I completely agree with Gin1984. As someone raised religious who subsequently left all of that I am very aware of how Christianity is in the pores of so much of our regular lives, even living in a big coastal urban area. If I go to a southern state it is like being smacked up the face with it every where I turn. It really is inescapable.
Several people said similar things; assume I'm replying to all ...
I disagree. I don't mean people aren't aware that Christianity exists; sure, the majority of Americans -- even if they go to church only for the occasional wedding or funeral -- are aware of Christianity, and most don't care much if there's a prayer before a meeting or whatever ... but more and more don't know what Christianity is actually about. A couple things to consider ...
Holidays: Christmas is barely over -- my tree is still up -- but Christmas today is really a secular holiday. People who never, ever attend church still celebrate Christmas. Christmas may bear Christ's name, but Santa Claus and shopping is the real star. Consider the things that've disappeared over the last decade:
- We used to hear about 50-50 religious vs. secular songs on the radio. This year I heard plenty of Baby, It's Cold Outside, but I didn't hear Away in a Manger or Hark the Herald Angels Sing even once. No one wants to offend the non-religious.
- Similarly, it wasn't long ago that we saw many people wearing sweatshirts saying "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" or "Wise Men Still Seek Him". I haven't seen any this year. Not one.
- TV commercials (and other advertisements) have subtly left out the religious message ... while keeping some of the trappings of Christmas. If you're not a Christian, you probably don't notice it. For example, TV stars pose in front of a fireplace loaded with greenery, and they proclaim that the real message of Christmas is time with family -- or giving is better than receiving -- or it's a time to give to those in need. Not bad messages, but absolutely not a religious message. As I said, they do this subtly: one commercial I noticed this year used geographic designs that looked rather like Christmas trees (but were pink and green instead of red and green) ... and girls carried bags that might've been gift bags or might've been gifts ... and the speaker proclaimed "That's the way we holiday". Yeah, it's soooo close to Christmas, but it's really about shopping.
- If you want to include anything religious in your Christmas celebration, you have to look for it. It won't be in popular media or at the mall.
Easter has almost dropped off the map for most people. We get Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday off school instead of Good Friday now. While I don't mean to insult that man in any way, given that he was a reverend, I have trouble thinking he would've wanted to take away Jesus' day.
People really don't know what the Bible says /what Christianity is about anymore: A decade ago my students understood Biblical references in literature. I don't mean obscure references like the story of Susannah and the Elders; rather, today they don't understand that a David and Goliath situation means a little guy going up against a stronger opponent. Our AP students now complete a unit that includes reading a children's Bible -- not for religious purposes, but so they'll understand the references.
People mistakenly think old sayings are in the Bible; for example, Cleanliness is next to Godliness ... The Lord helps those who help themselves.
Ask most people -- and I don't mean just kids -- what it takes to go to Heaven according to Christianity, and most will say something to the effect of, You need to do good deeds. Or, Follow the tend commandments. That's not in keeping with the Bible's message at all.
Anecdote time!! Just because a kid graduates public or private high school is also no proof that they have mastered the material they studied. DH (longtime college professor) had a small handful of students each year in his science classes who could not do simple arithmetic. I'm not talking calculus here. I'm talking questions like "What is 7 percent of 200?" There was one student in particular that DH worked with very intensively to get his math up to scratch. (My hat is off to that guy. Most in that position dropped out of the class, but he didn't. He dug in, and made up the ground. Imagine -- with that drive -- what he could have done if he'd had a good education along the way!). The student honestly had no idea that he didn't know these things. He had gotten average to good grades in math in high school.
How on earth does this happen??? I can only conclude that the schools these kids attended aren't checking to see if the basics have been mastered, or not being honest about testing/grades.
Yeah, I see similar things in my high school classroom: Kids who are doing FINE in math class ask me how to average their three test grades. Kids who zip through grammar worksheets neglect to capitalize proper nouns. Why? Because they don't generalize the knowledge. They can complete a worksheet full of the same type of problem, yet when it's time to USE the information, they don't recall it /can't apply the proper skill. Or, just as often, they're too lazy to think through which skill to use.
... Go read the "Brainy Bunch"* where the author sent her kids as young as 12 to community college. I wouldn't have a problem doing so, I actually plan to as community college in my city is free for residents as soon as they are academically capable. It's not like I'm going to leave them by themselves to party overnight. They will attend class and group study and that's it.
EDIT: What is wrong with teenagers going to school with adults? ...
That was interesting; I've never heard of this family before. Clearly, however, they're not typical.
As to "what's wrong with teenagers going to school with adults", it depends on the kid. My oldest would've been fine with it; she would've enjoyed it and would've seen it as an affirmation of her intelligence; whereas, my youngest would've freaked out for no particular reason. In fact, she came home from a freshman college class a few years ago and said, "Mom, an adult sat next to me today in class!" I pointed out that SHE HERSELF is an adult, and she answered, "No, Mom, a real adult. Like you." It seemed odd to her, and it bothered her.
Our local community college has a minimum student age of 16.
Ours too.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Whether reading is possible for all children and whether it should be a diploma requirement is an interesting topic. Perhaps some different 'socialization' completion recognition diploma could be a compromise answer.
This exists. My school houses the Special Ed program for our county, and we have three classrooms full of students who will
never be able to read -- but they are learning skills that are within their grasp (self care, laundry, cooking, polite interaction with others, etc.). At the end of their studies, they receive a diploma -- not the same one that the majority receive. I forget what they call those diplomas.
We actually have four levels of diploma ... but the vast, vast majority (more than 90%) receive the standard diploma.
Handing out undeserved diplomas undermines the incentive because it erodes the value of the credential, for everyone. Its value is diminished in the eyes of employers and society in general.
I totally agree, and I think anyone reasonable agrees -- but the general public likes to read that 92% of the freshmen who enter our high school graduate within four years, and they want to buy houses in our area because of that. And if we don't give diplomas to X percent of our students, we lose funding and our school will be taken over by specialists. As it exists now, this is a lose-lose situation.