Just noticed I haven't blogged in over two months...pretty sad state of affairs. I blame it on the play I'm in - memorizing lines takes up a lot of brain-space.
I saw something on CNN the other day and realized I had to write about it - it made me so, SO angry. They called it a "real-life Footloose" - a senior at a Catholic high school went to his girlfriend's public school prom, after which he was suspended and won't be allowed to walk with his class at graduation this summer - all because his school has very strict rules against music and dancing.
I was floored by this. Does this really still exist in America today? Did we not pass into a new millennium nine years ago? And as much as I loved it, wasn't "Footloose" pretty G-D corny?
Frankly, I think having rules against anything is pretty much equivalent to asking for teen rebellion. ESPECIALLY when it's something like this. Music and dancing have been part of human culture throughout all of recorded history. They have been used to celebrate, to commemorate, to show love and express joy, to alleviate the negative and bring people together.
How on earth can something so beautiful be turned into something to be afraid of? It boggles my mind. I understand the church's correlation between slow-dancing and sex, I suppose. But I would argue that one does not necessarily lead to the other, and that if a teen is going to have sex, they're probably gonna do it regardless of what they were doing earlier in the evening.
I may be putting myself on shaky ground by saying this, but I don't think sex is the enemy. Unwanted teen pregnancy and STD's are what we should be focusing on - a lack of sex education is the true evil, yet THAT is what's being promoted by so many in the church.
I'm not saying I condone underage sex - but I don't think it's realistic to fight against it, either. Be supportive of your kids, let them know that it's more important to you that they are SAFE and PROTECTED - that's what my mom did for me, and I seemed to work out okay.
And this nonsense about music and dancing? I don't care if this kid's school had rules that he knowingly broke - they were idiotic rules to begin with. I don't blame him one bit. This school should be ashamed of itself. I'm willing to bet they don't have any rules against aggressive, competitive sports.
Religion shouldn't be all about fear and control, it should be about love and compassion and joy. I guess I'll keep hoping for a rebellion...and not just from the teens.
