Home School Nation
Sam Weaver is one of Renew America’s most exciting new talents. In the first place, he looks like a C-grade ’70s porn star:
“Howdy ma’am! My name’s Slammin’ Sam Weaver and I’m here to bring you a very special package! Bow-chicka-bow-wow!”
And secondly, he writes columns like this one, called “Conventional Wisdom.”
Conventional wisdom
Sam Weaver
December 21, 2005“Education: The bringing up, as of a child; instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and to fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.” ? Noah Webster’s original definition of education, as it appeared in the first edition of his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828).
As you can see, Sam has already mastered one of the wingnuts’ all-time favorite tactics: quoting the dictionary. And not just any dictionary, mind you- a dictionary that’s more than 175 years old.
At America’s founding, the average parent had little choice but to accept the inherent responsibility of every parent to educate his own children.
They also had to walk two miles just to draw water from a well. Plus, they had to shit in holes in the ground. But I don’t think that really made them better off.
Generally, I believe, the people accepted this responsibility willingly and whole-heartedly; and their faith, by-and-large, made them more than equal to the task!
Because back in the good ol’ days, faith was the only prequisite for teaching your children. You certainly didn’t need any of this new-fangled “knowledge” that kids these days seem to be into.
Before long, however, American parents began to cede much of this responsibility to public schools. In the beginning, most public schools were largely faith-based ? relying heavily upon the Word and Will of the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible.
Because really, children were so much better off learning that pi was exactly three, just like it says in the Bible.
Fast-forward to the present day. Faith (i. e., any reliance upon the Word and the Will of God; the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God; or Biblical principles, teachings, exhortations, etc.) has absolutely no role to play in public education. Any inclusion of faith or Bible-based instruction in public school curricula is considered a “violation” of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. (Strange, is it not, that the Establishment Clause implied no such thing when the men who wrote and ratified it were still alive?!)
*sigh*
Shall we read the First Amendment again? Let’s: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Wingnuts, please get it into your thick heads. You cannot establish a state-sponsored religion. You cannot use taxpayer dollars to indoctinate children into believing the world was created 6,000 years ago. Don’t believe me? Let’s read the First Amendment again: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Reliance upon the revelation of God’s Holy Spirit these days has been deemed “superstitious,” “intolerant” and even “dangerous.”
Sam’s totally right. We should rely upon God’s guidance for everything, even when we’re doing shit like designing rockets. And if one of those rockets happens to blow up, that’s just a sign that God doesn’t want us flying into space. It’s kinda like the Tower of Babel, only more explosion-y.
Today’s public schools discard faith in God (along with most of the principles and ideas upon which America was founded), and place their confidence in what I call “conventional wisdom.”
Conventional wisdom is the great body of human knowledge that rests in the minds and the writings of countless “experts.” Certain scientists, theorists, advocates, politicians, philosophers, historians, textbook writers and professors are accepted by the scientific, academic and media establishments. These so-called experts are the dispensers of “truth.” Anyone who dares to defy these experts or to disrupt their conventional wisdom is ostracized.
I agree. True education means relying upon a book written thousands of years ago by ancient desert dwellers.
Tenets of conventional wisdom include (but are not limited to) the following:
Judeo-Christianity is a fairy tale that can be intolerant and extremely dangerous.
Uhm, no. Judeo-Christianity itself isn’t the problem. The problem is… well, people like Sam.
Macroevolution is the only valid scientific explanation for the existence of all life on Earth.
Except that evolution isn’t a theory on how life originiated.
The rule of law is established by man.
But it is, Sam. It just is. We don’t throw people in jail for disrespecting their parents or for not attending church on Sundays.
Truth is relative. All cultures are equal; but one religion is less equal than all the others! All behaviors and “life-style choices” must be accepted. Capitalism (i. e., free-enterprise) is inherently evil.
Yeah, we all know what a hard-core Randian capitalist Jesus was.
These and many other doctrines of conventional wisdom are being preached in America’s public schools and universities and are imbued by pop culture, Hollywood and mainstream media.
While the Christian Right only controls the entire federal government. Poor babies.
