liberalinlove

I think the point is, that sterotypes of any kind are sad irrelevant excuses to play smoke and mirror tricks on others.  To accuse President Obama of being a snob because he would like our young people the opportunity for college is absolutely sad.

Two of my children owe a great deal in college loans.  One could not complete her degree because her health would not let her work and go to school at the same time.  One of the other, not both.  Work study grants said both or nothing.  She was unable to work for 7 years due to her cost of medications and no health insurance, and her loans have grown.  She is bright and capable and would have been done with school had a viable program been in place for her.  And her loans would have been paid back by now.

The other, could not get reasonable child care.  She has not ended her college dreams.  But her loans also continue to grow.

The cost of college is obscene.  The average graduate owes more than our first house cost us.  To eliminate the opportunity for college for the average middle class parents, who cannot afford to help their kids to attend, is sad.  To assume that only the rich should go, or the poorest, or to assume that the any of us are snobs because we see education as a means to an end, is the issue here.

I speak from first hand experience as to the attitudes that Christians can have about higher learning.  To say that we must protect our children's faith by eliminating opportunity for our countries youth is in my opinion irresponsible. 

The opportunity should be there.  President Obama is absolutely right.

Well until my 40's I was a conservative Christian because I was very afraid not to be.  And that is the nature of religion vs. relationship.  How do you refute every sermon that tells you how to live and if you don't live that way, you can't possibly be a Christian.  That hollow, list of rules that left me constantly questioning myself AND everyone else, was an ineffective measuring stick to my own righteousness and a very effective way of dividing camps and judging others.

I heard that whole argument of "conservatives give more".  The Pharisee's were pretty proud of their giving record.  What good did they do?

Unfortunately, as a preacher's kid, Sunday School superintendent, bible study leader, praying mom, and Focus on the Family contributor, I reached a point where I could no longer stomach the hole in the gospel that I heard.

The poor in our community were outsiders and therefore, did not qualify for help, unless they converted and came to church.

For me leaving the church, to find my faith, meant leaving those "facts" behind that simply did not hold water. 

The hypocrisy is visible even to adults and many today's unchurched are rich in faith but lacking faith in the institution of church.  Or at least the church of their childhoods.

My dad absolutely refused to let us go to a secular college. And I absolutely refused to go to a "Bible" college, where the kids could be as wild as march hares.

My husband was raised in a parochial school, where the same fears were promoted about not attending a Catholic school.

I left my "church" and discovered my faith when I began looking for truth and walked away from rhetoric, dogma, and fear based brainwashing.

Every child should have the opportunity to go to college if they should so wish. Our country needs to value education more unless we intend to be servants to those who excel and surpass our capabilities to create and perform jobs.

The college experience may need transforming to become more productive, but higher learning is the goal.

I hate to say it, but my dad was the snob. He detested anyone who came from higher learning and believes our scientists, doctors, etc. are in a big conspiracy theory to take God out of our lives. He uses the scripture verse from Timothy, about ever learning but never coming to the full understanding of the truth to justify his stance.

"Learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." - Isaiah 1

Words of action!

James 2:14-26
New King James Version (NKJV)
Faith Without Works Is Dead

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:14-26
New King James Version (NKJV)
Faith Without Works Is Dead

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Learn to do Good! Seek Justice! Rescue the Oppressed! Defend the Orphan, Plead for the Widow.

Words of action. James 2:14-26
New King James Version (NKJV)
Faith Without Works Is Dead

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

I still believe evangelicals were bamboozled by a marketing plan by the Republican party, where back room deals were made with the reigning moral majority platform of Falwell, Dobson and Francis Schaeffer.

The rhetoric just sounded so Christian, and none of us wanted to be found wanting when the Lord returned and asked who we had voted for.

Thank you for pointing this out.  We need to all fact check as much as we can on any story, no matter what side of the story we want to believe is true.

Any ideas on how to get there from here?  And why we've fallen so far from this ideal.  Can't help but think that the pundits are playing to our wishful thinking cuz I'm not sure just bringing the bible and prayer back to the classroom will do.  

It always looks better re-written in the history books or played out on black and white television. But even for middle class white folks, the unspoken world of subjects never discussed, as good proper folks didn't air their dirty laundry has repressed generations of traumatized youngsters.

Those who grew up watching their mom get slapped around were faithful to show up on Sunday morning at their local parish, willing to protect the family story. The young girl who went away to stay with relatives for half a year, came back sadder and some how more grown up. The alcoholic, the mistress laden marriages, the chronically depressed were all sheltered behind the image of proper families.

I'm sure the good old days existed for some. Both my parents, depression-era children talk of happy untroubled childhoods with tremendous freedoms to run, play, dream, unfettered by too much bad news! Perhaps a desire for nostalgia is a desire to return to a state of ignorance!

Priority number one! Before everything, the church must step up and use their wealth to do something! If not the church, God will raise up someone, somewhere and the church, in my opinion will come under judgement. How God must grieve over the abuse of children.