Controversy at the Carnival, round two
OK, promised rant. I shall address both sides, and I would really appreciate your comments, whether or not you agree with me. It began with a submission to last week's Carnival of Homeschooling which was rejected on the basis of cursing in another entry:
This action was taken because HSB is a Christian blog host website and the members of HSB have a right to trust that the websites we are linking them to are safe for them to read. Profanity is not acceptable for our readers.
This occurred after the posting when one of the readers looked through more of the blog and left a comment.

On principle, I'd say TOS (that week's host) can link to, or refuse to link to anything it wishes for any reason. If that is an issue, perhaps it shouldn't host. Which it appears it shan't be doing in future.

Instead, I question this attitude which I see expressed in various ways, "...the members of HSB have a right to trust that the websites we are linking are safe for them to read." There is a mentality I see peppered throughout Christian blogs and websites that seems to think I need protection from this evil thing that is the internet.

One even advised me to pray and seek the counsel of my husband if I encountered anything I didn't understand. Deep breath, and...EXCUSE ME???!!!

Just how mindless do you think I am? I am quite used to the accusations regarding sheep mentality from non-Christians. Read through the comments on here, here and here for a sampling of what the world thinks of us, just in case you have never noticed. I encounter it daily. I don't need it from Christians. Especially when the scripture teaches:
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.--Matthew 10:16
I am supposed to go out among the wolves. Not sit at home and play bibleopoly all day. And I think somewhere in there, I am given the Holy Spirit as a comforter. Not warnings in sidebars that (gasp) the world is not the perfect place it once was.

Perhaps I should post my own warning:
If you are at risk of losing your faith based on a blog post, maybe you should rethink this whole internet thing. Certainly don't visit this site. I have atheists, agnostics and a wiccan or two in those blogrolls. I even read some of them. Regularly. I don not consider a blog's politics, religion, or sexual orientation before linking. I link to make a point or provide a reference.
(Addition: Milehimama said something which prompted me to clarify. If you link to something you know members of your audience may find offensive, I have absolutely no issue with a warning. I've done it myself. This is a reaction to blanket warnings and a general mentality which seems to think that I need someone to hold my hand through the internet.)

And on to the other side.

I'm not sure how, but I generally seem to get along with a diverse group of people. I think maybe it is because I kind of like people. I like discussion and debate. I have strong beliefs and convictions which have never been shaken by confrontation. Ironically, it was a homosexual TA in college who successfully prodded me back into the church after a semester of sitting through his God-hating rants. Confrontation tends to strengthen my resolve.

For some reason, however, the continual ranting about Christianity on secular homeschooling blogs gets to me after a bit. I presume they are a little tired of being lumped together with Christians just like we are all tired of the socialization question. I don't know. It is just a guess. But why the anger?

There seems to me a bit of...dare I call it hypocrisy?

Eireann (unschooler) says:
Henry replied to me saying:

“My vision for
the carnival is one of respectful posts which teach all of
us and help us all to be better homeschoolers.”

I believe that he has the right idea but I’m not sure he can corral the close-minded religious folk into linking to objectionable content such as ours.

Fair enough. She is the one whose entry was pulled. But as I read through the rest of the discussion, I wonder who it is that is refusing to link to whom.

Seriously...read through the comments. the immediate reaction to the offense is to boycott the carnival (again), point out how they never really read it anyway, start up another one, and not link to the carnival. Don't forget to scroll over all HSB links because they never have anything to say. That is all fine. If the carnival, and particularly its Christian contributors who submit voluntarily as do non-Christians, are so offensive, don't link to it. Like HSB refuses to link to content it finds offensive. The last time this blew up, someone insisted that their entry be removed:

One Carnival submittor asked me to delete/remove their entry from this 18th Carnival of Homeschooling as they didn't personally agree with what was stated in another Carnival blogger's entry within this same Carnival. The topic was about parenting, discipline, and the use of physical pain infliction on children...

They did not want to be associated via linking to another person's entry with which they disagreed. At one point in the initial boycott, someone stated they would not link to anyone who linked to HSB. Talk about "scrubbing" blogs to make sure content is acceptable.

You are supposed to be free thinkers. At least that is the description I read most often in the comments. Will that be taken from you if you stumble across one too many Christian posts?

As Eirann said in her comment to me earlier,
I'd love to hear your rant...seems everyone has an opinion on the topic.

The COH seemed like a brilliant idea to showcase diversity but some aren't ready for what they may read. The thing is...there's this little button at the top of every browser....it says BACK. If you don't like the blog you've come to and aren't willing to open you mind...or debate...click away.
It works both ways.

(Here is round one, if you are interested. The animosity goes way back. And I did get taken off the "Blogs Against Hitting Kids" list for that entry.)

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