Classical Conversations for NON Conservative Christians?

[chrissymama]

I am wondering how NON Conservative Christians have liked CC.

 

We are Episcopalian, and I am not sure how that would mesh with CC.

 

There are a few groups within a half hour of us, and it sounds very intriguing, but I am worried about the religious aspect.

 

Thanks for any input!

[Momling]

We are Episcopalian also, and I wouldn't feel comfortable joining. I love the academic and community that it would provide, but the social / political conservatism is more than we (particularly as a same-sex couple) could handle.

 

I went to fundamentalist Christian schools as a kid and my family's religious and political views made me feel out of place. I was sometimes scorned and sometimes taken as a project/potential source for conversion. I'm not willing to send my kids someplace where they would feel that their lives and opinions and beliefs were somehow wrong.

[HejKatt]

I don't consider myself a liberal Christian, but I hope I can give some data from our experience. We did CC for a year (Foundations).

 

The religious aspects were the timeline cards (at that time they used the VP's cards, which mention early Biblical events), scripture memory (Ephesians 6) and a prayer in the morning when we assembled. I don't recall anything obvious about the other components, i.e. art/music, science, latin, math and presentation.

 

I personally felt that CC tried hard not to step on any toes, e.g. although they included Creation in the timeline, it was just mentioned and we moved to the next card. Similarly, the memory sentences for Science would include definitions for evolution, uniformitarianism but no subjective opinions.

[G5052]

CC's policy is to respect the family's beliefs and not to assume that the families hold to the CC statement of faith. Tutors are expected to hold to it, but it is not expected of the group at large.

 

However, the behind-the-scenes pressure will vary. We went through the last Presidential election at a campus where some were quite intolerant of those who had different political stands than they did, and there were some hurt feelings among those who were more liberal or apolitical by choice. I've also seen some subtle pressure on families with beliefs different than the norm, and that shouldn't be the case either. The campus where we are now seems more even that way, so we'll see how it is with the next election coming.

[Micron4]

The CC guide should give you a good idea of the Christian aspects in the memory work, at least for the younger kids. A previous post summarized that well. I think once the kids hit the Challenge level (roughly middle and high school) there is much more theology and discussion involved. A lot more, from what I have heard.

 

The individual people, however... well, that will just vary per group. But that would be the case with any homeschool coop or group. Sometimes the CC group has "Mom's Night Out" socials or kid playdates throughout the summer, so if you could join in on one of those that may help. The local CC director would be able to tell you.

[julzar]

At the elementary level, the materials themselves could probably be used by you individually without a problem. In a group setting, at this age, it would vary by group how comfortable you felt. At the upper levels, you may not be comfortable. Just my 2 cents.:)

[Laura in STL]

We are RC not Episcopalian. After looking into the curriculum and the groups in our area, we concluded that CC would not be a fit for us.

[HeidiKC]

I'm Catholic and don't consider myself very conservative. I visited CC for a day and thought it seemed great. Up to grade 6, I don't think I'd have a problem with it. I didn't get the feeling they were going to teach anything that wasn't on the VP cards, etc. and the prayer seemed rather inclusive and general.

 

For grades 7 and up, I am not so sure. I seem to remember some of the books they selected I wouldn't be comfortable with: creationism, conservative politics, etc. I didn't really see that that was the case for the younger kids.

 

I really wanted to join, but it just wasn't going to work with our schedule. I'd go for a day's visit, ask the director and the tutor(s) about your concerns, maybe even ask some other moms there. worst thing that can happen is they all look at you weird, in which case you know it's not the place for you!

[chrissymama]

Thank you all so much for your replies! They are very helpful.

 

There are a few groups in my area, so it is possible that one will be a better fit for us than another.

 

I just got the catalog in the mail, and it has a lot of focus on religion, IMO. I am especially unsure of how it would work for us as my kids get older, which is unfortunate, because that is really when I would like them to have more outside accountability and peer school relationships.

 

I really really love the idea of CC, but I don't think it will be a good fit for us. I definitely don't want to just use the materials on my own because the group aspect, and the somebody-else-teaching part is what I really am looking for. I sure would love it if there was something like this that was secular!

 

Thanks again for all of your input!

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I don't consider myself a liberal Christian, but I hope I can give some data from our experience. We did CC for a year (Foundations).

 

The religious aspects were the timeline cards (at that time they used the VP's cards, which mention early Biblical events), scripture memory (Ephesians 6) and a prayer in the morning when we assembled. I don't recall anything obvious about the other components, i.e. art/music, science, latin, math and presentation.

 

I personally felt that CC tried hard not to step on any toes, e.g. although they included Creation in the timeline, it was just mentioned and we moved to the next card. Similarly, the memory sentences for Science would include definitions for evolution, uniformitarianism but no subjective opinions.

:iagree:We did CC last year and enjoyed the community and classes for Foundations and essentials. My experience was similar to above quote. I would definitely describe myself as as a cross between Episcopalian and Unitarian Universalist and I see no conflict between believing in evolution, the big bang, and creation. We are also tend to be liberal politically. I thought it was a good experience. Now the CC groups may vary from area to area but the curricula and format should pretty much be the same.

[MeganW]

In the Foundations portion, the official CC stuff is minimally religious. Memorize the 10 Commandments, that sort of thing. There was also a group prayer during the opening meeting that was led by a different family every week. All were Christians, but they came from a wide variety of denominations. The new timeline cards cut out a lot of the religious events. I would think most mainstream Christians would be OK with the official work.

 

It's really the people themselves that are going to determine whether or not you fit in. Our group is a big melting pot. Another one across town is almost all Episcopalians, and another is mostly people from a fundamentalist backgroud. I think you are going to have to visit to figure out whether or not you will be comfortable there.

[QuirkyKapers]

In the Foundations portion, the official CC stuff is minimally religious. Memorize the 10 Commandments, that sort of thing. There was also a group prayer during the opening meeting that was led by a different family every week. All were Christians, but they came from a wide variety of denominations. The new timeline cards cut out a lot of the religious events. I would think most mainstream Christians would be OK with the official work.

 

It's really the people themselves that are going to determine whether or not you fit in. Our group is a big melting pot. Another one across town is almost all Episcopalians, and another is mostly people from a fundamentalist backgroud. I think you are going to have to visit to figure out whether or not you will be comfortable there.

 

:iagree: Different groups have different tones because of the people that are involved. The group I am in is a mix of conservative and not so much. It depends on who you talk too in my group. I would try out both groups. Talk to the parents. That will give a better feel for what the tone is.