Opinion polls have consistently shown for years that more than eighty-five percent of Americans consider themselves Christians. As Christians, we should be familiar with such Biblical passages as Galatians 1:10-12 and Ephesians 4:12-15. Reliance upon the “wisdom” of human “experts” is a fool’s destination. Devotion to the Word and the Will of God ? through the Revelation of His Holy Spirit ? is the essence of liberty, security and happiness.
And you know what that means- it’s time to start executing people who curse their parents and commit adultery.
We do ourselves and our country a grave disservice when we place our faith in experts, politicians and, especially, in government for the complete protection of our liberty, security and happiness!
“And that’s why we must use the government to force our religious beliefs on everybody else!”
We forget both the meaning and the Source of liberty (see II Corinthians 3:17) when we put our trust in the reasoning of man.
Well, if we put our trust in the reasoning of people like Sam, I’d probably agree.
When we rely upon the secular “wisdom” of public education, mainstream media, Hollywood and the Supreme Court ? all the while rejecting God and His Truth ? then we are doomed to despotism and tyranny.
Clearly, the only way to save ourselves from tyranny is by setting up a theocracy. I hear it’s worked wonders in Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Revelation (i. e., the revealing of God’s Truth through His Holy Spirit) is real and it is available to everyone. All it takes is a tiny degree of faith and a first step. The first step ? at least in my case ? is a desperate yet sincere plea to God for the revelation of His Truth.
I hope God tells Sam the truth about how his mustache makes him look like a porno star.
The more than eighty-five percent of us Americans who call ourselves Christians have a vital obligation in these tumultuous times to heed the words of St. Paul in such verses as I Corinthians 2:6-12 and Galatians 1:12.
And apparently, us have no obligation to learn about secular so-called “grammar.”
We must scrutinize, question, debate and often reject out-of-hand the conventional wisdom of the experts of this fallen, corrupt, evil world.
Yeah, evidence-based conclusions are so 20th Century.
We cannot enjoy the blessings of liberty until we first understand the Source of those blessings. The Source of those blessings is the Spirit of God ? not the spirit of this world, or of men. If we do not walk in the Spirit of God, we cannot expect to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.
And soon we’ll be walking two miles to get water and crapping in outhouses, just like the people in the Founding Fathers’ time.
That is not a picture of a 70’s porn star, it’s a picture of a 12-year-old kid on Halloween in 1976 going out dressed up as a porn star.
Well, I hate to go Jonah G on everyone and limit my contribution to quoting The Simpsons, but in this case I can’t help it. You write:
To which I say: “Riiiiight, looks like.”
Yeah but on his way to the halloween party, all these wild teens in mohawks pulled over when they saw him, and beat him unmerciful in the nearest restroom, leaving him unconscious with his head in the toilet.
That’s where sam saw “the truth”. I hear many like him find the truth in men’s restrooms.
Hey, what’s with the comma in the Renew Thingy URL? Are you trying to stop people from going to the website themselves so that they can find out the truth? How typical. :-p
Hmmmm…
I think he looks like a Luke Skywalker action figure that finally hit puberty.
As Christians, we should be familiar with such Biblical passages as Galatians 1:10-12 and Ephesians 4:12-15. Reliance upon the “wisdom” of human “experts” is a fool’s destination.
Are there really scare quotes in the bible? And is it just the New Testament, or are they in the Old Testament as well? And are they sure caught all of them in the current translations, ’cause that could be kind of important! For example:
And they went in unto Noah into the “ark”, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
See? Kinda makes a difference, don’t it?
Two questions,
1) is whateverianism a religeon?
2) is this ‘convention’al in the Purple Heart band-aid sense?
woah! check THIS out…
http://www.christiantech.com/site/994783/product/WDHC
So the definitive dictionary of English is an 1828 dictionary which based word meanings on usage in an even older English translation of the Bible? Then Webster retranslated the Bible based on his new dictionary in 1833, replacing obsolete words among other things…
Oh, crap, how I hate, hate, hate this particular argument.
We do ourselves and our country a grave disservice when we place our faith in experts, politicians and, especially, in government for the complete protection of our liberty, security and happiness!
