By: Susan Knowles
Gulag Bound
So, it’s another Monday. Fresh off of going to church on Sunday, if you are Christian, and off to another busy work week. Taking the kids to school, dashing off to work, figuring out how to pay the bills while juggling who has to take little Susie to the doctor and when little Johnnie has to be picked up from school in order to make his soccer tryouts on time. Then its head down after work helping the kids do their homework so that you can get clothes washed for the kids to wear to school tomorrow, baths completed before bedtime, and then catching up on the sleep you missed last night worrying about the mounting bills and the shrinking paychecks, so that you can start the chaotic cycle all over again tomorrow.
If you are like many parents today, you barely have time to think. Your kids are growing up so fast and you will only spend a few minutes with them this week actually finding out what they are doing in school. It’s a hectic world and it’s not getting any less hectic.
I remember when I was growing up with my two brothers in North Carolina that life at times could be very stressful because both of my parents worked and due to our differences in age, I usually attended a separate school than my brothers. They spent a lot of time shuttling us back and forth while trying not to be late for work. All in all, my parents had similar worries to those experienced by parents today.
One difference, however, is that my parents had help, indirectly, but help nonetheless. You see, being raised in the South and in the time period that I grew up, we had the eyes of all of our neighbors and our elders on us at all times, whether they knew my parents or not. If we did something that we weren’t supposed to do, my parents would hear about it even before we had time to get home and tell them ourselves. The direct help my parents received, however, never involved telling my parents how they should raise us. These people just wanted to ensure our safety as well as all kids in the neighborhood.
Most parents today would never stand for that kind of assistance. If anyone tried to help them out by telling them what inappropriate behavior their child had committed, most parents would come unglued. They would be more mad at the neighbor or elder rather than at the child for the behavior. I believe that this reaction is mostly due to the guilt that many parents feel because they don’t have adequate time with their children due to having to work many hours just to put food on the table. Any direct and overt help from a neighbor or older person would be seen as a judgment of their parenting skills and not tolerated.
The downside is that a number of kids need this additional help or set of eyes on them because mom and dad can’t be everywhere at once. Without the direct and overt assistance from our neighbors or our elders, parents are limited in their resources.
No need to fear! That’s where the State steps in to offer more of an indirect, silent partnership, if you will. You know the kind of help I’m talking about. The kind that the First Lady, Michelle Obama offers when she tells you that she will figure out what is best for your child to eat at school. Heck, she and others will even go so far as to “help” you decide what’s best for you to eat. Isn’t that awesome? You not only get support with how you should raise your children but you don’t have to worry about yourself either.
Michelle’s husband, President Barack Obama is even “helping” your children out at school by offering such a great program as Common Core. Common Core, the academic curriculum that will “help” your children learn more about saving the environment, how bad U.S. History was, and even how to do a math problem the long and arduous way rather than the commonsensical and well-substantiated way. What could be better?
Are you feeling splendid now that you know the government is your “silent” partner ready to go to great lengths to raise your children?
Do you really want a helping hand with your children from the progressive left? Well, if your answer is yes, then look no further.
In addition to all the help from the President and First Lady, you now have the Telos Group who is also ready to “help” your kids out. This time, the Telos Group is ready to pour all of its efforts into impacting your children’s spirituality. No longer will you as a parent need to worry about teaching your kids about God. Your children may not be taught the Biblical principles of “your God” but does that really matter when you are tired and need to focus on the day to day issues?
Who is the Telos Group you may ask? Here is its mission statement:
“Telos strengthens the capacity of American faith communities – and especially American evangelicals – to help positively transform the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our vision is security, freedom, and dignity for every human being in the Holy Land, and our belief is that a viable two-state solution supported by the United States is the best and most practical way to realize that vision. In other words, we at Telos are genuinely pro-Israeli, pro-Palestinian, pro-American, and pro-peace, all at the same time.”
The Telos Group’s President and Co-Founder at one point, advised the Palestinian leadership on peace negotiations with Israel. Sounds good, right? A great organization dedicated to helping your children, especially American evangelicals, to help positively transform the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
What could be better than that? We’ve all heard about “hope and change” and we’ve all seen how great that has worked under the Obama Administration. The same Administration that brought us the Benghazi conflict and four dead Americans, including a U.S. Ambassador, Obamacare with a great website and more canceled plans than those enrolled, and high unemployment numbers. What could go wrong with the “transformation” being offered by the Telos Group?
Not much, if you are a fan of George Soros, an atheist billionaire from Hungary. The Telos Group fails to mention that George Soros provides “approximately half” of the Telos Group’s funding.
