Are there any of us who would or would not homeschool if these allegations turn out to be true? It wouldn't make a difference in our household.
Government schooling is bankrupt - morally, socially and educationally. It brings about the exact opposite of its intended goal.
I like John Taylor Gatto's The Makers of Modern Schooling
But, I don't know that his history is absolutely true. It makes sense given the outcome - government indoctrinated media slaves who cannot think for themselves. But, the exact reason for government schooling can still be lost to history and the results of government bureaucratic instruction would still be the same.
Metmom has a valid point. This list is to support homeschooling and expose the lie of government schooling as effective. It does just that. Hijacking it serves what purpose?
My whole contention is that the accusation that Protestants were out to de-Catholicize Catholics is without support, bigotry against Catholics notwithstanding.
If the Catholics perceived that that was the intent of the decision to include Bible reading and prayer in public schools, then no amount of convincing will change their minds.
And again, Catholics are not blameless in the persecution and bigotry department. It went both ways and still goes both ways. I’ve experienced myself, not real recently, but not that long ago.
I don’t see why there should be an issue with the Catholics about the *Protestant* Bible being used in public schools. The Catholic Bible itself contains every book the Protestant Bible does. There is nothing that those Catholic school children would hear from the Protestant Bible that they couldn’t read in their own, if they ever read it. The Catholic Church even claims to have written the Protestant Bible and takes credit even for its existence, so complaining about it being used is disingenuous.
The point I object to most about the whole issue, close to the objection of it being devisive, is that my understanding is that wintertime is neither Protestant nor Catholic and does not have a dog in that fight. There is no point in stirring the religious bigotry pot after over a century. It simply smacks of rabble rousing for no good reason.
FWIW, I was raised Catholic myself and have seen both sides of the issue. Both sides share blame and both sides could do better in making amends.