Common Core is Rotten to the Core

May 18, 2013 By

WV Common CoreMore and more over the past few months, opposition to the state-led Common Core State Standards (CCSS), being introduced in 46 states and the District of Columbia over the past two years, has been building.  Not only are the CCSS inferior to several states’ existing educational performance benchmarks, but they leave enough wiggle-room for manipulation of those standards to meet non-academic expectations of some state educators.

And herein is one of the most insidious aspects of the way the CCSS are being implemented.   A case in point is the State of West Virginia.  In our state, “Standards for 21st Century Learning” is the euphemism selected, possibly to avoid public scrutiny that the state is even using CCSS.  At least that is the way it appears to many.

In fact, a prominent member of the WV State Senate stated in a meeting I attended in March 2013 that WV was not part of the CCSS.  Additionally, the Senator alleged that WV would never connect its student database – some of it terrifyingly personal and identifiable to the individual student – to a national database of such information currently being supervised by the Center for Education Statistics (Department of Education).

The Senator’s statement notwithstanding, CCSS was quietly adopted by unanimous vote of the WV Board of Education (WVBOE) in May of 2010, fully a month before the official version of the CCSS was released by the owners of the standards, and included a commitment to connect to the databases.  That process is 50% complete so far. [Read more...]

About Tom Stark

Tom Stark began writing for the Engage Family Minute blog in February 2012. As a small business owner Tom is passionate about the intersection of faith and politics in the life of Christians and the community around him. Having been touched by both the abortion issue and the issue of homosexuality in his own family, Tom is passionate about defending the lives of the unborn and upholding Biblical Truth. Tom also writes for www.westvirginiaconservative.com

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Parents Sue Over Toddler’s Sex Reassignment Surgery

May 16, 2013 By

A recent article shares the details of a family that is suing the state of South Carolina for performing unnecessary sex reassignment surgery on a 16 month old toddler. The article states: ”‘The doctors knew that sex assignment surgeries on infants … poses a significant risk of imposing a gender that is ultimately rejected by the patient,’ attorneys claim in the suit…’That was a permanent, irreversible decision that was not theirs to make.’”

This child was born with male and female sexual organs and doctors decided to remove the male organs and essential make the child a female. Here’s the logical result of creating a culture of fluid sexuality. People become quick to make decisions that have lasting implications and could even be a mistake. Now, at 8 years old, this child has decided he wants to be a boy. Truly I feel sorry for this child as his sexuality was forced on him, rather than being allowed to grow into it. Will he now face unwanted same-sex attractions? Will he feel isolated for wanting to be a boy after being raised as a girl for 8 years? This is what happens when sexuality becomes fluid and people act as if it can be changed as easily as a light bulb. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Why Do “Richer” Kids Do Better in School?

May 11, 2013 By

students schoolA recent article in the strongly progressive-leaning New York Times took their typical view on the state of the nation’s schools and the reasons for their alleged decline.

The basis for the article was recent studies that indicate that children from wealthy families do far better in school and complete college more often and successfully than do middle- or low-income families’ children do.

The first paragraph begins with this gem:

“Students growing up in richer families have better grades and higher standardized test scores, on average, than poorer students; they also have higher rates of participation in extracurricular activities and school leadership positions, higher graduation rates and higher rates of college enrollment and completion.”

Author Sean Reardon goes on to say that the above fact is not very surprising to most.  It certainly isn’t a surprise to me, but I have a couple really good reasons for this difference in success that have nothing to do with money. [Read more...]

About Tom Stark

Tom Stark began writing for the Engage Family Minute blog in February 2012. As a small business owner Tom is passionate about the intersection of faith and politics in the life of Christians and the community around him. Having been touched by both the abortion issue and the issue of homosexuality in his own family, Tom is passionate about defending the lives of the unborn and upholding Biblical Truth. Tom also writes for www.westvirginiaconservative.com

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guess What Most People Want the Boy Scouts To Do?

