HOW DO I RE-EDUCATE MY FAMILY FROM THE PHILOSOPHIES OF MAN?
After being crushed as a mother, and surfacing back to the top after having one child leave the Church—and another attempt to take his life, I realized just how much my home had been compromised by the current culture, and what role that culture had played in the breakdown of my family. This is when I humbly asked God:
“How do I begin to take my family out of the murkiness of the world?”
The answer to the question I had asked came with an assignment through a dear friend. He knew of our desire and struggles and suggested that If Brad and I was really wanting to take the worldly influences out of our home and restore it—aligned with scripture, then we needed to re-educate my family from the philosophies of this world.
How would this be done? How does one re-educate their partially-grown family? What does that look like, and how long would it take? Our firned told us about Zion Tube and its purpose and that there were over 400 movies on there to watch. He said “watch a movie, then find a principle in it to defend and then write up a review and submit it under the movie when finished.”
400 MOVIES YOU WANT ME TO WATCH?
400 MOVIES? WAS HE CRAZY?? We had just begun cutting out movies in our home, and was enjoying the peace away from the entertainment world, that there was no way we wanted to now go watch that many movies. However we did feel this was inspired as he spoke how “movies had the power to change lives faster than a book.” He also explained how these movies were all “screened” with correct principles in them and would help my family see, and feel quicker than anything we could ever say in hopes to reach our children.
WHAT IS ZIONTUBE?
ZionTube is an organization dedicated to finding and organizing uplifting movies from across the Internet and then making these movies available to families in their own homes. The Internet is filled with information; some of it is critical to understanding, but most not essential—and the balance is very destructive. Of the critical information, that which is most often overlooked is inspiring and sacred.
HOMESCHOOLING WITH ZIONTUBE
So, for our homeschooling, we began our ‘re-education’ program using movies to school with. Each day we would take a movie, watch it, and pause it to discuss what we were learning. All of a sudden, we went from the traditional weekend entertainment to using a video daily to gradually correct patterns of indoctrination that we had absorbed.
Our public education system is so faulty . . . no one has really been ‘educated.’ We have been programmed through a God-less system, one that is an anti-christ to our homes. We have been taught evolutionary thinking, to embrace Socialism, relativism, rebellion to parents, and rebellion to God. No longer are absolutes, fear, and love of Deity and country taught. The attributes of Christ are shunned, and now the motto of “Everyone for themselves” has permeated our society. This is what was coming through the television in my home—crafted and neatly packaged in the name of good morals.
The movies found on ZionTube opened our eyes as a family! We had a new vision of what life could be, what is correct history, what causes are going on, how to interact in different situations, etc. Most of all, forgiveness, love, and charity were shown correctly. We were seeing instant results in our family as dinner discussions now came alive from the latest film and how we were changed by it—to learning how to write and speak for a few of us what we were feeling through our movie reviews.
I believe that in our society, the main thing we are battling against is ignorance. If people were better educated, they would make better choices. Most families just turn on a movie according to ratings, without ever pondering the content, producers, etc.
After watching the movies on ZionTube, we felt we needed a ‘guide’ to help us with our movie choices from here on out. We, with others, compiled a list to govern our homes with.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
Artist/Producer:
• Are they of integrity? Uncompromising, charitable, and righteous? (Remember, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water).
Acting:
• Is good shown as good, and evil portrayed as evil?
• Does it portray the breaking of the law of chastity as being evil and causing heartache, sorrow, depression, and bitter consequences?
• Does it teach about men and women sacrificing for others in service, and practicing great and simple deeds of benevolence?
• Are the heroes and heroines about striving to change and become better with all their hearts, might, minds, and strength?
• Are righteous and sacred works ever ridiculed or made fun of?
• Are Christian principles, such as freedom and liberty, upheld?
• How are marriage, families, and children portrayed? Are large families promoted, or ridiculed? Are children respectful to their parents and authority?
• Is breaking the law and living a carefree life glamorized?
• Are Christian virtues shown to be the one true path to happiness, or are they looked upon as out of date, or even mocked?
• Does the ‘Christian’ depict portray a casual, buddy buddy-type relationship with Christ?
• Does it show/inspire fear of God?
• Are the duties, responsibilities, and roles of men and women portrayed correctly?
• Are the heroes/heroines involved in witchcraft, sorcery, wizardry, or connection with spirits or supernatural forces which are not godly or divine, and do not work within or obey the laws of nature and nature’s God? (Remember, there is NO such thing as good magic).
• Is evolution taught?
• Is reincarnation taught?
• Is New Age thinking taught?
LEAVING REVIEWS
After each movie we finished, we would leave a review. Anyone can watch a movie . . . but you learn much more if you take time to write out your thoughts afterward. This helped my family learn how to battle and correctly defend the principles that were now flooding our home. In the beginning, we were afraid to write a review. Defending truth both vocally and through the pen was something we all lacked confidence in. Many times, writing would take days as we stirred and pondered what this review would consist of and how it would be accepted. They were short reviews, but we did it, and every time we wrote one it changed us.
Watching these movies helped re-educate my family correctly with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It put an end to the rebellion in my home, helped change the hearts of a few of my children, and was a wonderful asset in leaving Hollywood behind. Who would have known that using movies correctly would change the course of our broken home?
Try it, see what it does to your home, dinner conversations, and family worship!
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Julie
Julie Smith is the Education Director for the Joseph Smith Foundation. She is the former owner of the Glenn J. Kimber Academy in Lehi, Utah. Julie served as a regional trainer—establishing 18 schools in Arizona, Idaho, and Utah. She is a certified teacher for The Thomas Jefferson Center for Constitutional Restoration (TJC) and taught the Making of America seminars written by W. Cleon Skousen and Glenn J. Kimber. Some of her children also traveled across the nation, assisting in teaching during these seminars. Julie taught history and Book of Mormon classes for 10 years. Julie is the mother of 5 children and grandmother to 7. She homeschooled for over 27 years, working through family challenges including pornography addiction, testimony faith crises, and teenage rebellion. She writes and teaches on strengthening the family, working with troubled youth, practically applying the teachings of scripture and the Prophet Joseph Smith, and celebrating higher standards. In her spare time, Julie also enjoys gardening, managing her .5-acre homestead, and hosting Sunday dinners with her family! Her home is a revolving door of guests and friends as her family hosts cultural celebrations and teaching events.
