September 11, 2004

BAAACK Exerpt from the Detroit News:

"The program focuses on authority. The minister behind Character First! is Bill Gothard, 65, whose Institute for Basic Life Principles is based in Chicago. Gothard says more than 2.5 million people nationwide have attended his seminars. Gothard has centered his teachings on the aspect of authority. He instructs his followers to obey all authority figures -- parents, bosses and political leaders -- because those figure are ordained by Christ. Critics believe that the Character First! curriculum is based on Gothard's values, which he says are rooted in a literal interpretation of the Bible. The minister believes that the Bible says women should be submissive to their husbands, the drum beat in rock music is Satanic and adopted children carry the sins of their biological parents. The Character First! program does not contain any references to these beliefs or to God, Christ or Satan. But Character First! volunteers, or character coaches, typically are teen-age members of Gothard's church and are home-schooled with an educational program developed by Gothard."

Posted by Vikke at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2004

It's BAAACK

The "City of Character" issue is rearing its ugly head in South Haven once again. A group of area residents met recently to discuss how they might proceed to imlement the program. Holland (MI), which has proclaimed itself to be a "City of Character" sent a speaker to the meeting to talk about the great benefits which derive from such designation. According to my source, she kept saying that, of course, no one could possibly object to the 49 so-called character traits, presented in sound bites, which are the basis of the program.

Now, all of this reminds me an awful lot of those folks who loudly proclaim themselves to be "religious" or "spiritual." Saying it don't make it so. Putting up signs declaring that your town is a "City of Character" and proclaiming thereby your righteousness and goodness, is instantly suspect in my book. However, the Mayor of our fair town, Dale Lewis, was heard to say that if the question arose in City Council again the Council would pass the issue, effectively imposing a biblical and right-wing "christian" ethic on everyone in town.

If this group wants to implement these character traits and values in their churches, I say fine--go for it. But to implement such a program in the schools, businesses and city government is scarey, 'way too close to designing, if not requiring, conformity in thought, word and deed. It may be called voluntary, but so is paying your "voluntary" income tax. Imagine, if you will, a child in school or even a business owner trying to opt out because they believe the concept is wrong-headed or stupid. How do they do that? "Oh. You don't believe in good character and family values? What's wrong with you!? You must be crazy, weird, a crook, a bad apple, not a team player." Or worse. This is treading thin ice.

I don't know about you, but traits such as meekness, servility ("I will ask my leaders before I do (whatever) because they represent a higher authority) and kow-towing to, instead of questioning, authority, strike me as mindless, and I, for one, will take a pass.

Anyone who is seriously interested in knowing the background of the "City of Character" program should do some research on the origins and the goals. The original program was created by a fundamentalist preacher, Bill Gotherd and his Institute of Basic Life Principles in Illinois, and picked up by an oil industry non-public corporation in Oklahoma, wiped of its overt references to old testament themes, and used to program the company's employees. The company's profits rose. Their expenses fell. There is no mention of the benefits accrued to the employees, all of whom are now, presumably, happy little worker bees. It's all for the good of the corporation.

And bear in mind that this is no a free program. O no. The company which started the marketing of the "City of Character" sells the program and materials through the CharacterFirst Institute, and teaches, for a hefty fee, how to present it.

For more information about Character First and Cities of Character, go to www.liberty1st.org/cfirst.aspx
For a news story on Bill Gotherd and the Institute of Basic Life Principles go to www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=679755

Posted by Vikke at 11:08 PM | Comments (2)