May 8, 2013 By

One of the biggest votes in BSA history is coming up later this month. Ahead of that vote the BSA conducted a survey to gauge opinion from members and their families concerning their ban on homosexuals. The survey revealed that a majority of people want to see the BSA keep their current policy and resist pressure from homosexual groups to make any changes. A recent article reports:

“Ahead of a May 23 vote on whether to change its policies to allow openly homosexual scout members and/or gay scout leaders, the BSA has provided CNSNews with the results of survey conducted in February of BSA members, parents, donors and other interested parties. The survey’s executive summary describes it as ‘the most comprehensive listing exercise in [BSA] history.’ The survey shows that of the 200,000 adult members who responded, 61 percent are in favor of keeping the current policy, which excludes open and avowed homosexuals from the BSA; while 34 percent of the respondents said they would like to see the current policy changed.” All that’s left is to see if the BSA is smart enough to listen to their own members. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Could Your Child Be Asked to Kiss A Same-Sex Student in a West Virginia School?

May 2, 2013 By

kissThat sounds like a ridiculous and downright silly question, doesn’t it?  Not so fast!

A school in Red Hook, New York, is catching major flack after allowing a group from a local college into their middle-school classrooms to teach the anti-bullying curriculum mandated by a state law authorizing such indoctrination.

The instructors in this “anti-bullying” seminar required students to stand in front of the class and “act like they were on a lesbian date together.”

Other segments of the class for boys instructed these young people in the finer points of spotting “sluts” and distinguishing between them and other females.   Notably the criteria for being distinguished as a “slut” was primarily attributable to what one wears, not what one does.  These young men of tomorrow were also cautioned that they should “always maintain condoms in their wallet (apparently as a means of practicing safe sex?).

But the headline aspect of the training session was when the instructors required female students to stand in front of the class and ask each other for same-sex kisses. [Read more...]

About Tom Stark

Tom Stark began writing for the Engage Family Minute blog in February 2012. As a small business owner Tom is passionate about the intersection of faith and politics in the life of Christians and the community around him. Having been touched by both the abortion issue and the issue of homosexuality in his own family, Tom is passionate about defending the lives of the unborn and upholding Biblical Truth. Tom also writes for www.westvirginiaconservative.com

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Engaging Weekend: Slate Magazine Endorses Polygamy, Boy Scouts poised to Reverse Ban on Homosexuals, Boy Abducted By Government for Being Home Schooled

April 22, 2013 By

FPC-BlogUpdate-EngagingWeek

Engaging Weekend is a collection of articles from the weekend that you might have missed. But we thought they were important and wanted to make sure you had a chance to read them.

SLATE: ‘MARRIAGE EQUALITY’ INCLUDES POLYGAMY

We are among the voices declaring that if the government redefines marriage for homosexuals, it will have to redefine it for other groups – such as polygamists, pedophiliacs, etc. – or be guilty of the same discrimination it now accuses traditional marriage advocates of. We are often ridiculed for this position, and yet we are being proven right as these fringe groups begin lining up to declare a “Constitutional right” to their lifestyle choice. Most recently, Slate magazine has printed its full endorsement of polygamy. They say: “The definition of marriage is plastic. Just like heterosexual marriage is no better or worse than homosexual marriage, marriage between two consenting adults is not inherently more or less “correct” than marriage among three (or four, or six) consenting adults. Though polygamists are a minority—a tiny minority, in fact—freedom has no value unless it extends to even the smallest and most marginalized groups among us.” Ugh, where do I begin to pick this apart? Marriage is not the business of the government; it is something that should be in the hands of the people to protect. Traditional marriage holds value for children, families, and society as a whole whereas other arrangements do not. If you read between the lines here, Slate is basically saying anyone should be allowed to do anything. Where does it stop? Click here for original article.

Pressure builds from both sides as Boy Scouts weigh gay policy [Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Engaging Weekend Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Just to be Safe the Romeike’s Should Claim to be “Illegal Aliens”

April 17, 2013 By

Romeike FamilyOne of the hot-button issues facing Washington in the past couple months is “Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR)”  Of course, this is a euphemism for providing all of the currently illegal aliens within the borders with immediate and unconditional citizenship and voting rights (the real driving force behind the effort).  This effort has been championed for years by our current President.

Unfortunately, there are a number of flaws in this attempt to legalize law breakers, but that is an argument for another day and place…not here.

