Yesterday my phone rang and the lady on the other end told me about something she had gotten wind of that is happening in schools across America on next Friday, April 25, 2008. It is a Day of Silence (DOS), part of a nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle and tolerance in public schools. What I found particularly interesting about what she had to say was that her niece came home from school with a contract and was told to ask her parents to sign the contract allowing her to participate in the full-day of silence at school.
Insert comic relief here:
First of all, full-day? Honestly, I don't think I've ever gone a full-day in silence - for anyone.
After some research here is what I found...
"The Day of Silence is held by students every year to bring attention to anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) name-calling, bullying and harassment. The senseless tragedy at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, Calif., brings even more meaning to a day that has brought hope to millions of students.Students will be asked to hand out speaking cards during the Day of Silence that read:
Hundreds of thousands of students are expected to participate by taking some form of a vow of silence for the entire day or part of it. Their efforts will be supported by hundreds of community-based "Breaking the Silence" events at the end of the day. Together, concerned students will create a powerful call to action in order to prevent future tragedies."(from the DOS website)
"Silent for Lawrence King: Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment. This year’s DOS is held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15 year-old student who was killed in school because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today."
While I do agree that homosexual behavior is a sin (in fact, one of many), I think those who commit hate crimes should be punished as violence is not the answer.
Additionally, I'd like to add that forcing students to sign a contract to observe a full-day of silence is also not the answer and frankly I'm quite disturbed by this. As an alternative I'd encourage a prayer for families of those slain or violated and ask for further conversation to be had on the topic among schools, families and government.
My agenda for posting this topic is simply to make you, the blog readers, aware of what is taking place in our schools next week. You can respond however you feel led; however, I like to encourage followers of Christ to respond as Christ would.
After taking a look at the list of schools participating and those not participating, I did see a number of our schools represented in our area that had been removed from the participant list. Are schools in your area on the list? Check the links below.
For a list of schools participating in the day of silence, click here.
For a list of schools who have been removed from the participant list click here.
You like this post? Subscribe here for more goodness.
Labels: Church, Culture, Hot Topics, Issues, Youth Pastors
I am seriously concerned. Not just about this issue, but about the issues that are seriously affecting our culture by attacking kids. It seems like people of faith are becoming more and more tolerant of attacks on our faith. I don't want to be an alarmist, but what do we do?