Focus on the Family
So I was taking a shower yesterday as most people do after working outdoors, and I was listening to the radio that we have in the shower. It's really cool, it's all like water resistant and it hangs from the top of the shower. It's sweet. Anyway....I was listening to the Christian radio station and there was a show called Focus on the Family on. It's hosted by a guy named James Dobson and they deal with different issues that affect families in our world as well as things that can be difficult for a Christian walk. This particular week they were talking about the difficulties of being a Christian on a college campus. I was interested obviously because I'm a college student and a Christian. I could relate to this topic. I instead ended up laughing at them. Isn't that horrible?
So they started talking about how college campuses are tough and different and they really are promiscuous and people drink and do drugs etc. They suggested that is a shockingly different place than when they went to college. I don't know for a fact, but I don't think the college lifestyle has changed a TON over the last couple decades. I'm sure it has, but I don't think all of a sudden they JUST became a wretched hive of scum and villiany (name that movie). So they continued to talk about how a university tries to break it's students down morally by putting them in co-ed dorms. Yes, the colleges TRY to break down our morals. By putting us in co-ed dorms, we automatically will sleep around and it's all a part of their scheme. If our morals break down, then our ideas have to follow our morals and we can follow the ideals of our college professors and they can shape our belief systems. So basically, the entire university system is a conspiracy...GET OUT NOW!!! (oooooozing sarcasm) NOW, I do think that Satan can use something like a co-ed dorm to help break us down, but I don't think at large it is the goal of my school to break me down in such a way. I'm sure there are people that believe that that works, and they did cite one author about there was a way to manipulate students and change them with this sort of system, but largely, I think it's a crock.
In argument of that, college campuses are places of academia and it's better to have diversified ideas so authority can be challenged. This makes people really hold onto what they think in fields where the 'right answers' aren't always clear. I don't think the university as a whole wants a group of drones. I'm still sure there are a few professors that would love that though.
Nextly, they suggested that all students should go to college to be missionaries. I found that to be ridiculous. What about the extremely gifted girl that wants to go to be a pre-med and then go to med school? Does she now get stuck being a secretary at a local church instead because her mom heard this program and shoved her into a Bible college without any life science programs? Now, I must give parents credit and say that they know how to discern the complete truth, but I can bet as a protective parent, hearing to just tuck your child away safely is a good thing.
Next Mr. Dobson referred to college campuses as "Sodom and Gammorah." That's really harsh. They also suggested that they are some of the most unchurched places on the planet. I see the exact opposite as college ministry is all over and people really are being reached out to. On top of this, they DID say that you COULD go to a secular school if you had a high enough spiritual GPA. Basically they said if you're a good enough Christian, you can choose to go to whatever school you want to because you're strong enough. It just bothers me that somehow just the 'elite' should go to certain schools. They also suggested maybe if you wanted to go to a secular school that you take a break for a bit before you go. Maybe live at home, work, go to the military....WAIT, go to the military??? That is a great idea for somebody with shakey beliefs. Because I know everybody in the military is just raising their hands in praise there. Ridiculous.
It all just frustrates me very much and it scares me that parents might take all of that to heart without discerning it first. I would not change my experience at all over the last 2 years and I really do see God's will in what I'm doing in school right now...
SOTD - 1 - After taking three of four from the red-hot Reds, the Cubs seemed to be on their way to a substantial winning streak and really ready to make up some ground. Now they're in a 1 game losing streak.
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5 comments:
Wow, that's frustrating. Especially with all the problems I have with Christian schools. From talking to friends, I'd say that it's Chrsitian schools that stunt people's growth by keeping a tight eign on their students and violently separating the sexes from each other.
I get squeemish when people suggest that Christians should hide themselves away from true society and pretend that they're nothing like anyone else. That just breeds misunderstanding and judgement. How many Christians grew up with a strong stigma about people who drink or smoke or have sex only to get out into the real world and realize that these people are the same as you and have reasons for what they do. You can get to a point where these people become a mysterious, sinful "other" who are foolish or masochistic in their dicision-making. (Star Wars: A New Hope by the way...)
The ideas that everyone should go to school to be a missionary or that only the "super-Christian" should venture out into the word are just rediculous.
And you're right. The military as an environment for developing into a Godly, well-adjusted person? erm....
I absolutely agree. Going to Catholic schools from Kindergarten all the way through high school, I was extremely sheltered from the world. Attending the University of Illinois, a huge, public school, was an enormous culture shock. I remember my first day of Calculus class, there was a person in the front row with a huge green mohawk. I had never seen anything like it before.
In high school, I was a good Christian kid, and for the most part, I think I still am. I don't think that college has had any overwhelmingly negative impact on my character and set of morals; in fact, I think I've matured a lot, learning how do deal with people and be socially accepting. In high school, I would never have ever associated with someone who smoked marijuana or had sex all the time. I realized, once I went to college, that just because a person does that, doesn't mean that they're a bad person. Most people that you find out there might do things that you don't always agree with, but from my experience, it seems that the majority of the time, they are generally good people with good intentions. And that's what makes the world what it is: no two people are the same, even though we are all in the image and likeness of God, and that adds to the flavor of life. And I think that God intended that from day one.
I am really disturbed by these almost neo-Nazi Chrisitians saying for us to shelter ourselves and hold ourselves in what seems to be higher regards than non-believers or these "sinners" (ah, how hypocritical we have become as a society). What's more, I am appalled that they would say that college is the present day "Soddom and Gamorrah." That's a quick and easy stereotype to make. In the words of Orville Wright, "If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true were really true, there would be little hope for advance." It seems to me that these so-called hives of scum and villainy are never given a chance from the start, people just accept the stereotype that's force-fed to them. Sure, college campuses may not be the most morally sound places. But you can't let the negative actions of people blot out all the good that they bring into this world.
I remember listening to a similar discussion about the inherent evils of state universities in my church at home. I was pretty frustrated too. I mean, it's kinda fun that they think I'm so brave and strong to live among all that filth, but...their perspective was just so small and wrong.
"Nextly, they suggested that all students should go to college to be missionaries. I found that to be ridiculous. What about the extremely gifted girl that wants to go to be a pre-med and then go to med school?"
Well having a missionary mindset is something I think all of us should desire, but we can be missionaries in any field of work.
Also, last I heard, the world in general is against us and fairly decrepit spiritually and morally, so I think singling out college campuses as Sodom and Gomorrah is not quite right. Try the 25-30 something club/bar scenes. You could pick tons of facets of life.
But yeah, I do agree that a lot of stuff about college is very contrary to Christ and what he taught (at least at my uber liberal univ.) but isn't that all the MORE reason for us to be there? Last I heard, we were supposed to be going into all the world.
Amy
Oh, and the idea of the super-Christian, God uses US. Each of us. Where we're at. He doesn't demand we be a certain level first. I've seen just-saved, "baby Christians" lead people to Christ.
Amy
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