Critical Thinking

I have become a critical thinker over the years but I remember my mother always saying "why didn't I have you first when I was younger, because you are always asking why and how." Beliefs are passed down from family, government, religion and other sources I'm probably not thinking of right now. I'm sure you've heard the story of cutting the butt off the ham. A family is gathered for dinner and the mother has cut off the butt of the ham to put it in the oven and her daughter asked her why she was cutting off the butt of the ham and she said, "Because Mom always cut it off" and grandma was there and the daughter asked her why did you cut off the butt of the ham and grandma said "because it wouldn't fit in my oven." Great example!

As I said in my last post, I have been going through some of my son's school books from college. I realized as I was reading one of the stories in his English book that I had taken someone else opinion of a person. The person is Martin Luther King, Jr. I vaguely remember hearing that he had communist views and I can't give you specifics but I had a negative view toward him. I ran across a story in the English book entitled "Letter from Birmingham Jail." He was in jail being arrested for a peaceful protest. His letter was addressed to the clergyman in his part of the country who had been criticizing him for his beliefs and position in the civil rights movement. It was a very moving and inspirational letter and once again I saw where I had been sucked into believing something that wasn't true. If I had been older when King was protesting for the civil rights of the black people I can assure you I would have been marching with him. I read nothing in the letter that would make me think he was a communist, in fact from reading his letter I could see why he was asassinated.

I am writing this to encourage you to think critically. Research things for yourself and know what you believe and why you believe it. I think if you will start to do that you will find out that things may be different than what you think.

This makes my blood boil!!

Recently, I was looking through my son's Sociology book from college. I know the agenda of the colleges are to change the way our children think. In fact, over 100 years ago the public education system was changed to do just that. Starting in kindergarten through college. The goal is to create worker bees, slaves, who show up for a job everyday, do their job, go home, eat dinner, watch TV, go to bed and start all over again. The big high light of the week is the weekend when you don't have to "work". They have been very successful. Children today do not think critically, not just children, even adults. There are so many contradictions on the evening news (which I don't watch anymore) I'm thinking are people not catching this? I'm getting side tracked here. Back to the book. It stated that parents are in agreement that it is more socially important for their children to know how to conduct themselves in today's society than to be taught all the academic subjects. The only subject that the educational system views as important is Math. I don't have the book here with me or I would quote it exactly. In fact, I will do it at another time.

Twenty-five years ago the agenda was hidden. But it is out there in plain sight for all to see now. Probably thirty years ago, in the Baptist church we were attending at the time, there was a special meeting. It was a husband and wife team and they were both teachers from the midwest. They were traveling the country trying to wake up parents to what was going on in the public school system. They could take a teachers lesson plan for the year and show the teacher how this philosophy was woven into what they were teaching. Our children were not school age at the time. When our oldest became school age she was enrolled in a Christian school and evently we started homeschooling.

We homeschooled for 17 years and this is my opinion "nothing is perfect." Not everyone can afford to send their children to private schools and not all mothers can stay home with their children. My advice to young mothers is raise critical thinkers, unconditionally love your children, give them wings and let them make mistakes while living under your roof. If you are Christians guard your heart from being religious. Make sure you have dinner together every night at a dinner table with the TV off and talk to your children. Love them and pray for them and the rest is up to God. As God asked me one day, "do you think you can change their heart" and I said," is that what I'm trying to do" and He said "all you can do is teach them what you know and leave the rest up to Me."