“complete system,” or “circle”) to identify a large compendium of general education, hence “encyclopaedia.”
Everything that could be taught in academics was wrapped up in the Greek word, “Paideia.” It was the word the Greeks used for “Schooling.” Paul commanded fathers to train their children up NOT in the Paideia of the world, but instead, in the Paideia of the Lord.
Sometimes I wonder what it will take to convince people that the police are an occupying army roving our streets. Surely if they killed an innocent man from the turret of one of their armored SWAT vehicles that would convince people.
It is the job of the police to abuse your rights.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-duane-dont-talk-police-20160826-snap-story.html
This country abounds with idolatry. We conservatives and Christians take great pride in our country and we stand when the flag passes by in a parade. We say the pledge of allegiance. We shed a tear during a moving rendition of the Star Spangled Banner before every sporting event.
If you want to get a real reaction out of people, don’t do those things. Stay seated when they stand. Don’t put your hand over your heart, and see what happens. They will act as if you spit on their idol. Because you have, not literally spit, but you have not paid homage to their literal idol. They idolize our country, and once you see that truth, it will make you sick to your stomach.
I’m grateful to live here; we have it pretty comfortable. But I worship Jesus Christ alone–not my comfort and not the country that’s helped provide it. It is definitely not above criticism, and I don’t particularly care whether someone observes the religious ceremonies.
But the standard for America, and how great it is, isn’t other countries. We measure any country by the standard that God provides in His law. We have no idea what justice is apart from His law. We have no idea what good and evil are apart from His law. Does America provide justice? Is America a morally good country? The answer to those questions is a resounding NO. Are we doing better than some other countries. Yes. Are we doing better than every other country? I don’t know.
Many of us have a limited perspective–including myself. My parents wanted to never travel outside of the USA. We drove to every one of the lower 48 states, but just crossed over the Canada and Mexico borders a few miles, and only briefly. I think that the PR they put out is that many other parts of the world are dangerous and backward. I’m sure there are plenty of places that are, but many that aren’t.
Where God’s law is, there is liberty. This list ranks America as the 11th freest country in the world. 11TH! This is supposed to be the land of the free–the greatest nation in the world. We rank behind Estonia. Most Americans couldn’t even find Estonia on a map. Chile ranks ahead of us. Most Americans are too afraid to go to Chile. I’m personally ashamed to be ranked 11th.
And, if you’re an unborn baby, you’re considered sub-human and you can be ripped apart limb from limb. How’s that for justice and freedom? They have no right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The words in the pledge of allegiance are false. I refuse to say them, because I see it as a creepy religious ceremony AND the words are complete BS. As the purpose of this website is to encourage secession, I believe it is definitely not indivisible.
SHAMEFUL:
Here is a great article. This is one of the best quotes from it:
When we teach our congregations to vote for one candidate merely out of fear of the other, we have already accepted a government that allows too much power in one person’s hands, or in the hands of captors who are using candidates as mascots. We already admit they have too much power; when we vote for this current system, therefore, we are condoning it. We must acknowledge the whole system is broken and not just the President.
Here’s an idea for peaceful secession. Someone opens a small office somewhere, and puts a sign up saying, “City Hall”, “County Courthouse”, “State Capitol” and maybe even “Capitol of the United States of America”.
The current government is based on circular logic. The law applies to you, because the law says it applies to you. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me. The law of the new government will apply to me because the new law says it will apply to me. In reality, it should apply, because it will be a government submitted to Christ, and His law applies to everyone.
The beauty of some dinky, cheap little office is that that is what government is supposed to be–dinky and cheap. What we have now is a grandiose, expensive monstrosity. The Pueblo County courthouse is like a cathedral with beautiful paintings, a great rotunda, gold leaf (I don’t know if it’s gold leaf or gold paint). I would guess the clerk and recorder’s office has 25 foot ceilings.
So, if this office to be opened would be an alternative government to the existing monstrosity. There would be no taxes. It would not be executive (making laws) but strictly judicial as Romans 13 explains. The only purpose of government is to punish evildoers. Not to issue currency, build roads, educate children, help the poor, etc.
The Declaration of Independence says it is our right to institute a new government. That is their document. That is what they’ve based their government on. They have no other basis. They’ve abandoned the Lord Jesus Christ as a basis.
