Christian family moving to Eugene..what are we in for??? (Clackamas: home, neighborhoods)

[Zlynn]

I've been reading some threads here and wondering if Eugene will be kind to a Christian family? I started out looking for tips on good schools, neighborhoods, etc., and noticed that people on these threads are a little brutal. With all the diversity will there be open mindedness towards conservative families like everything else that is accepted here? Thanks for your response.

[Fran66]

You might do a lot better in Colorado Springs, CO.

[Yankeemama]

How about Happy Valley in Clackamas County? There is a largeChristian community there. Oregon, in general, is not a very religious state but here in PDX, people seem pretty accepting of others' faiths and views on political issues though I notice most people avoid religious conversations.

[mkl654321]

There are two social constructs in play here that might, upon superficial consideration, seem mutually contradictory:

1. An attitude of complete tolerance toward diverse groups, ideas, etc.

2. An extreme resistance to the promotion of any particular ideology, political agenda, etc. at the expense of all others.

What this means for our schools is that we absolutely oppose the imposition of any value system, belief system, etc. on our schoolchildren; rather, we aim to give them the information AND the skill sets to make decisions on their own, when they choose.

For example, to use the specific point of teaching or not teaching Christian beliefs, many here find it absolutely abhorrent to indoctrinate a young child in ANY belief system. Up to a certain age, children pretty much believe anything their parents tell them as absolute (sorry) Gospel. To ram a dubious cosmology into those childrens' heads during a time when they don't have the critical faculties to examine it is mind-rape, even if done in "loving" fashion.

To put it another way, if you are not completely comfortable with the fact that your children may wind up NOT believing in God (i.e., Godless atheists doomed to burn in hell for all eternity) after their time in school here, then you might want to stay where you are. We don't give Christianity any more weight than Islam, Judaism, Shinto, Buddhism, Norse mythology, or belief in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. This does NOT mean that we OPPOSE any of those belief systems (though you may have interpreted my remarks to think that we do); we oppose the enforced teaching of any one, to the exclusion of the consideration of all others.

Now, that said, there are still plenty of religious schools, plenty of churches and church groups, etc. here--as I said, this is a tolerant community. But your children may be taught evolution in public school, and there will be VERY FEW references to God, or to the Bible as anything but an important piece of world literature.

You may interpret what I've said, above, as evidence of an extreme hostility to religion on my part (and by extension, to the same hostility in the community at large). This isn't true, however: I only have hostility to religion in the sense that it is complete nonsense, AND HARMFUL. (Heck, Lord of the Rings is complete nonsense, but it doesn't cause any harm, and it's fun to read.)

The event that happened ten years ago today is a stark illustration of exactly why religion is harmful. It's never a good idea to make fanatics out of your young people. That's why we're pretty inimical to religious indoctrination of our children here. Nevertheless, you can probably find places here where that can still be done.

[Nell Plotts]

Most residents of Eugene regard themselves as Christians. No one denomination is predominant. The prevailing attitude is live and let live, but don't you dare impose your beliefs on me or my children. That is not an "anti-Christian" attitude. We Christians have killed each other (and other religions) over the centuries as we tried to impose our 'one true' version on others.

If you cannot accept an educational system that keeps matters of faith a private matter then enroll your children in a private school of your own choosing.

[Zlynn]

I actually feel a lot better after reading the posts here. I thought maybe Christians were treated poorly, but what I am hearing is that there is no forced religion in Eugene. I appreciate that! We teach what we want in our home, but I wouldn't want the schools to get involved in that. I just want to make sure my daughter (and my family for that matter) will be accepted if we choose to go to church on Sunday. I want to make sure we have the same freedom to be who we want with no hostility. I would never force Jesus on anyone.

[mkl654321]

Originally Posted by Zlynn

I actually feel a lot better after reading the posts here. I thought maybe Christians were treated poorly, but what I am hearing is that there is no forced religion in Eugene. I appreciate that! We teach what we want in our home, but I wouldn't want the schools to get involved in that. I just want to make sure my daughter (and my family for that matter) will be accepted if we choose to go to church on Sunday. I want to make sure we have the same freedom to be who we want with no hostility. I would never force Jesus on anyone.

Well, it's not like we're keeping track of who goes to church and who doesn't--on Sunday mornings, we're usually too hung over/exhausted from the parties that follow Duck football games to notice anything like that.

You have Eugene scoped out correctly in that the predominant attitude here is laissez-faire. Heck, we even tolerate some activities that are actively harmful to society, such as extensive drug use. What we have here is a less in-your-face than usual interpretation of "liberalism": do whatever you want, dude, as long as it doesn't a) harm others or b) interfere with their freedom to do what they want as long as it doesn't harm others. This city was voted the most tolerant in the nation for LGBT issues, for example.

I don't know how religiously conservative your personal views are, but your kids may come home (from school or elsewhere) with ideas that may seem very radical to you. Ideally, and I would greatly applaud this, you would be teaching them (if they were home-schooled or not) that Christianity is one of many belief systems, and that there is no empirical/scientific reason for belief in God (or any other deity). Therefore, they should choose for themselves what to believe in (again, ideally, they should "believe in" nothing that has no proof/basis for said belief). One of the more dangerous aspects of home-schooling is that the only worldview that children are exposed to during the learning day is that of the parent who is schooling them. It's hard not to import your own prejudices onto your children; more so when you spend that much more of the day with them then if they were going to school. If you can treat your personal religious beliefs as nothing more than an unproven theory (for that is what they are, no matter how many millions of people may share those beliefs) and therefore leave them largely or wholly out of your children's curriculum, I would consider that both honest and highly praiseworthy.

[Zlynn]

So, would you say it is less in your face on liberal issues and more in your face on conservative issues? For instance, you are using my situation it seems, as a sounding board or an opportunity to voice your strong opinion opposing a lot of the things I hold important, instead of saying....good for you that is your right and freedom. If I were coming here saying gosh how is Eugene for heavy parties, gay rights, and anti-Christian views, would you then say "yeah man good for your it's your right"??? Sorry if that sounds confusing....my point is you live however you want, we can still be friends, do you feel the same way? Are you the 'norm' for the Eugene attitude? I want a friend regardless of our personal views.

I suspect you'd find lots of people who are a bit less "in your face" than mil, but there is a sort of general attitude against trying to push your beliefs on others, and that attitude will extend to trying to push your beliefs on your children (perhaps even more-so, since kids are very impressionable).

You should also look pretty carefully at the types of churches that are around. In some parts of the country, social conservatism/theocracy/etc are par for the course. In Oregon, while that certainly exists, you'll run across a lot of churches (especially in larger areas that are more exposed to diversity) that are actually supportive of things like gay rights.

[1208]

you'll be fine. if you want a more conservative neighborhood/Church I would look somewhere on the North side of the river.