Yeah, those stupid experts. What the hell do they know, anyway? When it comes to matters of the law, why should it be assumed a lawyer knows more about the subject than, say, your hairdresser (all things being equal; i.e., your lawyer’s name isn’t John Hinderaker or anything)? When it comes to the best protocol for dealing with your glial sarcoma, whom should you listen to? Your oncologist or your pastor?
Experts are what got us past the stage of swinging from tree limbs and throwing feces at each other. And however much Sam Weaver may enjoy doing that, I’ve really come to enjoy the things in life you get when you put down the poo and pick up a book. Maybe Sam will join us one day.
But, Jillian–he has picked-up THE book, the one-size-fits-all book, the book that solves all of life’s little problems. What other book could he possibly need? And I’m sure he enjoys quality time in his outhouse. /snark
“‘The more than eighty-five percent of us Americans who call ourselves Christians have a vital obligation in these tumultuous times to heed the words of St. Paul in such verses as I Corinthians 2:6-12 and Galatians 1:12.’
“And apparently, us have no obligation to learn about secular so-called ‘grammar.'”
I hate to actually defend this idiot, but that sentence is perfectly grammatical (though written extremely sloppily), at least as far as the “us” is concerned. “Us” is the object of the preposition “of.” What should he have written? “The more than 85% of we Americans who…”?
Andrew: Let’s put it this way – If the structure of that sentence was a bridge, I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to drive across it…
In addition to the hideously poor grasp of history and theology alike that Sam displays, he makes me have to defend my upbringing. I was educated by my parents and was always keenly aware that there were two kinds of homeschoolers – the religious fundamentalist homeschoolers, and the cool homeschoolers.
I hate to diss a fellow right-winger, but this man appears to be the antediluvian product of right-wing extremism. Christ teaches us to be “in the world, but not of the world.” This man is not living in the world, but in the twilight zone. Now I’m sure I’m not the paragon of all things cool, but the nerd factor will surely render him utterly ineffective in terms of making inroads into this admittedly corrupt society of incrementalistic decay.
My model of education as it concerns children is exemplified in my model of trolling. Don’t shelter yourself or your children from the darkness. Rather, expose yourself and your children to so much divine light and agape love, that when they bravely enter the dark stygian territories of liberalism, in which truth is obfuscated by cultural relativism, their light will shine in every darkened corner and will draw all men and women towards truth. It’s like that old country hit by Donna Fargo: “You can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine…” As a troll, I haven’t quite reached that ideal yet, but that’s certainly no reason to give up.
Marq, I wouldn’t even mind so much if he’d just be consistent in his approach. Like, the next time he became seriously ill, I’d expect him to go to his pastor for a nice laying on of hands, instead of a “so-called expert” like a doctor.
You know, there actually is a non-insane way to be a Christian who is “in the world, but not of the world”. There are a few, really.
Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t vote, and don’t concern themselves with politics at all. However freaky they may be, this is a stance I can respect – when your views tell you that everything that goes on in “this world” is a dress rehearsal for the “real world”, then the least you can do is leave the governance of “this world” to those of us who take it seriously.
Amish and Mennonites also manage to do a pretty good job of being “in the world, but not of the world”. They’re not as isolated as people think – even living in the middle of New Jersey, close to NYC, I’ve gotten fresh, homemade Amish pickled garlic around here before.
And does anybody think it’s worth it to call the unkosher one’s bluff on his “liberals are cultural relativists” comment, or should we just let it go?
Jillian: Nah, let him stay in the dark on that one…
She’s right, Jillian, believe me, you don’t want to go there. Hi celticgirl! Hello everybody! I noticed I’m the only one that greets people around here. Must be the Mennonite in me.
…’and place their confidence in what I call “conventional wisdom.”‘
Wow! I like that. “Conventional wisdom”. He’s so smart! That may just catch on.
Dr. BLT, The Song Blogger
As a troll, I haven’t quite reached that ideal yet, but that’s certainly no reason to give up.
You are way to cute and cuddly to be a troll.
