Whitesburg Christian Academy (homes, private school, living)

[Justacoolguy]

Opinions?

[LCTMadison]

Never had a child there personally but I have numerous clients with kids there and they all love it.

[zenjenn]

I've known people who have gone there - and who have left.

If you want a small, insular, very Christian school that does not teach mainstream science, and your children have no special needs (learning disabilities that require attention, highly gifted, or weird social quirks), you might be happy with it. There are some good teachers there and it's one of the more affordable private school options in town, and they do have some good opportunities for the students.

If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, well, there it is. I know it wouldn't be for me, and I do know people who have ultimately pulled their children out of the school because they thought it could "sorta" be their cup of tea, but it really wasn't.

[weaverra]

Originally Posted by zenjenn

very Christian school that does not teach mainstream science,

That is a factually incorrect statement. I can guarantee they teach science just like everyone else. It's the historical origins that differ. Science is just merely the systematic study of the observable natural world. What you are really referring to has more to do with history than it does science. Neither the theories of evolution or creation are scientific. They merely historical pretext of how to explain the existence we see today.

[zenjenn]

They merely historical pretext of how to explain the existence we see today.

Well, they don't. I know a family who pulled both their children from there when the *children themselves* began to come home saying their science materials contained inconsistencies that made no sense and lost respect for the school. (Christian family, but not young earthers, and their eldest is a teen who wants to go into a scientific field.)

If you teach science from the perspective that the universe is 6000 years old, it is more than just a question of historical origin, and it's not just about evolution/biology. It has a ripple effect into nearly every area of science, from physics (how is light from stars 10,000 light years away visible if the universe is only 6000 years old?), to geology (how come we don't see stalactites and stalagmites forming at an observable rate consistent with the biggest ones being only 6000 years old?), to chemistry (carbon dating has to be presumed to be a complete farce.)

Now if you want to simply take on faith that 6000 years ago God created a world and universe complete with an ancient fossil record and light intact from distant stars to Earth and already-formed stalactites and an an abundance of placed evidence of a much older world and universe, then that's just a faith issue, end of story, and you can move ahead continuing to examine science based on observable reality the same as any secular or old-earth scientist. But that's usually not the case, and it's not the case at WCA: "scientific" explanations are offered, and they are contrived to the point where even some of the most fundamental principles accepted by mainstream science are tossed aside.

I had a young-earth "geology teacher" on a homeschool cave tour try to tell my kids that stalactites grow relatively fast until they are discovered by humans and then development slows down to a crawl because of exposure to the extra carbon dioxide. I'm sorry, but seriously? He even went so far to point out what looked like a lime deposit miniature "stalactite" that he had observed increase slightly in size over the course of a few years as "evidence" that stalactites grow faster than we think, amazingly demonstrating ignorance about basic chemistry AND geometry while also contradicting his previous statement in a single sentence!

But I suppose we could debate that forever. The people who find young-earth science problematic can steer clear of WCA, and those who don't can carry on!

[OmarLittle]

Originally Posted by zenjenn

young-earth science

= oxymoron

[weaverra]

Originally Posted by zenjenn

Well, they don't. I know a family who pulled both their children from there when the *children themselves* began to come home saying their science materials contained inconsistencies that made no sense and lost respect for the school. (Christian family, but not young earthers, and their eldest is a teen who wants to go into a scientific field.)

Would it be like the inconsistencies in trying to explain how the Colorado River had to have flowed up hill to cut through a middle of the plateau?

[zenjenn]

Would it be like the inconsistencies in trying to explain how the Colorado River had to have flowed up hill to cut through a middle of the plateau?

Uhm, are you talking about the elevation at the rim of the canyon being so high and gosh how did the river get up there? So you're presuming that a plateau at that elevation had to exist before the river cut through it. That's not necessarily how it works. The river can exist and tectonic upheaval can happen later. I'm not super knowledgeable about the Grand Canyon, but I've been there a few times and there are many faults around the place and a history of lots of tectonic activity. I'm sure there are many unknowns about the specifics but both tectonic activity and erosion are factors in the formation of large canyons; it's hardly a mystery that defies explanation. I'm guessing "oo! uphill river!" is something parroted a lot by YE Creation materials?

(FWIW, I believe in God, so I'm not trying to disprove a divine creator; just that it appears creation was achieved in a much more complex manner than that of being snapped into existence by a celestial wizard. Or at least if God truly did create the universe near-instantly, he sure embedded within creation a lot of compelling evidence to convince us of the contrary. And why would God be deceptive?)

[denofhc]

Schools (and churches) ruling out the obvious truths of science do our society (and our children) a great injustice. Evolution is a fact of science. I speak as a Christian. I would never send my children to such a school.

[weaverra]

Originally Posted by denofhc

Schools (and churches) ruling out the obvious truths of science do our society (and our children) a great injustice. Evolution is a fact of science. I speak as a Christian. I would never send my children to such a school.

They are not ruling out "obvious truths". What they are objecting to is the interpretation based on the assumptions used to reach that conclusion. Evolution such as apes being a common ancestor to humans or inanimate objects forming to create a living organism are not facts of science. It's never been observed or recreated in a lab. That's NOT science. These scientist still can't tell us where life came from. What was the motivation of the evolutionary process? Was there even a motivation?