Parents Abuse 13: Should Homeschooling Families All Be Suspect?

Most of us have heard something about the Turpin family.  The couple who had 13 children that were malnourished and reportedly abused. 
Some guy wrongfully proposes checking up on all homeschoolers after this, but that is absolutely ridiculous. 
I sincerely think that people who suggest that kind action are actually anti-homeschooling and are looking to take more control. 
They will use any excuse to get into the home and take away freedoms.
The kinds of people who homeschool are varied, but I believe the majority of homeschooled children do quite well.
It is not something to be afraid of. 
If you were homeschooled, don't be ashamed just because criminals exist.
Public schools have plenty of their share of criminals.
While we all want criminals caught, going into all homeschooling or other homes without probable cause is an abuse of authority just like the Turpin parents abused their God-given authority over their own kids.
It seems to me that there was some probable cause in the case of the Turpin family, but the warning signs seen by neighbors and relatives were not heeded and acted upon.

There was another family in another state that had their kids taken away (wrongfully I believe in their case) due to suspicious people, and they had a nightmare of an experience to get their kids back. 
Thankfully they did get their kids back eventually. 
When I do an online search, it seems this kind of thing has happened to others who are suspected just for not being cookie-cutter families. 
People seem to be suspicious of parents simply for homeschooling and not being what others think they should be like, and that's nonsense! 

People should learn to discern between true neglect and abuse by parents, and loving hands-on parenting.
Not wanting your kids to be taught false value systems that go against Scripture, phony theories as facts or the acceptance of immoral lifestyles is not something that should make parents be treated like criminals to have their kids stolen away. 
Wanting your kids to not be distracted from their education and to have a better learning experience can also be positive.

I was homeschooled in the days when it seemed very few kids my age were homeschooled. 
We usually stayed inside until the time when those who weren't homeschooled would be out due to fear that someone would wrongfully think we were truants or be suspicious of us.
We did our schoolwork inside, and we lived pretty normal lives.
Yes, we didn't have a TV for most of my growing up years, but we had the radio, books, music, and did other fun things.
I went to public school through the 3rd grade and did homeschooling and Christian schooling at various times in my life. 
My parents didn't starve me, abuse me, or keep me from having any friends in the neighborhood or at church. 
We moved around a lot, but that had nothing to do with homeschooling.
I had Lebanese friends in one place and Jewish in another. 
Yet some people fear what is different from what their own experience.

Criminals are in every walk of life because sinners are everywhere.  It isn't a homeschool issue.  Evil is a humankind issue.

Some children who legitimately need to be protected from true abuse (spanking that doesn't cause serious injury is NOT abusing) and those kids end up in the foster care system.
Foster care has it's share of problems as well.  Some foster homes are abusive, and some are truly loving homes.  Sometimes decisions are made that emotionally harm both the kids and the foster parents who genuinely love them.
I have never done foster parenting, but I hope to write a little from an outsider's perspective in a future post.

IndoctriNation - Public Schools in America Exposed

Recently some friends of the family shared a DVD with us entitled IndoctriNation: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America .  I may have heard the name before, but it was more interesting than you might think.

If you have kids in school or had them or were a kid once yourself, the documentary should be very interesting to you.  If your kids are in public school, or you think that it's okay to send them there...please, I urge you to watch the IndoctriNation DVD!

I will share the trailer further down this post.  I do not endorse Charles Stanley who is shown in it (at least I believe he is not Biblically qualified to be a pastor anyway).  Albert Mohler, Jr. and Voddie Baucham are in it as well as Ken Ham.  The guy narrating came from Scotland, so it's fun to hear his accent when he talks.

I went to public school up through 3rd grade and then did homeschooling and Christian schooling off and on through the rest of my school days.  Even Christian schools had problems with teaching and movies and book choices and non-Christian students.  I feel that I had a pretty solid foundation with my family and teaching from some churches.  It wasn't cool to be homeschooled when I was young.  That happened later.  By the time they were having groups, we felt we were too much older than the others to want to join.  I did go to church groups with people around my age.  We didn't own a TV for many years, so we were a bit different that way as well.  I was a bit alienated, but I admit I was a bit proud of being different I think.  I am thankful I had less of the garbage from TV and a lot of trashy movies put into my mind at a vulnerable age.  It also has helped me to have higher standards than I would have even having more access now.  We read books and listened to the radio.  When computers came, we didn't have the internet until I was an adult.

We did have a school that we were under the umbrella of when I was homeschooled with siblings, so that all was legal.  We did feel we had to not go out to play much until after "normal" school hours.  That wasn't a big problem really. 

We had neighbor friends that we played with and friends at church.  Still, I felt more comfortable being around adults than a lot of kids might.  Nowadays they have lots of homeschool associations and field trips for homeschoolers.  There are a lot more options and choices as well I believe.

The documentary shows the origins of public education in America and where it is at today...especially from a Christian perspective, and it may shock and frighten you a bit.  Really, I believe it is best to have Christian parents have full control of their kids' education.  There is no guarantee that a child will become a Christian, but at least you can shepherd them and tell them the truth.  If they become Christians, you can choose what settings to let them be salt and light in (not in public school) and see what the world is like in small doses.  There is no need to throw them to the wolves for their schooling!  I prayed to receive Christ when I was 5, but my growth was very gradual.  I still had struggles with sin, but looking back I can remember some things that showed me I had some small steps of growth.  When I was 13, I think that I started to grow more spiritually, although I struggled with sin and doubts because of that.  I had daydreams of being a missionary back then.  I had some good teaching at Grace Community Church at that age ... in California.   Life as a Christian is a continual spiritual battle, and kids need encouragement and good Biblical doctrine as well as the Gospel and love and protection. 

Update: You can now watch the entire IndoctriNation documentary FREE!
See more here: IndoctriNation