Insights

Insights from the Patriot Post

"The malice of the wicked is reinforced by the weakness of the virtuous" --British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

"We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst." --British novelist and Christian apologist C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

"If you are afraid to speak against tyranny, then you are already a slave." --author John "Birdman" Bryant (1943-2009)

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." --American author Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Statism in opposition to Christ's Gospel

"The whole purpose of the organization of this great Church, so complete so perfect, is to bless the individual. How that stands out in striking contrast, in opposition, to the claim of the communist who says that the individual is but a spoke in the wheel of the state, that the state is all in all, the individual being but a contributing factor to the perpetuation and strength of the state.

"That idea is diametrically opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus sought for a perfect society by perfecting the individual. He recognized the fallacy in the dream of those who hoped to make a perfect society out of imperfect individuals. In all his labors and associations, he sought the perfection of the individual.

"The goal he always set before his followers was the emancipation of men and women from greed, from anger, from jealousy, from hatred, from fear; and in their place he hoped to bring about a complete and normal development of the individual's divine powers through right thinking and unselfish, efficient service.

"He promised no material rewards, but he did promise perfected, divine manhood. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48) And with that divine manhood comes the resultant happiness-true happiness."

- President David O. McKay, April, 1965, LDS General Conference

The Divine Science of Politics

A few thoughts from John Adams:

"The science of government is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take place, indeed to exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.
...
"Politics are the divine science, after all." (letter to Abigail Adams, 1780)

As I was reading this, it occurred to me that John Adams felt it his duty to "study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy," not so that his sons would study those other disciplines in place of politics, but because they would need a firm foundation of, what he termed, "the divine science" of politics, in order to properly understand those other disciplines. Likewise, a foundational understanding of "mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture," with their foundation of political understanding, would be necessary for the next generation to properly understand the application in "painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain."

Foundational, fundamental truths, if thoroughly and deeply understood by parents, are easily and naturally passed on to the next generation in their childhood, so that, when mature, that next generation can build on those truths, line upon line, precept on precept.

And, from George Washington:
"A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?"

Constitution Learning Resources

For those who feel the call to prepare to save the Constitution, here are some excellent online resources:
The Inspired Constitution
St. George Tucker's "Blackstone's Commentaries"

This is my first article that actually got published by a national organization. (http://lds-nha.org/internet.html) I hope you enjoy it.

Keeping Children Safe on the Internet

By Seth Nelson

"On Friday, …the…University…Extension Service is providing a workshop for parents who want to learn how to monitor their children's Internet activities. …[A] Detective…from the…Sheriff's Department will be teaching participants how to check what websites their children visit, review online chat logs, and view what pictures, text and other content is placed online. Parents are encouraged to attend and learn the skills necessary to protect their children from online predators."

The above advertisement is one I have received from several sources. I have seen a number of similar workshops and presentations over the past few years, and have often felt uncomfortable with them, though have not quite been able to explain why. Recently, however, I think I have come to understand why these classes don't really sit well with me. While the stated purpose of the workshop is commendable, I fear that some of the underlying mindsets that are implied may be harmful to families and to society in general.

Now, before I explain what I mean, the only information I have about the content of this particular workshop is in the quoted advertisement above. For all I know, the actual content of the class may already be intended to be completely in line with the suggestions I will make. However, I want to share these thoughts because of some negative tendencies I see in our society.

This class is provided "…for parents who want to learn how to monitor their children's Internet activities." It intends to accomplish this by "…teaching participants how to check what websites their children visit, review online chat logs, and view what pictures, text and other content is placed online." While these skills may be helpful to educate a parent in the use of Internet communication software, an underlying mindset is that children cannot be trusted and need to be monitored.

The stated purpose of the class is that parents might "…learn the skills necessary to protect their children from online predators." However, if the only such skills being taught in the class are those mentioned above, it will do little or nothing to help parents protect the children from the same dangers they may face on the Internet when using a computer at a public institution (such as a school or a library), at a friend's house, or any other computer which the parent does not have the ability to monitor. Also, the skills necessary to avoid detection, even in a monitored setting, are just as easy to learn as those needed to monitor. If the only reason children have to avoid inappropriate content or activities on the Internet is so that their parents don't catch them, there is no protection when they are not in a monitored setting. In addition, monitoring only catches misuse after it has already happened; it does nothing to prevent it from happening in the first place.

My primary fear is that teaching monitoring skills under the idea that they are "…necessary to protect…children from online predators" reinforces the mindset that monitoring by an authority figure is beneficial, and an appropriate way to enforce proper behavior. Have you ever read the book 1984, by George Orwell? Is that the type of society we want to encourage our children to believe in? Is that the type of society we, ourselves, believe in, but just don't want to admit it?

I propose that, instead of putting our efforts (and trust) into learning only how to monitor our children's Internet use, we take the extra time and effort to learn how to properly use the great resources available through that medium and how to avoid its dangers ourselves. Then, we can teach our children those same skills (or invite them to learn with us). As parents, we already have the obligation to teach our children moral values. I suggest that we let them know that there are dangers (on the Internet and elsewhere) that defy those values and need to be avoided, and make sure they know that they can come to us for help in avoiding those dangers. If, in addition to teaching them moral values, we actively train them in the skills they need to avoid danger, they will have these skills when they are not under our supervision, and thus be better protected. As a great leader once said, "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves."

Now, that's not to say that a parent should not learn how to monitor Internet use. I believe that, if the parent believes that the child has a problem, those Internet monitoring skills may be very useful tools in finding out more about the problem than the child may volunteer on their own. The parent can then use that information to help them understand and better help the child. However, there are many "techno-phobic" parents, who have little or no skills in using the Internet or computers, yet who actively and sincerely teach their children moral values, communicate openly with their children about the dangers and challenges they face (whether on the Internet, or elsewhere), and make clearly defined family rules about computer use (not just Internet). I believe that these types of parents are providing much better protection to their children (not just on the Internet) than parents who distrust their children and try to keep their behavior in line by simply monitoring then reacting to inappropriate conduct.

Even if our children truly are trying to avoid the dangers; and, even if they only access the Internet from home; they are still somewhat likely (depending on how much they use the Internet) to stumble across inappropriate content at some point. So, we do have a need to put protections in place to minimize those chances on the computers under our own control. There are many resources available that we can use to guard against accidental exposure to many of the dangers on the Internet. Keep in mind, however, that it is practically impossible to prevent accidental exposure when allowing Internet use. Virus and spy-ware protection, Internet firewalls, and URL filters are just some of the available types of software that are available from many commercial, as well as open-source, software producers. As parents, I suggest that we need to become well informed about these resources and obtain and use those we believe will best protect our families. Deciding which one to get isn't as important as learning how to use it (whichever one you choose) efficiently and effectively. Then, as they become more responsible, we can help our children to understand how to use these safeguards themselves. After all, children are not prisoners that we need to keep under control, they are our protégés whom we need to train and prepare for the dangers they will face when they are not under our care.

I hope I haven't come across as attacking the good people who promote and teach these classes and workshops. Their intentions are likely the highest for the welfare of the children. Like I pointed out, the skills they teach can be very useful for parents who wish to protect their children from the dangers on the Internet. However, putting too much emphasis in the skills of monitoring Internet use, without emphasizing that the children need to be trained to avoid the dangers on the Internet themselves, can actually have an opposite effect from what is intended.