Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[From the Honorable Sen. Chuck Grassley]

“Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn have engaged in open and honest dialogue with committee staff. They have not only provided responses to every question but, in the spirit of true cooperation, also have provided information over and above what was requested.

 

“Both Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn have indicated that they are also instituting reforms without waiting for the committee to complete its review. Self-reform can be faster and more effective than government regulation and is the hallmark of my oversight of The Nature Conservancy, the Smithsonian Institution, American University and the American Red Cross. These organizations are all going strong and are arguably better off than they were before. I support voluntary, independent accreditation programs like those sponsored by the Land Trust Alliance and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and encourage these ministries to pursue similar accreditation. The most successful non-profit organizations recognize the need for transparency about their operations and accountability to their donors and the taxpaying public. They appreciate that Congress has a responsibility to review the effectiveness and fairness of tax laws for taxpayers and tax-exempt groups alike.

 

“The ministries that continue not to cooperate appear to be heeding the advice of attorneys who are not familiar with congressional oversight in general and specifically the Finance Committee’s oversight and legislative work in the area of tax-exempt organizations over the last seven years. These attorneys who aren’t part of the ministries themselves have a natural incentive to prolong the process as long as possible.“

[Yahoo]

Florida drivers can order more than 100 specialty license plates celebrating everything from manatees to the Miami Heat, but one now under consideration would be the first in the nation to explicitly promote a specific religion.

The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words “I Believe.”

Rep. Edward Bullard, the plate’s sponsor, said people who “believe in their college or university” or “believe in their football team” already have license plates they can buy. The new design is a chance for others to put a tag on their cars with “something they believe in,” he said.

If the plate is approved, Floridawould become the first state to have a license plate featuring a religious symbol that’s not part of a college logo. Approval would almost certainly face a court challenge.

The problem with the state manufacturing the plate is that it “sends a message that Florida is essentially a Christian state” and, second, gives the “appearance that the state is endorsing a particular religious preference,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Come on ACLU.  Just when we agreed on something last week you go off and do this.  I wouldn’t put one of these on my car but to think that a tag is endorsing a religion is crazy.  There are tags for every college and sports team.  Now, I don’t want one on my car just because if I’m driving wild I don’t want to be a bad witness.

What do you think?

[ABC News]

Displaying a portrait of Jesus in the foyer of a Louisiana courthouse is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled this week, siding with civil libertarians who sued over the display. But inserting Jesus within a group portrait of historic figures at the courthouse is permissible, the judge said.

In a ruling filed Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle awarded “nominal” damages plus attorneys’ fees and costs to the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana in its case against Slidell City Court, Judge James Lamz and St. Tammany Parish, which partially finances the court.

Read about it here.

[From me]

As a follower of Jesus I wouldn’t want a picture of Buddha or Muhammad on the wall of a courthouse.  I don’t need a picture of what people think Jesus looked like to remind me to live for Him.  I’m reminded daily as I read His word. 

What do you think?

[World Net Daily]

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today blasted a court ruling that endangered homeschooling and homeschoolers statewide.

“Every California child deserves a quality education and parents should have the right to decide what’s best for their children,” the governor said in a prepared statement. “Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children’s education.”

“This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts and if the courts don’t protect parents’ rights then,as elected officials, we will,” he said.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Even the Terminator gets it. My words to the California Courts–”We’ll be back!”

What do you think?

[Family News in Focus]

In one year Alabama jumped from 22^nd in the country to fifth. But interestingly the test scores didn’t change all that much. Alabama, like many other states, is simply redefining what it means to be successful. The temptation to fudge the scores to meet the required progress in federal law is too much for some states to overcome. Gary Palmer of the Alabama Policy Institute says his state could not resist.

“Under No Child Left Behind we’re showing about 65 percent of fourth graders being proficient at reading. When you look at the NAEP scores that goes down to about 30 percent.”

NAEP is a private standardized test most schools take to gauge progress. Palmer says the National Governors Association is implementing another voluntary standard to measure the graduation rate.

“Instead of an eleven percent dropout rate what the new standard will show is that Alabama’s dropout rate is somewhere between 35 and 40 percent.”

Kevin Carey of the Education Sector says Alabama is particularly adept at changing the definition of success.

“And really when you look underneath the test scores, it’s not because the students are learning more, it’s just because the state has gamed the system particularly well.”

Read about it here.

A state appeals court has decided California parents without teaching credentials do not have a right to home-school their children.

The 2nd District Court of Appeals ruling could affect up to 200,000 home-schooled students in the state.

“The court is guilty of an imperious assault on the rights of parents,” said Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family. “How dare these judges have the audacity to label tens of thousands of parents criminals — the equivalent to drug dealers or pickpockets — because they want to raise and educate their children according to their deeply held values?

“The case before them involved one couple — the ruling should have been confined to that one couple, not used to punish an entire class of people, the vast majority of them religious conservatives.”

Read about it here.

[From me]

For those who think the government is the answer to the ills of the world–think again! I spent 2 years teaching in the public school system and it was one of the better schools in my state. We had lots of NASA engineer children. You can’t get any smarter than a “rocket scientist.” We had great parental involvement. If you were looking or a school for your children, this was one of the top 5 in the state. But because of discipline issues and the fact that the Principal wanted the school to have the appearance of being successful we fudged grades. I taught 2 Senior Economics/Government classes and was told by my Principal to give my failing students extra credit or whatever it took to allow them to graduate. I didn’t think that was right but he reminded me I was non-tenured. That is one of the reasons I left teaching to enter the business world.

I feel for teachers. Most are dedicated and loved what they did when they entered the profession. I would say 99% of them want to teach but they are not allowed. When you have over 30 students how can you effectively teach each one? What is going on in Alabama is going on everywhere. Teachers are being forced to teach for “TESTS!” It is not about education anymore, it is about politics and looking good.

So we can’t trust the government only to educate our children. If schools are educating so well, why do I always hear complaints from parents about all of the homework? Shouldn’t the education be occurring at school? Why should a student come home from being at school for 8 hours and have to spend another 2 to 3 hours doing work at home?

I’m sure there are some fantastic schools around. Even if 99% of the schools were doing great jobs in educating children, what right does the government have in telling a parent how to educate their children? Parents know what is best for their children not politicians! If someone wants to send their children to public or private school–great! But if they want to home educate then they should be allowed to do that too!

What do you think?