Boycotts Abound

Should Christian teachers boycott public schools?

Should conservatives boycott the Girl Scouts?

Posted by TulipGirl | 11:40 PM| TrackBack (0) | Words

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I'm all for putting your money where your mouth is. But this article on the boycott of Girl Scout cookies really gets me - look at the source. If you pull up the website, and take off the end of the URL, to get to the home page, you see the organization that has put out the call for boycott. I've never heard of them before, but seeing what I saw wasn't comforting. I believe the Bible when it says that homosexuality is wrong, and I do take some degree of offense at the gay movement using the beautiful rainbow as their symbol. But this group appears to me to be extremist homophobes, equating homosexuality with pedophilia at every turn, and you just can't make that leap. Sure, there are plenty of homosexual pedophiles. But you can't say all gays are pedophiles anymore than you can say all heterosexuals are pedophiles. There are bad apples in both camps. And last time I checked, Jesus changed hearts by individual interactions with people, not by strongarm tactics, or hate rhetoric.
I believe we need to work on people's hearts, one by one, as they come into our lives. Some of us will have ministries that are huge because many people will seek us out, like Billy Graham. But most of us will have a small circle of influence where we can share God's ruiles for living in a loving manner, not in the adversarial political arena. Would you change your lifestyle because someone lobbied to make it illegal? Why would gays? They will only change if they allow God to change their hearts and behaviors. Who will introduce this God to them? Certainly not people like this International Organization of Heterosexual Rights (the Girl Scout Cookie boycott people). They're too busy using fear to use love.
Of course, the Girl Scouts will have some ties to feminism - not all feminism is bad. Someone does need to look out for the welfare of young girls. Even in our enlightened society, girls still have the odds stacked against them. Not all feminism is about abortion. We women can thank the early feminists for our right to vote. 1 in 4 women will be sexually abused at some point in her life. This has probably always been so, but it is because of feminism that we now have public education campaigns teaching boys and men that no means no, and federal funding of rape victims' hotlines and resources. Because of feminism, women can legally divorce an abusive husband, and not have to leave her children behind in the process. As I said on your husband's blog when I saw his bit on this story, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Just my two (or three or four) cents.
Posted by: AutMom at March 5, 2004 06:57 AM

Re: Christian teachers in public schools

Perhaps Christians cannot "legally" speak about their faith in the classroom, but it certainly does not prevent them from acting it out. MANY a Christian teacher has made a tremendous impact on the lives of their students - even in the public schools. Sometimes their "silent" witness is the only ray of hope the children ever experience.
Posted by: Carol at March 5, 2004 11:30 AM

Hi, AutMom!

I believe I understand where you are coming from.

The article I found most interesting was the one by Kathryn Jean Lopez, of National Review. A source I consider more reliable than, as you pointed out, an organization focused on promoting their agenda with inflammatory rhetoric.

I linked to the article not to say "Boycott Girl Scout Cookies!" but to alert people that while most of us have images of happy girls in green-and-brown camping, the Girl Scouts organization as a whole has some things in it that leave much to be desired.

I think the Girl Scouts can still be a positive influence in a young woman's life--or a negative one. It would depend in large part depend on parental involvement and the way leaders at the local level operate their troops.

Carol,

I strongly disagree with RC, Jr's call for Christians to not teach in public schools. It flies in the face of the Reformed idea of "calling" and working where God has put you, to His glory.

And while philosophically I don't like the idea of public schools (after reading Bastiat's "The Law"), the majority of people are still educated in public schools and I do desire that they get as good an education as they can. And I hold fast to the idea of teachers, especially Christian teachers, nurturing children in a way that reflects God.
Posted by: TulipGirl at March 6, 2004 11:02 AM

"I don't like the idea of public schools (after reading Bastiat's "The Law")"

I came to this conclusion when I stepped on the bus on the way to grade one - and every day there after.

And I agree with you... again...
Posted by: Carol at March 6, 2004 04:55 PM

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