Over this past week, my son has come home from school and told us some troubling things that have left me asking, “It is the year 2011, right??”. I’m not an eloquent speaker or writer, but this has upset me and I feel the need to vent a bit. So bear with me!
Here are some quick demographics to consider: We live in a small town in Colorado. It is a conservative town. I would call it racially uniform – over 95% caucasian. Jonah’s school has an enrollment of less than 300 students, k-5. A lot of families here grew up together, are related to each other.
The first thing Jonah has said is that he has been told on several occasions that he cannot sing any songs about God in school and was told that it is illegal to talk about Jesus. I, of course, told him that this is a bunch of hogwash (I thought that was a safer word than saying idiotic or a pile of crap!). Apparently he has been taking his Bible to school along with his Creation Science books and has been sharing with his friends at recess. His favorite music artist is Toby Mac and so he’s been singing his songs. There is nothing wrong with this and I very clearly told him so. I do not understand how it’s okay for the schools to teach all about Ancient Indian idols, Greek gods, etc. yet it wouldn’t be okay for my son to talk about God during recess. Stupid. Back when I taught in the public school system in Texas there were several occasions when a student would see my Bible on my desk and tell me that it was illegal to have it at school and that I could get in big trouble. Again, stupid. I wasn’t teaching anything from my personal Bible to the students – I was reading it during my break. It’s almost like it’s gotten to the point where teachers in the USA are free to talk and teach about about all things… except for God and the Bible. And I don’t like it. I’m fine with separation of “church and state”, but not the separation of the God of the Bible yet the inclusion of every other god or idol in every religion other than Christianity. Make sense? As Christians in America, we may not be getting killed for our faith, but we are getting persecuted.
The second thing that Jonah said is what really fueled me to write this post. Prepare yourselves. A group of children in his school were talking about how they didn’t believe that who you worship had anything to do with getting to heaven when you die. They told him that the lighter your skin is, the better chance you’ll make it. They believe that people with darker skin are going to hell. And they were serious. WHAT?????? I think I had steam coming out of my ears. How, in the year 2011, can anyone actually think this way? I’m thinking, “Are their families members of the KKK or something?”. And, “What century am I living in?”. I understand that this is a small, conservative town that is mainly white… but that’s no excuse for being so repulsively ignorant.
I am so thankful that I grew up in a more racially diverse area and pray that someday soon our family can live in such a place again. I am thankful that God created people as unique individuals with differing eye color, hair color, skin color, heights, personalities and giftings. And I hope to instill His love for all people into my children. I will also encourage my son to continue to share his faith in Jesus with his classmates. And I am proud of him for doing so on his own initiative.
*** Since writing this post, several people in this town have told me that the town used to be the Colorado headquarters for the KKK. I am not surprised! There are even several underground tunnels that connect to the businesses downtown.
