14-year-old Sarah Crank testified before the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on January 31st. She urged the committee to vote in favor of marriage and decline to endorse same sex unions. She stated: "I really feel bad for the kids who have two parents of the same gender. Even though some kids think it's fine, they have no idea what kind of wonderful experiences they miss out on. I don't want more kids to get confused about what's right and okay. I really don't want to grow up in a world where marriage isn't such a special thing anymore." Click here to listen to Sarah's complete 60-second testimony.
When government loses perspective on the importance of marriage, its inherent qualities and characteristics are often still apparent to children. Often, however, the long arm of the government may attempt to reach into family’s homes and control what parents teach their own children in their own homes about religion, sexuality, and morality. Homeschooling families may become targets of a government that is not friendly to homeschooling or to parental freedom. Under Alberta, Canada’s new Education Act, homeschoolers and faith-based schools will not be permitted to teach that homosexual acts are sinful as part of their academic program, says the spokesperson for Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk. "Whatever the nature of schooling – homeschool, private school, Catholic school – we do not tolerate disrespect for differences," Donna McColl, Lukaszuk’s assistant director of communications, told LifeSiteNews last month. "You can affirm the family’s ideology in your family life, you just can’t do it as part of your educational study and instruction," she added. Reacting to the remarks, Paul Faris of the Home School Legal Defense Association said the Ministry of Education is "clearly signaling that they are in fact planning to violate the private conversations families have in their own homes." See LifeSiteNews for the full story.
In the United States public schools are going a different direction – for now. California has recently received federal funds to support a mail order condom program for their public schools. See the report at Fox News.
This program uses tax dollars to provide condoms to kids. Acceptance of a social policy void of moral or personal responsibility does not necessarily make early sexuality safe. Furthermore, it is counterproductive at best to use government funds to foster recreational sex among students when non-marital births form the largest foundation of government welfare programs. Such federal funds could clearly be put to better use, possibly to encourage parents to teach their children about sexual conduct that esteems personal responsibility and marriage for a lifetime to raise a healthy family. The most comical aspect of the California condoms program is that the schools did choose to limit the distribution to 10 condoms a month.
Marriage, new research reveals, is still the best path to personal and societal strength. This recent report below from the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy reveals that marriage is now the best path for upward financial mobility as well. Even children understand that marriage is critical to their future – maybe adults need to take a cue from kids.
Working with the Center for Global Justice: 3L Reflections
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By Anne Darby Keating 3L Reflections Working with the Center of Global
Justice during my time at Regent University School of Law has been such a
blessing...
Marriage needs to be treated as a sacred union between one man and one woman. However, most states and most individuals no longer treat it as such and rather have the view that it is simply a piece of paper that entitle those who have it to certain benefits. It is no longer a union and a vow that is made to God and expected to be upheld until death. Instead it is only upheld so long as it is convenient to the parties. Sarah Crank is right that the institution needs to be protected and that children deserve to be raised in a home with both a mother and a father because they have their roles and they teach their children different things.
ReplyDeleteThe Government seems to continue to become involved in our private lives. What is taught at public school is something that the government has the right to control and to decide upon. However, California's decision to provide its student with condoms is not anything but giving the impression that marriage means nothing and that the best course of action is premarital sex. I personally believe that sex education doesn't belong in the school system because that is something that should be taught at home by our parents. It is their duty and responsibility to instill their values in their children. In our home it was a plain lessen that abstinence is the only way and that premarital sex was not tolerated. I believe that myself and my siblings are better people because our parents instilled their values in us. Not only were we taught this but many more things. Additionally the government has no business dictating what can and cannot be taught in a homeschooling setting. I am the person I am today because my mother was my teacher and I learned in a christian environment and was taught right from wrong in the manner that my parents thought was best for me. I am now someone with strong opinions and I am not afraid to voice them and at the same time I was taught to respect the opinions of others. I do not have to agree with those decisions but I must respect them. Parents who choose to homeschool have many different reasons for making such a decision however, it is their right that the government should not interfere with.
Under the United states Constitution parents have the right to decide how their children are to be educated and if they choose to homeschool their children the government should respect that right and allow them to educate their children in the manner they see fit.
What I find disturbing about the campaign for gay marriage is the blatant disregard for the will of the people. I am from Maryland and I can tell you a lot of people are uncomfortable with gay marriage and the Courts have already held that Maryland has a legitimate interest in protecting marriage between man and woman.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago gay rights activist (believing their numbers were higher than they actually were) came up with the let the "states decide" campaign. Although this was an attempt to stop the Federal Government from banning gay marriage there was some merit to the assertion that marriage is delegated to states. Soon states like California poled its people and found that they did not support gay marriage (which contradicts the Hollywood impression that everyone is okay with expanding marriage). Now gay rights activist are going back to the Federal government and to the Federal Courts to strike down what the people have voted on and in Maryland the Governor is using his executive influence to push a law that many of even his own party members do not support. The willingness to override the will of the people is baffling.