When Sex Ed goes sideways - Necessary Evils

I teach Sex Ed. (I've blogged about it before.)

In my class I do my best to welcome questions. I even have a system so they can ask questions anonymously. Sometimes they're silly, sometimes repeats of what I just taught, and sometimes they push me way outside of my comfort zone.

But I insist on engaging with them. We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend that our children don't have questions, or we can take them on an struggle with them.

Sometime I really struggle with them.

This past week I had a question about divorce. I did my best to answer it, but it didn't go very well. I have students in my room who have lived and are living the story of divorce. I tried to be as sensitive and balanced as I could be. But somewhere something went wrong.

So here I'm going to try to write my thoughts about divorce. I haven't been through one. I've only watched from the sidelines. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

I think that divorce is not part of God's plan for the world. In God's perfect world there will be no divorce. We don't like in a perfect world. Divorce should not be, but sometimes they are necessary. Divorce is a necessary evil.

Let me use some illustrations to get the idea of necessary evils across.

I think that locking someone up for life and throwing away the key is evil and wrong. But sometimes, there are people in society for some reason or another need to be put in prison. Jail should not be, but sometimes is necessary.

I think that all weapons that kill or harm human beings are evil and wrong. But police officers need guns to keep the peace. Soldiers need weapons to maintain our freedom. Farmers need a gun to put down the horse that broke its leg. Guns should not be, but are sometimes necessary.

I think that marriage is two flesh becoming one and what God has put together let no human separate. But sometimes there is abuse or other situations that mean a marriage must end. Divorce should not be, but sometimes they are necessary.

I don't pretend to think that real life is simple. Questions like these I wrestle and struggle with. I often wonder what God sees when he looks at the mess we make of his world. But I know that he is a God of love and that he sees more than I do.

The CEAF debacle

Like many others here in the Christian School community in Ontario I am part of the mess that has become CEAF, OACS, CRA, and a bunch of lawyers. (If you don't know what that alphabet soup of letters means, then this blog post isn't for you. You are welcome to return and visit some other time though!)

I've got an opinion on the mess if you want to hear it.

I understand that CEAF was acting in good faith when they started out on this road. They were doing their very best to find ways to reduce the cost of Christian Education. They were well advised  and made the best decision that they could. It's only in hindsight that it's so easy to condemn them.

So here's what really bothers me. That somewhere in our tiny community were enough to people to put a class action lawsuit together to get their pound of flesh! I had hoped that our Christian community would be better than this.

So here's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to grab my slice of the pie! I'm going to grab MY MONEY in both hands. I'm going to hold onto it really tight.

For about one minute. That's how long it's going to take me to write a check to the OACS and donate "my money" right back to them. (If you want to add Bible verses to the comments on this blog about who's money it is I'd appreciate that.)

And that's my challenge to you.

Grab your slice of the pie.

Then give it away.