When I first heard the idea that children don’t belong to their parents, but rather to the community, I passed it off as far-left nonsense. That was in 2013 with the following quote, “We have to break through this idea that kids belong to their parents, or kids belong to their families,” by Melissa Harris-Perry, a commentator for MSNBC.

Then, last year, while running for re-election and facing a firestorm of criticism for the way Virginia school districts were handling tough issues, former governor Terry McAuliffe said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” That’s when I realized this was far more widespread of an opinion than I had previously thought. Who other than parents should have the right to tell schools what to teach their children? Those that subscribe to the ideas above would argue that the community is who should raise children and allowing parents to raise them could lead to racist, homophobic adults.

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus summed up this sentiment best in a song they wrote. “You think that we’ll corrupt your kids if our agenda goes unchecked. Funny, just this once, you’re correct,” they sang last year. Unfortunately, that agenda has gone unchecked, and we find ourselves today having to defend the right of a parent to say their five-year-old child shouldn’t be taught about sex in school. There are now countless examples of school districts teaching, showing and providing sexually explicit materials to kids as young as kindergartners. And they’re doing it in the name of fairness and equality. It just sounds like sexual grooming to me, and it scares me for our kids.

What purpose does it serve to teach a young child about sex, especially without the active participation and approval of that child’s parent? Saying that it’s so they won’t hate a minority group doesn’t wash with most people. Saying that it’s to protect the child from their parent in case they are in a minority group also doesn’t make sense. No one knows their kids better than the parents that are raising them. Of course, there are outliers and bad home situations, but those don’t cancel out the millions of parents actively parenting their children who absolutely have the right to say what they should or shouldn’t learn in school.

One of the most recent examples of outrage over not being allowed to sexually indoctrinate children is HB 1557, a Florida bill that was passed earlier this year and can be summed up quite simply. It’s called the “Parental Rights in Education” bill and it bans certain instruction about gender and sexuality issues with younger students. The bill protects young children from being taught about sex before they are even old enough to consider the topic. And yet, it’s been dubbed as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The bill doesn’t even mention the word gay in its short seven pages. It says parents should be notified if the school is teaching certain types of information and parents have the right to make decisions regarding the upbringing of their children. That is apparently so offensive that Disney has gotten involved and all but promised to indoctrinate kids through their popular programming.  

Call to Action: We live in a time where “pedophile” is being considered as a protected sexual orientation. Maybe it’s time to consider we need higher standards and more involvement in what our kids are learning, not less. Be involved and active in your child’s education and be aware of what they are learning. And you may want to consider not supporting companies like Disney that aim to indoctrinate our kids.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

By Whose Authority?

For more information on my Commentary and to see some of my backup research, or if you wonder why I take the position I take, go to www.LyleBrennan.com.