Runtu wrote:Sure, Ray, there's a long history of belief in American exceptionalism, often divinely sanctioned. Recognizing that fact and discussing its impact on the history of the US are quite different from saying, "God created the Constitution so Joseph Smith could restore the true church" and leaving it at that.
Well I suppose that's written all over the Book of Mormon, from start to finish. Historical questions aside, I suppose the Book of Mormon reflects the sentiments of many of the Founding Fathers. Whether it (the idea of Divine Destiny) "paved the way for the Restoration" is moot, and an article of faith or belief. I've spent some time in Catholic seminaries, and they do pretty much the same but with a Catholic bent, or bias if you like.
What's sad is that there are some very good private Christian schools out there. These make-shift weird ones can discourage parents from taking a look at some of the good ones.
A good friend of mine teaches at a private Christian academy in California. They have state of the art computers and excellent learning facilities. I was actually an online English instructor for the academy for a while. Those kids had some excellent writing skills, and were very open to constructive criticism. I shudder at how poorly some of my college students write! Of course, a lot of the public schools in NC are horrible.
liz3564 wrote:What's sad is that there are some very good private Christian schools out there. These make-shift weird ones can discourage parents from taking a look at some of the good ones.
A good friend of mine teaches at a private Christian academy in California. They have state of the art computers and excellent learning facilities. I was actually an online English instructor for the academy for a while. Those kids had some excellent writing skills, and were very open to constructive criticism. I shudder at how poorly some of my college students write! Of course, a lot of the public schools in NC are horrible.
I don't have a problem with private religious schools (I did go to BYU, after all), but the curriculum of this woman's school seems really wrongheaded and potentially damaging to kids. I guess it's arrogantly atheist of me to say so. ;-)
Hoops wrote:How utterly and laughably predictable these posts are. Where does one begin? There is no arrogance quite like the atheist/agnostic one.
I won't speak for atheists, but a word in defense of agnostics. The word "agnostic" means literally "I don't know". How can a person that admits to not knowing be arrogant?
To me, in religious conversations, the people that claim to know truths that they can't possible know are the ones that are being arrogant. If a person has a strong faith (i.e. a strong need to believe) they might think that their beliefs are true (or more correctly "want" their beliefs to be true). It doesn't make them true.
The least arrogant and most truthful position would be "I don't know".
This, or any other post that I have made or will make in the future, is strictly my own opinion and consequently of little or no value.
"Faith is believing something you know ain't true" Twain.