As Dave Jolly points out in a recent article from Godfather Politics, at the same time he is supporting the CIR effort, he is doing everything in his power (with the help of the Justice Department) to prevent one Christian couple with children from gaining political asylum in America based on their objection to a German law – Germany being their native country – that was enacted during the reign of terror known as Hitler’s Third Reich.

The law they object to is a law requiring children to be educated (read indoctrinated) in government-run schools.  Home schooling is prohibited in German since the late 1930s.  The couple faces losing custody of their children if they stand up for their religious conviction that the government run schools are teaching their children things that are against those sincerely held religious (Christian) beliefs. [Read more...]

About Tom Stark

Tom Stark began writing for the Engage Family Minute blog in February 2012. As a small business owner Tom is passionate about the intersection of faith and politics in the life of Christians and the community around him. Having been touched by both the abortion issue and the issue of homosexuality in his own family, Tom is passionate about defending the lives of the unborn and upholding Biblical Truth. Tom also writes for www.westvirginiaconservative.com

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rick Santorum Combats Harris-Perry Comments on Children

April 16, 2013 By

Rick Santorum is opposing the comments made by MSNBC anchor Melissa Harris-Perry in a recent article in which he argues that children do indeed belong to parents, not the government. He writes: ”In 2005, I wrote a book called “It Takes a Family” about the importance of a strong family in raising children and imparting virtue. The title was in contrast to a well-known book Hillary Clinton wrote, “It Takes a Village,” which offered a very different approach to raising children. She believes, as many on the left do, that the family is secondary to institutions and governments when it comes to looking after the interests of children. Karen and I disagree. We believe in the primacy of families and have worked throughout our careers on creating and promoting policies and ideas that make stronger families. The fact is, without stable families as the bedrock, our country will fracture and collapse.”

Santorum goes one step farther in explaining just how deep this anti-parent strand runs in the liberal left by highlighting the Romeike case. The Romeike’s are a German family seeking asylum in the U.S. over laws in Germany against home schooling children. The Obama administration is arguing that the religious convictions of the Romeike’s that have prompted them to home school are not grounds for asylum and are seeking to have them deported back to Germany. In short, as Santorum states, not only does Harris-Perry believe children belong to the government and state, so does our president. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Religious Freedom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Melissa Harris-Perry Reiterates “Collective” Comments

April 16, 2013 By

After causing a stir with her comments that our children belong to everyone, Melissa Harris-Perry reiterating her comments. She wrote: ”What I thought was an uncontroversial comment on my desire for Americans to see children as everyone’s responsibility has created a bit of a tempest in the right’s teapot. Allow me to double down…I have no intention of apologizing for saying that our children, all of our children, are part of more than our households, they are part of our communities and deserve to have the care, attention, resources, respect and opportunities of those communities.”

What we need to understand is that this is simply a step in the process to indoctrinate our children, remove parental rights, and further redefine marriage. If the liberal left can teach our kids whatever they want, without parental involvement or approval, they own our kids. If they own our kids they can further rationalize and justify same-sex “marriage” and depriving kids of a mother and a father by forcing them into the homes of same sex couples via adoption and foster care. This is not a slip of the tongue for Harris-Perry, this is expounding upon an anti-parent, anti-family ideology. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Kentucky Schools Removing All 10 Commandment Displays

April 16, 2013 By

The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) has done it again. They have merely sent a letter to a school district claiming that displays of the 10 commandments violates the Constitution and that they are to be removed immediately, and the school district caved. I guess these districts don’t have their own constitutional lawyers able to counter the bogus “facts” thrown around by the FFRF. Maybe we should take up a collection for them. A recent article shares the complaint filed by the FFRF:

“These Ten Commandment displays are a flagrant violation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution…Any student will view a Ten Commandments display in school as being endorsed by the school. Breathitt County Schools’ promotion of the Judeo-Christian Bible and religion over non-religion impermissibly turns any non-Christian or non-believing student, parent or staff member into an outsider.” They’re right. Anyone not learning the basic principles of these commandment will ultimately end up an outsider in our society. When they steal, or kill they will be in jail. When they commit adultery they will be outside their own family. Yeah, let’s not teach these principles to kids, let’s throw condoms and birth control at them and see what happens. Oops…too late. Click here for original article.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

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