Christ “... said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Mat 18:3-6)

            Parents are concerned not only about the education of their children but also the moral values the children are having imposed upon them within the schools.

            The state has chosen to remove all elements of morality from the schools under the guise of separation of Church and state. At the same time various groups have been able to impose their own agenda with their moral values onto the schools. Specifically, sex education, the dispensing of condoms, and allowing speakers to present homosexuality as an alternative life style, to name a few. Clergy are not allowed to speak and present an alternative life style: virginity, purity, and marriage because this is allowing the priests to impose a morality on the children. In this case, the rules are not applied equally.

            The imposition of immorality or amorality is being accomplished in a devilish manner. The end result of this is no one can say to another person his actions are moral or immoral. Each individual determines what is moral or immoral for there is no such thing as truth. Truth as revealed by God. The children are told they must be tolerant of one another and, thus, cannot judge right or wrong. The ones who push this view are intolerant of a position that is different from theirs, which is why they do not want a priest to express other moral values to the children.

            What can be done in the family to counter such an attack?  St. Theodore the Studite gives us a principle to follow: "It is a commandment of the Lord that we should not be silent when the Faith is in peril. So, when it is a matter of the Faith, one cannot say, ‘What am I? A priest, a ruler, a soldier, a farmer, a poor man? I have no say or concern in this matter.’ Alas! the stones shall cry out, and you remain silent and unconcerned?"

            Instruct your children in leading an Orthodox life; read the scriptures to them, the lives of the saints, and guide them, by the parent’s example, to confession and to partake of Holy Communion. Talk to them about right, wrong, moral and immoral in ways in which they can understand.

            As they grow older they will be engaged in discussions within the classroom about the above issues, hence, they should be given adequate materials to read to help them present an Orthodox understanding. The parish priest can provide instructions and material to assist the child in presenting his ideas in a debate.  Parents should be visiting the schools and know what the children are being taught.  Clergy can assist the parents in this area.

            In particular it is important, when homosexuality is being raised in a discussion, not to focus on homosexuality but on morality.  The real issue is not homosexuality but morality. It does not matter whether it is a heterosexual or homosexual who is involved in fornication, it is a perversion and a sin to engage in sexual relations outside of marriage.

            The effort to inculcate in the minds of our children, at an early an age as possible, a perverted view of God’s creation, man, can be prevented if we, as a family, demonstrate by our lives it is possible to live an Orthodox life. Our single Orthodox, likewise, should be models for younger children to look up to and emulate for they see that our youth also seek Christ and want to live a life in the Church.

            These matters should be discussed within the parish thereby allowing us to learn how each family has been attempting to confront these issues.  May we ask God to guide us and assist us in finding the best means to protect our children and ourselves so we do not fall prey to these influences.