With a comment like that, it’s no wonder you’re forced to go Anonymous. You could end up being persecuted for saying something nice to somebody that is considered persona non grata at this site. But God bless you, nevertheless, you dear soul, whoever you are.
BLT’s talking to himself again. I wonder if there’s any chance of him “shunning” himself, just to feed his idiotic persecution complex?
Marq, there’s a difference between an “idiotic persecution complex,’ and reality-based persecution. Do I need to remind you of your last words to me prior to this post? Did you really say what you said to me, or did that just come from the voices inside my head?
I would never use an alias. I condemn Dr. BLT, The Song Blogger.
Also, I have noticed that Vox Day LOVES to quote the dictionary, plus he probably has a premium account at Thesaurus.com
Thank you, John (BTW, congratulations on your new job). John, John, John: You may wonder why I thank you. Well, every time somebody condemns me here, my statistics program shows a sharp increase in the number of people downloading my songs at
http://www.drblt.com
This is an intriguing phenomenon. Why does it occur? Here is my working hypothesis: The vocal minority of folks who respond to “Sadly, No!” threads are very hostile, bitter, cynical individuals, but the number of folks who actually post comments are few in comparison to the number of visitors at this site. And, I believe that a great number of visitors who represent the silent majority at Sadly, no!, sympathize with me, and show their support for me by downloading my songs by the thousands. Now “thousands” are not “millions,” and I’m not a big star by any stretch of the imagination, just someone who many of you seem to have turned into some sort of underground cult anti-celebrity, but if I didn’t feel a groundswell of support from the silient minority of Sadly, no! visitors, believe me, I wouldn’t be able to endure all of the abuse.
Experts are what got us past the stage of swinging from tree limbs and throwing feces at each other.
Screw you, Jillian.
-apostropher, Internationally Recognized Expert in Feces Throwing.
Don’t we all wish, apostropher. Smart and secular equals teh hotness!
Ummmmmmm, there’s a bit of plaigarism in his “article.” What he “likes to call” conventional wisdom was a term coined by John Kenneth Galbraith over 50 years ago. His definition is torn almost directly from Galbraith’s book, The Affluent Society.
Not to nitpick, but there’s nothing wrong with the grammar in “The more than eighty-five percent of us Americans who call ourselves Christians have…”. Its style and substance are separate matters however.
Dr. BLT,
You’ve missed the point that there may very well be thousands of Sadly No! readers who download your songs to laugh at your expense (and our own joy).
It’s what this site is all about afterall….laughing at nutcases. 🙂
Cheers.
Of course if people actually were PAYING for your songs then it’d be another thing altogether.
The fact that all of your songs are free to download leads me to believe that we’re simply clicking your link and downloading something to hear what a nut you are en masse.
:o)
“Fast-forward to the present day. Faith (i. e., any reliance upon the Word and the Will of God; the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God; or Biblical principles, teachings, exhortations, etc.) has absolutely no role to play in public education.”
My physics teacher would be surprised to hear that the laws of nature can’t be discussed in public schools.
Take a person with pneumonia and put faith in one of their hands and antibiotics in the other, and tell them they have to pick one. See which one they pick.
I wonder if I could get a grant to do this research?
“You’ve missed the point that there may very well be thousands of Sadly No! readers who download your songs to laugh at your expense (and our own joy).”
Anonymous: If you really do have the power to read the minds and motives of thousands of Sadly No! readers, then let them laugh. But it will never be at my expense. Those who are the first to laugh rarely have the last laugh.
Furthermore, I don’t care if the songs make them grow hair on the palms of their hands, or if they make their skin turn green, as long as they are listening and the songs are evoking some form of response.
BTW, thank you New York, for treating me and my music with more respect than the silent minority at Sadly, No!
More specifically, thank you, WFMU, for adding Merle Hasn’t Lost His Fightin’ Side to your playlist.
And thank you, New York Times for including a link to my song, What Land is This? on your blog site.
“…silent minority…” above should read “…vocal minority.” On second thought, maybe not, they are actually silent in the sense that nobody seems to be listening to them.
Watch me play!