Additionally, McKay Coppins of Buzzfeed reports that the Telos Group is campaigning a quiet effort to push evangelical Christians away from their loyalty to Israel and toward “increasing solidarity with the Palestinians.” Another silent partner like the government that is willing to help you raise your kids with the “correct” ideology about Israel. One that is a “little” different from the Bible, perhaps.
Also, Alexander H. Joffe, PhD and author wrote a book “where he exposed organizations funded by George Soros seeking to change American Christian’s viewpoints on Israel.” He listed the Telos Group as one of those organizations.
Parents, more and more people and organizations than ever are stepping up to fill your busy shoes. They are attacking on all grounds to reach your children’s developing minds. The question becomes are you okay with that or are you willing to stretch your already full schedule to participate in stopping the takeover of your children from the progressive left. Conservative and Libertarian organizations can only do so much without your help. Isn’t it time to take a stand and tell the progressive left that “they can’t have our children?” Get involved before it’s too late!
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Susan Knowles is an author, psychotherapist and former practicing attorney. Her latest book, a political fiction, is entitled, “Freedom’s Fight: A Call to Remember” available on Amazon.com. Her website is www.susanknowles.com, where this article may also be found.
The article appearing on this site is the property of Susan J. Knowles. It is protected by U.S. Copyright Laws, and is not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Susan J. Knowles. Copyright 2014 Susan J. Knowles All Rights Reserved.
References:
- http://www.telosgroup.org/
- http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/george-soros-funding-anti-israel-evangelical-group/
- Photos:
- https://www.google.com/search?q=children+pics&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=71dqkcgdIpRuTM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com
- https://www.google.com/search?q=elderly+pic&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=400rP6-_K09NgM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com
- http://www.telosgroup.org/ http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/george-soros-funding-anti-israel-evangelical-group/
I am a 46-year-old conservative, evangelical Republican who has traveled with the Telos Group on a two-week trip to Israel and the West Bank. I can say from first-hand experience that the recent coverage of these trips by Buzzfeed and The Blaze have unfortunately suffered from a lack of first-hand information, and have had to rely on second-hand information such as a trip itinerary and inaccurate hear-say. I can testify from my experience as part of one of these trips that their entire approach was impressively fair and honest. The Telos leaders were two American-born Jewish citizens and an American-born evangelical Christian of Palestinian decent, who served as peace negotiators on opposite sides of the conflict and then decided to join forces when they realized that one of the most important things they could to try to move the process forward was to come together and help Americans from their home country gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the conflict, and the massive influence that American policy has on both the conflict and the peace process. Our entire group was tremendously impressed not only with how respectfully the various perspectives were presented, but the interactive process in which both sides allowed each other to make sure they were each doing their best to be honest with the facts, rather than stilting them with their respective biases. There was certainly broad disagreement in the range of perspectives we heard from, ranging from Jewish government officials, settlers groups, rabbis, a Palestinian farming family (who are among the thousands of Christians who live in the West Bank), Palestinian business owners and community leaders, etc. There was a Palestinian Christian teacher who made passing reference to theological view that the Jewish people are no longer God’s chosen people, because Christians have taken their place in the new covenant. Yet as soon as we got on the bus, one of the Telos leaders, who is an evangelical Christian of Palestinian decent, was quick and adamant to make sure we all clearly understood that what the teacher had said was not Biblical, and that the children of Israel still retain their special place in God’s covenant with Abraham. While Telos took a very fair approach, they would not let a statement like that stand without immediate rebuttal. They were also quick to thoroughly discredit any suggestions that US media is controlled by the Jews, etc. Anyone who suggests they are anti-Israel clearly doesn’t know them.
It is impossible to spend a day at Yad Vahsem and not walk away with a deep and powerful sense at how important and well-justified a deep desire for security is to the Jewish people. It is also impossible to visit the West Bank and not be moved by the conditions in which Palestinians are forced to live. I’ve travelled across six of the seven continents, including Haiti just after the earthquake and Mitrovica, Kosovo just after the war, so I’ve seen worse. But as a number of Jewish people publically or privately expressed while I was in Israel, there is a deep understanding among many Israelis that lasting peace cannot be achieved solely by the barrel of a gun, where for one side to win, the other must loose entirely. Israel is in an incredibly difficult position and much is at stake. I for one am grateful that the Telos Group exists, because it helped deepen my understanding of the dynamics of the conflict in a way that at once both caused me to realize how much more there is that I don’t fully understand, yet also increased my understanding to help me better known how to pray for peace on earth and goodwill to men in the land of Abraham and the children of God’s covenant.
As to the claims concerning them being funded by Soros, I’ve looked into that, and the reports appear to be greatly exaggerated. They have accepted donations from a group which Soros contributes to, but not nearly as much as what has been suggested, and none of that has been used for pilgrimages for Evangelicals. Telos partners with a number of conservative groups, and everything I have directly observed from them has been of the utmost integrity.