I got into a discussion with someone recently on Facebook who believes that I am in violation of scripture to believe that the decision to not homeschool my children is a disputable matter. It is NOT the point of this post to debate that topic, and I won’t engage in the debate here, so please let’s not go there here. There are lots of places where that is being discussed if you are inclined. Here are a couple of posts I found interesting on the issue, also, if you’re interested:
Does the Bible Mandate Homeschool?
The point of this post is that in the course of the discussion, the word “pharisee” was used. I did not use the word, but at the time I agreed with it, and I still agree with the sentiment behind why it was used, that we believed that burdens are being added to the command in the law to train up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to insist that this is a mandate for homeschooling. I think we all agree that training our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is a clear command in scripture. Where we were differing is in the area of our convictions on how that is to be done. As I said, the benefits and non-benefits of both sides are being argued all over the place and strong lines in the sand are being drawn on either side, and I don’t intend to do that here. I agreed at the time with the use of the word ‘pharisee’ because the Pharisees were known to add burdens to the law.
However, upon thinking on it some, I think to use the word ‘pharisee’ probably goes too far. I can see why it is offensive, and it is not my intention to be offensive. It could seem that by its use we mean that we think the person is a proponent of false religion. I do not believe that about the person with whom I was having the discussion. I do believe we reached a point of disagreement where a lot of sound Biblical people do, in fact, differ, but that is a far cry from false religion, and not what was meant by the comment.
So, I guess what I’m saying is that in blogging as in life, it’s best to keep the discussion focused on the issue at hand and avoid inflammatory words when possible. Especially in a post where I was trying to think about graciousness in the midst of disputable matters.
Just one of the reasons I sense a need for a blogging break.
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